Jeremiah 12:5-13
New American Standard Bible
5 “If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out,
How can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the (A)thicket by the Jordan?
6 For even your (B)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, though they say (C)nice things to you.”
God’s Answer
7 “I have (D)forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have handed the (E)beloved of My soul
Over to her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has [a](F)roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to (G)hate her.
9 Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (H)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (I)animals of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 Many (J)shepherds have ruined My (K)vineyard,
They have (L)trampled down My field;
They have made My (M)pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 [b]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (N)mourns [c]before Me;
The (O)whole land has been made desolate,
Because no one (P)takes it to heart.
12 On all the [d](Q)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For the (R)sword of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [e]other;
There is (S)no peace for [f]anyone.
13 They have (T)sown wheat but have harvested thorns,
They have (U)strained themselves [g]to no profit.
So be ashamed of your (V)produce
Because of the (W)fierce anger of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:8 Lit raised her voice
- Jeremiah 12:11 Lit One has made it
- Jeremiah 12:11 Or upon
- Jeremiah 12:12 Or caravan trails
- Jeremiah 12:12 Lit other end of the land
- Jeremiah 12:12 Lit all flesh
- Jeremiah 12:13 Lit they do not profit
Jeremiah 12:5-13
Revised Standard Version
God Replies to 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 fall down,
how will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?
6 For even your brothers and the house of your father,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
believe them not,
though they speak fair words to you.”
7 “I have forsaken my house,
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my soul
into the hands of her enemies.
8 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 my heritage to me like a speckled bird of prey?
Are the birds of prey against her round about?
Go, assemble all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard,
they have trampled down my portion,
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
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 They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns,
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[a] harvests
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:13 Heb your
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.