Jeremiah 12:1-4

English Standard Version

Jeremiah's Complaint

12 ^(A)Righteous are you, O Lord,
    when I complain to you;
    yet I would plead my case before you.
^(B)Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
    Why do all ^(C)who are treacherous thrive?
²You plant them, and they take root;
    they grow and produce fruit;
^(D)you are near in their mouth
    and far from their heart.
³^(E)But you, O Lord, know me;
    ^(F)you see me, and test my heart toward you.
^(G)Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
    and set them apart for ^(H)the day of slaughter.
⁴^(I)How long will the land mourn
    and the grass of every field wither?
^(J)For the evil of those who dwell in it
    ^(K)the beasts and the birds are swept away,
    because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”

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Jeremiah 12:14-17

English Standard Version

¹⁴Thus says the Lord concerning all ^(A)my evil neighbors ^(B)who touch the heritage that ^(C)I have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. ¹⁵And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, ^(D)and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. ¹⁶And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, ^(E)to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, ^(F)then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. ¹⁷^(G)But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”