Jer 12 | NASB1995 | STEP | Righteous are You, O Lord , that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered ? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease ?

Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah’s Prayer

1 ^aRighteous are You, O Lord, that I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would ^bdiscuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the ^cway of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who ^ddeal in treachery at ease?
2 You have ^eplanted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have even produced fruit.
You are ^fnear ^{▼▼ Lit in their mouth}to their lips
But far from their ^{▼▼ Lit kidneys}mind.
3 But You ⁱknow me, O Lord;
You see me;
And You ^jexamine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And ^{▼▼ Lit sanctify them}set them apart for a ^lday of carnage!
4 How long is the ^mland to mourn
And the ⁿvegetation of the countryside to wither?
For the ^owickedness of those who dwell in it,
^pAnimals and birds have been snatched away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter ^qending.”

5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the ^{▼▼ Lit pride
,} ^sthicket of the Jordan?
6 “For even your ^tbrothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have cried aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say ^unice things to you.”

God’s Answer

7 “I have ^vforsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the ^wbeloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
8 “My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has ^{▼▼ Lit raised her voice
,} ^yroared against Me;
Therefore I have come to ^zhate her.
9 “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the ^aabirds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the ^abbeasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 “Many ^acshepherds have ruined My ^advineyard,
They have ^aetrampled down My field;
They have made My ^afpleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 ^{▼▼ Lit One has made it}“It has been made a desolation,
Desolate, it ^ahmourns ^{▼▼ Or upon}before Me;
The ^ajwhole land has been made desolate,
Because no man ^aklays it to heart.
12 “On all the ^{▼▼ Or caravan trails
,} ^ambare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a ^answord of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the ^{▼▼ Lit other end of the land}other;
There is ^apno peace for ^{▼▼ Lit all flesh}anyone.
13 “They have ^arsown wheat and have reaped thorns,
They have ^asstrained themselves ^{▼▼ Lit they do not profit}to no profit.
But be ashamed of your ^{▼▼ Lit products
,} ^avharvest
Because of the ^awfierce anger of the Lord.”

14 Thus says the Lord concerning all My ^axwicked neighbors who ^aystrike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel, “Behold I am about to uproot them from their land and will ^azuproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 “And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will ^baagain have compassion on them; and I will ^bbbring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 “Then if they will really ^bclearn the ways of My people, to ^bdswear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught My people to ^beswear by Baal, they will be ^bfbuilt up in the midst of My people. 17 “But if they will not listen, then I will ^bguproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.