Jeremiah 12

1 Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?

2 You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.

3 But You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my heart toward You. Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughter and set them apart for the day of carnage.

4 How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field be withered? Because of the evil of its residents, the animals and birds have been swept away, for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”

5 “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?

6 Even your brothers—your own father’s household—even they have betrayed you; even they have cried aloud against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.

7 I have forsaken My house; I have abandoned My inheritance. I have given the beloved of My soul into the hands of her enemies.

8 My inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against Me; therefore I hate her.

9 Is not My inheritance to Me like a speckled bird of prey with other birds of prey circling against her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field; bring them to devour her.

10 Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.

11 They have made it a desolation; desolate before Me, it mourns. All the land is laid waste, but no man takes it to heart.

12 Over all the barren heights in the wilderness the destroyers have come, for the sword of the LORD devours from one end of the earth to the other. No flesh has peace.

13 They have sown wheat but harvested thorns. They have exhausted themselves to no avail. Bear the shame of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

14 This is what the LORD says: “As for all My evil neighbors who attack the inheritance that I bequeathed to My people Israel, I am about to uproot them from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them.

15 But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.

16 And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.

17 But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”

1 ¶ Righteous [art] thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of [thy] judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? [wherefore] are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou [art] near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and [if] in the land of peace, [wherein] thou trustedst, [they wearied thee], then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

6 For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.

7 ¶ I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

8 Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.

9 Mine heritage [is] unto me [as] a speckled bird, the birds round about [are] against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

11 They have made it desolate, [and being] desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth [it] to heart.

12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the [one] end of the land even to the [other] end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.

13 They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, [but] shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

14 ¶ Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.

15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.

16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.

17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.

2 Thou plantest them, that they take root, and grow, and bring forth fruit: thou sufferest them to boast much of thee, and chastenest them not.

3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me, and hast judged me, and hast tried my heart before thee. But thou hast let them go free as sheep to be slain, and hast spared them to be strangled.

4 How long shall the land be laid waste, and the grass of the field wither in every place, because of the wickedness of the inhabitants, that both cattle and fowl shall be no more? For they say: He knoweth well how we shall fare.

5 If they that go on foot wear thee out, how wilt thou fare when thou goest with horsemen? And if thou seek safety in the land of peace, what shall become of thee by Jordan the proud?

6 For thy brethren also, and thy father's house, have despised thee, and have cried out against thee. Therefore trust thou not in them, though they speak kindly unto thee.

7 Therefore have I forsaken my house, and shunned my inheritance, and delivered my dear soul into the hand of mine enemies.

8 My inheritance is become unto me as a lion in the forest, and roareth against me: therefore am I grieved against him.

9 My inheritance is like the speckled bird around which the birds gather. Come and gather yourselves together, all ye beasts of the field; come and feed.

10 Shepherds, and many of them, have spoiled my vineyard, and trodden down my field; they have made my good land desolate, they have made it waste.

11 O Lord, though I would be right with thee, yet thou art right: yet of the right must I speak unto thee. Why is it that the wicked are so well off, and the scornful have all things in abundance?

11 I see already how it is so miserably desolate; yea, the whole land is desolate. But no one wants to take it to heart.

12 For the destroyer passeth over all the hills of the wilderness, and the devouring sword of the LORD from one end of the land even unto the other: and there shall no flesh have peace.

13 They sow wheat, but they shall reap thistles: they make it sour unto them, but they shall not enjoy it: they shall not be glad of their revenue before the fierce anger of the LORD.

14 Thus saith the LORD against all my wicked neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have distributed for my people Israel: Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and will pluck the house of Judah out of their substance.

15 And it shall come to pass, when I have plucked them out, that I will have mercy upon them again, and will restore every man to his inheritance, and to his own land.

16 And it shall come to pass, when they shall learn of my people, that they shall swear by my name: As the LORD liveth, as they have taught my people to swear by Baal, so shall they be built among my people.

17 But if they will not hearken, then will I pluck up such people, and destroy them, saith the LORD.