Jeremiah 12:5-13
English Standard Version
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
what will you do in (A)the thicket of the Jordan?
6 For (B)even your brothers and the house of your father,
(C)even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
(D)do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.”
7 “I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned (E)my heritage;
I have given (F)the beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8 (G)My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Is (H)my heritage to me like (I)a hyena's lair?
Are the (J)birds of prey against her all around?
Go, (K)assemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
(L)they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate, (M)it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
(N)but no man lays it to heart.
12 Upon all the bare heights in the desert
destroyers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no flesh has peace.
13 (O)They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
(P)they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[a] harvests
(Q)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:13 Hebrew your
Jeremiah 12:5-13
Christian Standard Bible
The Lord’s Response
5 If you have raced with runners
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in a peaceful land,
what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?(A)
6 Even your brothers—your own father’s family—
even they were treacherous to you;(B)
even they have cried out loudly after you.(C)
Do not have confidence in them,
though they speak well of you.
7 I have abandoned my house;(D)
I have deserted my inheritance.
I have handed the love of my life
over to her enemies.
8 My inheritance has behaved toward me
like a lion in the forest.
She has roared against me.
Therefore, I hate her.(E)
9 Is my inheritance like a hyena[b] to me?
Are birds of prey circling her?
Go, gather all the wild animals;(F)
bring them to devour her.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled my plot of land.(G)
They have turned my desirable plot
into a desolate wasteland.
11 They have made it a desolation.
It mourns, desolate, before me.
All the land is desolate,
but no one takes it to heart.(H)
12 Over all the barren heights in the wilderness
the destroyers have come,
for the Lord has a sword that devours
from one end of the earth to the other.
No one has peace.(I)
13 They have sown wheat but harvested thorns.(J)
They have exhausted themselves but have no profit.(K)
Be put to shame by your harvests
because of the Lord’s burning anger.(L)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.