19The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:

‘How ruined we are!

How great is our shame!

We must leave our land

because our houses are in ruins.’”

20Now, O women, hear the word of the Lord;

open your ears to the words of his mouth.

Teach your daughters how to wail;

teach one another a lament.

21Death has climbed in through our windows

and has entered our fortresses;

it has cut off the children from the streets

and the young men from the public squares.

22Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘The dead bodies of men will lie

like refuse on the open field,

like cut grain behind the reaper,

with no one to gather them.’”

23This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

or the rich man boast of his riches,

24but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,”

declares the Lord.

25“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— 26Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places.^d For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”