Jeremiah 9:7

New King James Version

Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and try them; For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says:

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore thus says the LORD of Hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how [else] should I do, because of the daughter of my people?

King James Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

English Standard Version
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people?

New American Standard Bible
Therefore this is what the LORD of armies says: "Behold, I will refine them and put them to the test; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

New Century Version
So this is what the Lord All-Powerful says: "I will test the people of Judah as a person tests metal in a fire. I have no other choice, because my people have sinned.

Amplified Bible
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, I will refine them [through suffering] and test them; For how else should I deal with the daughter of My people?

World English Bible
Therefore thus says Yahweh of Hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how [else] should I do, because of the daughter of my people?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore thus sayth the Lorde of hostes, Behold, I wil melt them, & trie them: for what should I els do for the daughter of my people?

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts,"Behold, I will refine them and test them;For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: "Behold, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the daughter of My people?

Contemporary English Version
And so I will purify the hearts of my people just as gold is purified in a furnace. I have no other choice.

Complete Jewish Bible
Their tongues are sharpened arrows; with their mouths they speak deceit — they say nice words to their neighbors, while inwardly plotting against them.

Darby Translation
Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how else could I do for the daughter of my people?

Easy-to-Read Version
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.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will refine them and try them; for what else shall I do because of the daughter of my people?

Good News Translation
Because of this the Lord Almighty says, "I will refine my people like metal and put them to the test. My people have done evil— what else can I do with them?

Lexham English Bible
Therefore, thus says Yahweh of hosts: "Look, I am about to refine them, and I will test them, for what else can I do, because of the presence of the daughter of my people?

Literal Translation
For this reason, so says Jehovah of Hosts, Behold, I will refine them and test them. For what else can I do because of the daughter of My people?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes, beholde, I wil melte them and trie the, for what shulde I els do to my people?

American Standard Version
Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how else should I do, because of the daughter of my people?

Bible in Basic English
So the Lord of armies has said, See, I will make them soft in the fire and put them to the test; this I will do because of their evil-doing.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Their tongue is a sharpened arrow, it speaketh deceit; one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth wait for him.

King James Version (1611)
Therfore thus saith the Lord of hostes; Behold, I will melt them, and trie them: for how shall I doe for the daughter of my people?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therefore thus saith the Lorde of hoastes: Beholde, I wyll melt them and trye them: for what shoulde I els do to my people?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will try them with fire, and prove them; for I will do thus because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people.

English Revised Version
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how else should I do, because of the daughter of my people?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal welle togidere, and Y schal preue hem; for whi what other thing schal Y do fro the face of the douyter of my puple?

Update Bible Version
Therefore this is what Yahweh of Hosts says, Look, I will melt them, and try them; for what [else] should I do, because [it is] of the daughter of my people?

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

New English Translation
Therefore the Lord who rules over all says, "I will now purify them in the fires of affliction and test them. The wickedness of my dear people has left me no choice. What else can I do?

New Living Translation
Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: "See, I will melt them down in a crucible and test them like metal. What else can I do with my people?

New Life Bible
So the Lord of All says, "See, I will make them pure and test them. For what else can I do with My people?

New Revised Standard
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: I will now refine and test them, for what else can I do with my sinful people?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therefore, thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Behold me! melting them, so will I try them, - For how else should I do because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold I will melt, and try them: for what else shall I do before the daughter of my people?

Revised Standard Version
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people?

Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Lo, I am refining them, and have tried them, For how do I do because of the daughter of My people?

THE MESSAGE
Therefore, God -of-the-Angel-Armies says: "Watch this! I'll melt them down and see what they're made of. What else can I do with a people this wicked? Their tongues are poison arrows! Deadly lies stream from their mouths. Neighbor greets neighbor with a smile, ‘Good morning! How're things?' while scheming to do away with him. Do you think I'm going to stand around and do nothing?" God 's Decree. "Don't you think I'll take serious measures against a people like this?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

Contextual Overview

¹ Oh, that my head were waters, And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! ² Oh, that I had in the wilderness A lodging place for travelers; That I might leave my people, And go from them! For they are all adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. ³ "And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me," says the LORD. ⁴ "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. ⁵ Everyone will deceive his neighbor, And will not speak the truth; They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves to commit iniquity. ⁶ Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me," says the LORD. ⁷ Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and try them; For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people? ⁸ Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait. ⁹ Shall I not punish them for these things?" says the LORD. "Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?" ¹⁰ I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, So that no one can pass through; Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; They are gone.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I will: Jeremiah 6:29, Jeremiah 6:30, Isaiah 1:25, Isaiah 48:10, Ezekiel 22:18-22, Ezekiel 26:11, Ezekiel 26:12, Zechariah 13:9, Malachi 3:3, 1 Peter 1:7, 1 Peter 4:12

shall: Jeremiah 31:20, 2 Chronicles 36:15, Hosea 6:4, Hosea 6:5, Hosea 11:8, Hosea 11:9, Zechariah 1:14-16

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:25 - proved Job 7:18 - try Isaiah 64:7 - consumed Jeremiah 4:11 - daughter Ezekiel 22:21 - and ye

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 8:17
Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

Genesis 9:1
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. Genesis 1:28">[fn]

Genesis 9:19
These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... Because of this deceit and hypocrisy, and lying:

behold, I will melt them, and try them: as the refiner does his gold and silver, by putting them into the fire of afflictions, and thereby remove their dross and corruption from them. So the Targum,

"behold, I will bring distress upon them, and melt them, and try them.''

For how shall I do for the daughter of my people? the sense is, what could be done otherwise or better? what was more fit or proper to be done, than to melt and try them, and purge away their sin, "from the face of the daughter of my people", as the words may be rendered? The Septuagint version is, "what shall I do from the face of the wickedness of my people?" and so the Targum,

"what shall I do from before the sins of the congregation of my people?''

that is, by way of resentment of them, and in order to remove them.

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.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 9:7. Behold, I will melt them — I will put them in the furnace of affliction, and see if this will be a means of purging away their dross. Jeremiah 6:27.