Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah’s Complaint

1 aRighteous are you, O Lord,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
bWhy does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all cwho are treacherous thrive?
2You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
dyou are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.
3 eBut you, O Lord, know me;
fyou see me, and test my heart toward you.
gPull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for hthe day of slaughter.
4 iHow long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
jFor the evil of those who dwell in it
kthe 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 lthe thicket of the Jordan?
6For meven your brothers and the house of your father,
neven they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
odo not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.”
7 “I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned pmy heritage;
I have given qthe beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8 rMy heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
therefore I hate her.
9Is smy heritage to me like ta hyena’s lair?
Are the ubirds of prey against her all around?
Go, vassemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
wthey have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11They have made it a desolation;
desolate, xit mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
ybut no man lays it to heart.
12Upon 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 zThey have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
aathey have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their
Hebrew your
harvests
acbecause of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14Thus says the Lord concerning all admy evil neighbors aewho touch the heritage that afI 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. 15And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, agand I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. 16And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, ahto swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, aithen they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 ajBut if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 21

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him akPashhur the son of Malchiah and alZephaniah the priest, the son of amMaaseiah, saying, 2 anInquire of the Lord for us, aofor Nebuchadnezzar
Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of  Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency
king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to aqall his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

3Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: arBehold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. asAnd I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5I myself will fight against you atwith outstretched hand and strong arm, auin anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7Afterward, declares the Lord, avI will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. awHe shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

8“And to this people you shall say: axThus says the Lord: Behold, ayI set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9He who stays in this city shall die azby the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and basurrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live bband shall have his life as a prize of war. 10For bcI have set my face against this city for harm and bdnot for good, declares the Lord: beit shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

Message to the House of David

11“And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

bf“‘Execute justice bgin the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
bhlest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
13 biBehold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,

declares the Lord;
you who say, bjWho shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
14 bkI will punish you according to blthe fruit of your deeds,

declares the Lord;
bmI will kindle a fire in her forest,
bnand it shall devour all that is around her.”
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