Jeremiah 12

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

You [are] righteous, O YHWH, When I plead toward You, Only, let me speak judgments with You, Why did the way of the wicked prosper? All treacherous dealers have been at rest.

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

You have planted them, Indeed, they have taken root, They go on, indeed, they have made fruit, You [are] near in their mouth, And far off from their reins.

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

And You, O YHWH, You have known me, You see me, and have tried my heart with You, Draw them away as sheep to slaughter, And separate them for a 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 will not see our last end.

Until when does the earth mourn, And the herb of the whole field wither? For the wickedness of those dwelling in it, Beast and bird have been consumed, Because they said, “He does not see our latter 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, [in which] thou hast trusted, [they wearied thee], then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

“For you have run with footmen, And they weary you, And how you fret yourself with horses! Even in the land of peace, [In which] you are confident—And how will you do in the rising of Jordan?

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

For even your brothers and the house of your father, Even they dealt treacherously against you, Even they called after you fully, Do not trust in them when they speak good things to you.

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

I have forsaken My house, I have left My inheritance, I have given the beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies.

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

My inheritance has been to Me as a lion in a forest, She gave forth against Me with her voice, Therefore I have hated her.

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

[Is] My inheritance a speckled bird to Me? Is the bird around against her? Come, assemble, every beast of the field, Come for food.

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

Many shepherds destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden down My portion, They have made My desirable portion Become a wilderness—a desolation.

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

He has made it become a desolation, The desolation has mourned to Me, All the land has been desolated, But there is no one laying it to heart.

12 The spoilers have 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.

Spoilers have come in on all high places in the plain, For the sword of YHWH is consuming, From the end of the land even to the end of the land, There is no peace to any flesh.

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.

They sowed wheat, and have reaped thorns, They have become sick—they do not profit, And they have been ashamed of your increases, Because of the fierceness of the anger of YHWH.”

14 Thus saith the LORD against all my evil neighbors, 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.

Thus said YHWH: “Concerning all My evil neighbors, who are striking against the inheritance that I caused My people—Israel—to inherit: Behold, I am plucking them from off their ground, And I pluck the house of Judah out of their midst.

15 And it shall come to pass, after 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.

And it has been, after My plucking them out, I turn back, and have pitied them, And I have brought them back, Each to his inheritance, 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, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.

And it has come to pass, If they learn the ways of My people well, To swear by My Name, YHWH lives, As they taught My people to swear by Ba‘al, Then they have been built up 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.

And if they do not listen, Then I have plucked up that nation, Plucking up and destroying,” A declaration of YHWH!