Keraia
Major Prophets

Jeremiah 12

The Prosperity of the Wicked

1Righteous are You, O LORD,

when I plead before You.

Yet about Your judgments

I wish to contend with You:

Why does the way of the wicked prosper?

Why do all the faithless live at ease?

1Righteous are You, O YHWH, when I plead before You; yet I will speak with You of judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do they find repose, all who deal so treacherously treacherously?

2You planted them, and they have taken root.

They have grown and produced fruit.

You are ever on their lips,

but far from their hearts.

2You plant them, and they have taken root; they grow and they bear fruit; You are near, in their mouth and far from their kidneys.

3But You know me, O LORD;

You see me and test my heart toward You.

Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughter

and set them apart for the day of carnage.

3And You, O YHWH, know me; You have seen me and have tested my heart toward You. May you pull them out like sheep for the slaughter and prepare them for the day of slaughter!

4How long will the land mourn

and the grass of every field be withered?

Because of the evil of its residents,

the animals and birds have been swept away,

for the people have said,

“He cannot see what our end will be.”

4How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those dwelling in it, the beasts and fowl have been swept away—because they said, “He will not see our final end!

God’s Answer to Jeremiah

5“If you have raced with men on foot

and they have worn you out,

how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in a peaceful land,

how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?

5“If you have run with those on foot and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And in a land of peace you are trusting—then how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?

6Even your brothers—

your own father’s household—

even they have betrayed you;

even they have cried aloud against you.

Do not trust them,

though they speak well of you.

6For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you, even they have called a multitude after you. Do not have faith in them, even though they may speak good things to you!

7I have forsaken My house;

I have abandoned My inheritance.

I have given the beloved of My soul

into the hands of her enemies.

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

8My inheritance has become to Me

like a lion in the forest.

She has roared against Me;

therefore I hate her.

8My heritage has become for Me like a lion in the forest; she has set against Me with her voice; upon thus I have hated her!

9Is not My inheritance to Me

like a speckled bird of prey

with other birds of prey circling against her?

Go, gather all the beasts of the field;

bring them to devour her.

9Is not My inheritance to Me a speckled bird of prey with the bird of prey all around against her? Go gather all the beasts of the field, bring them for food!

10Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard;

they have trampled My plot of ground.

They have turned My pleasant field

into a desolate wasteland.

10Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, they have trampled down My portion, they have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

11They have made it a desolation;

desolate before Me, it mourns.

All the land is laid waste,

but no man takes it to heart.

11They have made her a desolation; she mourns before Me, desolate; all the land has been made desolate! But no man is setting it upon the heart.

12Over all the barren heights in the wilderness

the destroyers have come,

for the sword of the LORD devours

from one end of the earth to the other.

No flesh has peace.

12Upon all the barren heights in the desert the destroyers have come; for the sword of YHWH is devouring from one end of the land even to the other end of the land! No peace is unto any flesh.

13They have sown wheat but harvested thorns.

They have exhausted themselves to no avail.

Bear the shame of your harvest

because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

13They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have wearied themselves; they did not profit. And they have been ashamed of your produce, because of the burning nose of YHWH.”

A Message for Israel’s Neighbors

14This is what the LORD says: “As for all My evil neighbors who attack the inheritance that I bequeathed to My people Israel, I am about to uproot them from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them.

14Thus says YHWH “Against all my evil neighbors who touch the inheritance that I have caused My people Israel to inherit—behold, I am plucking them from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from their midst!

15But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.

15And it will come to pass after I uproot them, that I will return and have compassion on them, and I will bring them back, everyone to his inheritance and everyone to his land.

16And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.

16And it will come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘YHWH lives,’ as—they taught My people to swear by Baal—that they will learn they will be built in the midst of My people.

17But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”

17And if they will not listen, then I will completely pluck up and destroy that nation! A declaration of YHWH.”