Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah's Complaint

1  Righteous are you, O Lord,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
2  You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.
3  But you, O Lord, know me;
you see me, and test my heart toward you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
4  How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
For the evil of those who dwell in it
the beasts and the birds are swept away,
because they said, "He will not see our latter end."

The Lord Answers Jeremiah

5  "If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?
6  For even your brothers and the house of your father,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you."

7  "I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8  My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
therefore I hate her.
9  Is my heritage to me like a hyena's lair?
Are the birds of prey against her all around?
Go, assemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10  Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11  They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
but no man lays it to heart.
12  Upon all the bare heights in the desert
destroyers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no flesh has peace.
13  They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of theirt harvests
because of the fierce anger of the Lord."

14 Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: "Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them.15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each 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, 'As the Lord lives,' even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.17 But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord."

Jeremiah 12

1 Lord, you have always been fair
whenever I have complained to you.t
However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice.t
Why are wicked people successful?t
Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?

2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots.t
They grow prosperous and are very fruitful.t
They always talk about you,
but they really care nothing about you.t

3 But you, Lord, know all about me.
You watch me and test my devotion to you.ts
Drag these wicked men away like sheep to be slaughtered!
Appoint a time when they will be killed!t

4 How long must the land be parchedt
and the grass in every field be withered?
How longt must the animals and the birds die
because of the wickedness of the people who live in this land?t
For these people boast,
“Godt will not see what happens to us.”ss

5 The Lord answered,t
“If you have raced on foot against men and they have worn you out,
how will you be able to compete with horses?
And if you feel secure onlyt in safe and open country,t
how will you manage in the thick undergrowth along the Jordan River?ts

6 As a matter of fact,ts even your own brothers
and the members of your own family have betrayed you too.
Even they have plotted to do away with you.t
So do not trust them even when they say kind thingst to you.

7 “I will abandon my nation.t
I will forsake the people I call my own.t
I will turn my beloved peoplet
over to the powert of their enemies.

8 The people I call my ownt have turned on me
like a liont in the forest.
They have roared defiantlyt at me.
So I will treat them as though I hate them.t

9 The people I call my own attack me like birds of prey or like hyenas.t
But other birds of prey are all around them.t
Let all the nations gather together like wild beasts.
Let them come and destroy these people I call my own.t

10 Many foreign rulerst will ruin the land where I planted my people.ts
They will trample all over my chosen land.t
They will turn my beautiful land
into a desolate wasteland.

11 They will lay it waste.
It will lie parchedt and empty before me.
The whole land will be laid waste.
But no one living in it will pay any heed.ts

12 A destructive armyt will come marching
over the hilltops in the desert.
For the Lord will use them as his destructive weapont
againstt everyone from one end of the land to the other.
No one will be safe.t

13 My people will sow wheat, but will harvest weeds.s
They will work until they are exhausted, but will get nothing from it.
They will be disappointed in their harvestst
because the Lord will take them away in his fierce anger.t
14 “I, the Lord, also have something to say concerningt the wicked nations who surround my landt and have attacked and plunderedt the land that I gave to my people as a permanent possession.t I say: ‘I will uproot the people of those nations from their lands and I will free the people of Judah who have been taken there.ts15 But after I have uprooted the people of those nations, I will relentt and have pity on them. I will restore the people of each of those nations to their own landss and to their own country.16 But they must make sure you learn to follow the religious practices of my people.t Once they taught my people to swear their oaths using the name of the god Baal.t But then, they must swear oaths using my name, saying, “As surely as the Lord lives, I swear.”t If they do these things,t then they will be included among the people I call my own.t

17 But I will completely uproot and destroy any of those nations that will not pay heed,’”t says the Lord.