Jeremiah 11:18–12:13
18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;o I did not realize that they had plottedp against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,q
that his name be rememberedr no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteouslys
and test the heartt and mind,u
let me see your vengeancev on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathothw who are threatening to kill you,x saying, “Do not prophesyy in the name of the Lord or you will diez by our hands”—22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young mena will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnantb will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.c”
12 You are always righteous,d Lord,
when I bring a casee before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:f
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?g
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have plantedh them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.i
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.j
you see me and testk my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheepl to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!m
4 How long will the land lie parchedn
and the grass in every field be withered?o
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.p
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumblea in safe country,
how will you manage in the thicketsq byb the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.r
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.s
7 “I will forsaket my house,
abandonu my inheritance;
I will give the one I lovev
into the hands of her enemies.w
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lionx in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.y
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.z
10 Many shepherdsa will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.b
11 It will be made a wasteland,c
parched and desolate before me;d
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sworde of the Lordf will devourg
from one end of the land to the other;h
no one will be safe.i
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.j
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”k