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? 2 Thou 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. 3 But 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. 4 How 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.

5 If 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? 6 For 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.

7 I have forsaken mine house, I have left tmine heritage; I have given †the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. 8 tMine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it ||†crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it. 9 Mine 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. 10 Many wpastors have destroyed xmy vineyard, ythey have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my †pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate nit mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man zlayeth it to heart. 12 The 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. 13 aThey 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.

14 Thus 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. 15 And 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. 16 And 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. 17 But mif they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.