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Easy-to-Read Version

Jeremiah 9:4

"Watch your neighbors! Don't trust your own brothers, because every brother is a cheat. Every neighbor talks behind your back.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Dishonesty;   Hypocrisy;   Slander;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Backbiting;   Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Slander;   Speaking, Evil;   The Topic Concordance - Alertness;   Trust;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Prophets;   Slander;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Knowledge of God;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Neighbor;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Slander, Talebearing;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jacob (1);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ethics;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Everyone has to be on guard against his friend.Don’t trust any brother,for every brother will certainly deceive,and every friend spread slander.
Hebrew Names Version
Take you heed everyone of his neighbor, and don't you trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
King James Version
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
English Standard Version
Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
New American Standard Bible
"Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother utterly betrays, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
New Century Version
"Watch out for your friends, and don't trust your own relatives, because every relative is a cheater, and every friend tells lies about you.
Amplified Bible
"Let everyone beware of his neighbor And do not trust any brother. For every brother is a supplanter [like Jacob, a deceiver, ready to grab his brother's heel], And every neighbor goes around as a slanderer.
World English Bible
Take you heed everyone of his neighbor, and don't you trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Let euery one take heede of his neighbour, and trust you not in any brother: for euery brother will vse deceite, and euery friend will deale deceitfully,
Legacy Standard Bible
"Let everyone beware of his neighbor,And do not trust any brother,Because every brother surely supplants,And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
Berean Standard Bible
"Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah, all your friends and relatives tell lies about you, so don't trust them.
Complete Jewish Bible
Everyone deceives his neighbor, no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongues to lie, they wear themselves out with sinning.
Darby Translation
Take ye heed every one of his friend, and confide not in any brother; for every brother only supplanteth, and every friend goeth about with slander.
George Lamsa Translation
Take heed every one of his neighbor and do not trust in any brother; for every brother henceforth will defraud and every neighbor will walk deceitfully.
Good News Translation
Everyone must be on guard against their friends, and no one can trust their relatives; for all relatives are as deceitful as Jacob, and everyone slanders their friends.
Lexham English Bible
"Let everyone be on your guard against his neighbor, and you must not trust in any brother, for everyone surely betrays, and every neighbor goes about with slander.
Literal Translation
Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother. For every brother will supplant, and every neighbor will walk as a slanderer.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee one must kepe himself from another, no man maye safely trust his owne brother: for one brother vndermyneth another, & one neghboure begyleth another.
American Standard Version
Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
Bible in Basic English
Let everyone keep watch on his neighbour, and put no faith in any brother: for every brother will certainly be tricking his brother, and every neighbour will go about saying evil.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they deceive every one his neighbour, and truth they speak not; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, they weary themselves to commit iniquity.
King James Version (1611)
Take yee heede euery one of his neighbour, and trust yee not in any brother: for euery brother will vtterly supplant, and euery neighbour will walke with slanders.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yea, one must kepe hym selfe from another, no man may safely trust his owne brother: for one brother vndermindeth another, one neighbour beguileth another.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Beware ye each of his neighbour, and trust ye not in your brethren: for every one will surely supplant, and every friend will walk craftily.
English Revised Version
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will go about with slanders.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ech man kepe hym fro his neiybore, and haue no trist in ony brother of hym; for whi ech brother disseyuyng schal disseyue, and ech frend schal go gilefuli.
Update Bible Version
Take heed every one of his neighbor, and don't trust in any brother; for every brother will completely supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
Webster's Bible Translation
Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders.
New English Translation
Everyone must be on his guard around his friends. He must not even trust any of his relatives. For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. And all of his friends will tell lies about him.
New King James Version
"Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanderers.
New Living Translation
"Beware of your neighbor! Don't even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend.
New Life Bible
"Let every one watch his neighbor. Do not trust any brother. Because every brother sets traps, and every neighbor goes about hurting people with his talk.
New Revised Standard
Beware of your neighbors, and put no trust in any of your kin; for all your kin are supplanters, and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Every one, of his neighbour, beware ye, And in no brother, may ye trust, - For, every brother, supplanteth! And every neighbour, as a tale-bearer, goeth about;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let every man take heed of his neighbour, and let him not trust in any brother of his: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every friend will walk deceitfully.
Revised Standard Version
Let every one beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother; for every brother is a supplanter, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
Young's Literal Translation
Each of his friend -- beware ye, And on any brother, do not trust, For every brother doth utterly supplant, For every friend slanderously doth walk,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

Contextual Overview

1 If my head were filled with water, and if my eyes were a fountain of tears, I would cry day and night for my people who have been destroyed. 2 If only I had a place in the desert— a house where travelers spend the night— so I could leave my people. I could go away from them, because they are all unfaithful to God. They have all turned against him. 3 "They use their tongues like a bow; lies fly from their mouths like arrows. Lies, not truth, have grown strong in this land. They go from one sin to another. They don't know me." This is what the Lord said. 4 "Watch your neighbors! Don't trust your own brothers, because every brother is a cheat. Every neighbor talks behind your back. 5 Everyone lies to their neighbor. No one speaks the truth. The people of Judah have taught their tongues to lie. They sinned until they were too tired to come back. 6 One bad thing followed another, and lies followed lies. The people refused to know me." This is what the Lord said. 7 So the Lord All-Powerful says, "A worker heats metal in a fire to test it and see if it is pure. I will test the people of Judah like that. I have no other choice. My people have sinned. 8 The people of Judah have tongues as sharp as arrows. Their mouths speak lies. They all speak kindly to their neighbors, but they are secretly planning ways to attack them. 9 Should I punish the people of Judah for doing these things?" This message is from the Lord . "You know I should punish a nation such as this. I should give it the punishment it deserves." 10 I, Jeremiah, will cry for the mountains. I will sing a funeral song for the empty fields, because all the animals were taken away. No one travels there now. The sounds of cattle cannot be heard. The birds have flown away, and the animals are gone.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye heed: Jeremiah 12:6, Psalms 12:2, Psalms 12:3, Psalms 55:11, Psalms 55:12, Proverbs 26:24, Proverbs 26:25, Micah 7:5, Micah 7:6, Matthew 10:17, Matthew 10:21, Matthew 10:34, Matthew 10:35, Luke 21:16

neighbour: or, friend

every brother: Genesis 27:35, Genesis 27:36, Genesis 32:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:6

walk: Jeremiah 6:28, Leviticus 19:16, Psalms 15:3, Proverbs 6:16, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 10:18, Proverbs 25:18, Ezekiel 22:9, 1 Peter 2:1, 1 Peter 2:2

Reciprocal: Judges 16:18 - Come up 2 Samuel 19:27 - slandered Job 6:15 - My brethren Psalms 52:2 - Thy Psalms 55:13 - my guide Psalms 116:11 - All Malachi 2:10 - why Ephesians 4:31 - evil speaking 1 Timothy 3:11 - not

Cross-References

Genesis 9:10
I make my promise to all the birds, and to all the cattle, and to all the animals that came out of the boat with you. I make my promise to every living thing on earth.
Genesis 9:14
When I bring clouds over the earth, you will see the rainbow in the clouds.
Leviticus 3:17
This rule will continue forever through all your generations. Wherever you live, you must never eat fat or blood."
Leviticus 7:26
"No matter where you live, you must never eat blood from any bird or any animal.
Leviticus 19:26
"You must not eat any meat with blood still in it. "You must not try to use different kinds of magic to tell the future.
Deuteronomy 12:16
But you must not eat the blood. You must pour the blood on the ground like water.
Deuteronomy 12:23
But be especially careful not to eat the blood, because the life is in the blood. You must not eat meat that still has its life in it.
Deuteronomy 14:21
"Don't eat any animal that has died by itself. You may give the dead animal to the foreigner in your town, and he can eat it. Or you may sell the dead animal to a foreigner. But you yourselves must not eat the dead animal, because you belong to the Lord your God. You are his special people. "Don't cook a baby goat in its mother's milk.
Deuteronomy 15:23
But you must not eat the blood from the animal. You must pour the blood out on the ground like water.
Acts 15:20
Instead, we should send a letter telling them only the things they should not do: Don't eat food that has been given to idols. This makes the food unclean. Don't be involved in sexual sin. Don't eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still has the blood in it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take ye heed everyone of his neighbour,.... Take care of being imposed upon by them, since they are so given to lying and deceit; be not too credulous, or too easily believe what is said; or keep yourselves from them; have no company or conversation with them, since evil communications corrupt good manners:

and trust ye not in any brother; whether by blood or by marriage, or by religion, believe not his words; trust him not, neither with your money, nor with your mind; commit not your secrets to him, place no confidence in him; a people must be very corrupt indeed when this is the case: or, "trust ye not in every brother" r; some may be trusted, but not all though the following clause seems to contradict this,

for every brother will utterly supplant; or, in supplanting supplant s; play the Jacob, do as he did by his brother, who supplanted him twice; first got the birthright from him, and then the blessing; which was presignified by taking his brother by the heel in the womb, from whence he had his name; and the same word is here used, which signifies a secret, clandestine, and insidious way of circumventing another;

and every neighbour will walk with slanders; go about spreading lies and calumnies, as worshippers, backbiters, and tale bearers do. The word דכיל is used for a "merchant"; and because such persons went from place to place with their goods, and made use often times of fraudulent practices to deceive people, it is applied to one that is guilty of slander and calumny; Song of Solomon 3:8.

r ועל כל אח אל תבטחו "et omni fratri ne fidatis", Paganinus. s עקוב יעקב "supplantanto supplantat", Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

From their punishment the prophet now turns to their sins.

Jeremiah 9:2

The prophet utters the wish that he might be spared his daily striving, and in some lone wilderness give way to his sorrow, without restraint.

A lodging place - It was usual to build in the desert, either by private charity or at the public expense, caravanserais, to receive travelers for a single night, who had however to bring their own supplies with them.

An assembly - Or, a gang.

Treacherous - Faithless toward one another.

Jeremiah 9:3

Rather, “And they bend their tongue to be their bow of lies, i. e.” just as men before a battle get their bows ready, so they of set purpose make ready to do mischief, only their arrows are lying words: “neither do they rule faithfully in the land, i. e.” Judaea.

Jeremiah 9:4

In a state of such utter lawlessness, the bonds of mutual confidence are relaxed, and suspicion takes its place.

Utterly supplant - An allusion to the name of Jacob Genesis 27:36. It might be rendered, “every brother is a thorough Jacob.”

Will walk with slanders - Or, slandereth.

Jeremiah 9:6

A continuation of the warning given in Jeremiah 9:4. “Trust no one: for thou dwellest surrounded by deceit on every side.” Their rejection of God is the result of their want of honesty in their dealings with one another 1 John 4:20.

Jeremiah 9:7

I will melt them, and try them - The punishment is corrective rather than retributive. The terms used are those of the refiner of metals, the first being the smelting to separate the pure metal from the ore; the second the testing to see whether the metal is pure, or still mixed with alloy. God will put the nation into the crucible of tribulation, that whatever is evil being consumed in the fire, all there is in them of good may be purified.

For how shall I do ... - Rather, “for how” else could I act with reference to the “daughter of my people?”

Jeremiah 9:8

An arrow shot out - Rather, “a murderous arrow.”

In heart he layeth his wait - Rather, “inwardly he layeth his ambush.”


 
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