Jeremiah 12

12^aRighteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet ^||let me ^btalk with thee of thy judgments: ^cWherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they ^dhappy that ^edeal very treacherously? ²Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: ^†they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: ^fthou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. ³But thou, O Lord, ^gknowest me: thou hast seen me, and ^htried mine heart ^†toward thee: ⁱpull them out ^klike sheep for the slaughter, and ^lprepare them for ^mthe day of slaughter. ⁴How long shall ⁿthe land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, ^ofor the wickedness of them that dwell therein? ^pthe beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

⁵If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou ^ppcontend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in ^qthe swelling of Jordan? ⁶For even ^rthy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have ^edealt treacherously with thee; yea, ^||they have called a multitude after thee: ^sbelieve them not, though they speak ^†fair words unto thee.

⁷I have forsaken mine house, I have left ^tmine heritage; I have given ^†the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. ^8tMine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it ^||†crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it. ⁹Mine heritage is unto me as a ^||speckled ^ubird, ^uthe birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, ^||vcome to devour. ¹⁰Many ^wpastors have destroyed ^xmy vineyard, ^ythey have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my ^†pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. ¹¹They have made it desolate, and being desolate ⁿit mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man ^zlayeth it to heart. ¹²The spoilers 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. ^13aThey have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: ^bthey have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and ^||they shall be ashamed of ^cyour revenues ^dbecause of the fierce anger of the Lord.

¹⁴Thus saith the Lord against all ^emine evil neighbours, ^fthat touch the inheritance ^gwhich 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. ¹⁵And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out ^hI will return, and ^hhave compassion on them, and ^hiwill bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. ¹⁶And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, ^kto swear by my name, The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall ^lthey be built in the midst of my people. ¹⁷But ^mif they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.