O that my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of my poor people!
O that I had in the desert
a traveler’s lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
a band of traitors.
They bend their tongues like bows;
they have grown strong in the land for falsehood, and not for truth;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
and they do not know me, says the Lord.
Beware of your neighbors,
and put no trust in any of your kin;
for all your kind are supplanters,
and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.
They all deceive their neighbors,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongues to speak lies;
they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.
Oppression upon oppression, deceitf upon deceit!
They refuse to know me, says the Lord.
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
I will now refine and test them,
for what else can I do with my sinful people?
Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceit through the mouth.
They all speak friendly words to their neighbors,
but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord;
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?
Take up weeping and wailing for the mountains,
and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the animals
have fled and are gone.
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a lair of jackals;
and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 9:1-11)

Jeremiah 9:1 - 11 reveals the heartfelt empathy of both Jeremiah and the Lord to the sufferings of Judah.

Jeremiah's temple sermon (7:1 - 8:3) is followed by laments concerning Judah's refusal to repent of its sin in spite of the Lord's discipline (8:4 - 17). Jeremiah's response to Judah's fate is a mixture of sadness and despair. Jeremiah completely identifies with the people's brokenness (8:21) while continuing to condemn their sin (9:3-6). His sorrow reaches a fever pitch in the apparent despair of 8:22, "Is there no balm in Gilead?" Jeremiah's grief weighs so heavy upon him that he wishes he could weep continually for his people in light of their suffering (9:1) while simultaneously wishing he could escape the situation entirely because of the people's great sins (9:2a). The people are all perpetrators of deceit. Even natural family ties are pervaded by lies. Deception has become habitual - even second nature - to Judah (9:2b - 6). This rampant deception demands God's judgment (9:7-9). This judgment provokes further weeping (9:10-11).

Jeremiah's courage and boldness in the midst of sinful surroundings came at a great mental, emotional, and physical price. His pronouncements of judgment were not cool and detached, but rather, were mixed with his passionate love for God and his people. His love was not a sentimental sappiness, but was mixed with revulsion for sin. Jeremiah's broken heart on behalf of the people reveals a similar suffering on the part of God. It is difficult to determine whether the tears in 9:1-2 come from Jeremiah or from God (see 9:6b). Furthermore, the "weeping and wailing" of 9:10 could be attributed to either Jeremiah or God.

It is painful to identify with people so closely - especially people that constantly fall short of one's expectations. I find Jeremiah's ability to identify with those who are so obviously repulsive to him in many moral areas to be a model of how I should empathize with my flock. No amount of sin deadened Jeremiah's intense concern. I long to imitate this suffering servant in this area. I must be willing to accept the mental and emotional price that comes with caring for people - with all their flaws. In this way, I can also imitate the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.