Jeremiah 12

1 Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, when I contend with thee, Yet will I enter into controversy with thee. Why doth the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all the men of treachery at ease?

2 Thou hast planted them; yea, they have taken root; They grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; Thou art near to their mouth, But far from their hearts.

3 But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; Thou hast seen me, and tried my heart, Whether it be devoted to thee. Tear them away, as sheep for slaughter; Separate them for the day of slaughter!

4 How long shall the land mourn, And the grass of every field wither? For the wickedness of them that dwell therein, The beasts are consumed, and the birds; For they say, “He will not see our latter end.”

5 If thou hast run with footmen, and they have wearied thee, Then how canst thou contend with horses? If it be so with thee in a land of peace, in which thou art secure, What wilt thou do in the glory of Jordan?

6 For even thy brethren and the house of thy father, Even these are treacherous toward thee, And raise a full cry after thee; Trust them not, though they speak fair words to thee!

7 I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my inheritance, I have given the darling of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

8 My inheritance is become to me like a lion of the forest; She lifteth up her voice against me; Therefore do I hate her.

9 A rapacious beast, a hyena, is my inheritance become to me; Therefore shall the rapacious beasts rush upon her on all sides. Come, gather all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!

10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; They have trodden my portion under foot; My pleasant portion have they made a desolate wilderness.

11 They have made it a desolation; Desolate it mourneth on account of me; The whole land is desolate, Because no man layeth my word to heart.

12 Upon all the high places in the desert do the plunderers come; Behold, the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land to the other; No man hath peace.

13 They sow wheat, but they reap thorns; They weary themselves, and are not profited; They shall be ashamed of their harvest, Because of the fierce anger of Jehovah.

14 Thus saith Jehovah against all my evil neighbors, Who seize the inheritance which I gave my people, Israel: Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, And the house of Judah will I pluck out from among them.

15 Yet after I have plucked them out of their land, I will again have compassion on them, and bring them back, Every one to his own possession, And every one to his own land.

16 And if they will indeed learn the ways of my people, And swear by my name, saying, As Jehovah liveth! As they taught my people to swear by Baal, Then shall they be built up in the midst of my people;

17 But if they will not hearken, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith Jehovah.