Jeremiah

Jeremiah 12 ©

1 Jeremiah complaining of the prosperity of the wicked prayeth against them. 5 God sheweth him what ill usage he might expect from others, seeing his own kindred dealt so ill with him. 7 God lamenteth the desolation of his heritage; 14 he threateneth their evil neighbours, but promiseth restoration and grace to the penitent.

1

RIGHTEOUS art athou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me 1talk with thee of thy judgments: bWherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

2

Thou chast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they 2grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: dthou art near in their mouth, and far from their *reins.

3

But thou, O LORD, eknowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart 3toward thee: fpull them out like sheep for the gslaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

4

hHow 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, iHe shall not see our last end.

5

¶If thou jhast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst kthou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, lthey wearied thee, then how wilt thou do min the swelling of Jordan?

6

For even nthy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, othey have 4called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak 5fair words unto thee.

7

¶I phave forsaken mine house, I have left qmine heritage; I have given the 6dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

8

Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it 7crieth out against me: rtherefore have I hated it.

9

Mine heritage is unto me as a 8speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, sassemble all the beasts of the field, 9come to devour.

10

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

u Is. 5.1,5.
11

They whave made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.

12

The xspoilers are 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.

13

They yhave sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and 11they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

14

¶Thus saith the LORD zagainst all mine evil neighbours, that atouch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, bI will pluck them out of their land, and cpluck out the house of Judah from among them.

15

And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out dI will return, and have compassion on them, and ewill bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.

16

And it shall come to pass, fif they will diligently learn the ways of my people, gto swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as hthey taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they ibe built in the midst of my people.

f Ca. 1.8.
17

But jif they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.