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Jeremiah 12:5-13
New International Version
Jeremiah 12:5-13
New International Version
God’s Answer
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets(A) by[b] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.(B)
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.(C)
7 “I will forsake(D) my house,
abandon(E) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(F)
into the hands of her enemies.(G)
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion(H) in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.(I)
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.(J)
10 Many shepherds(K) will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.(L)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(M)
parched and desolate before me;(N)
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 sword(O) of the Lord(P) will devour(Q)
from one end of the land to the other;(R)
no one will be safe.(S)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(T)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”(U)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
Jeremiah 12:5-13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jeremiah 12:5-13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God Replies to Jeremiah
5 If you have raced with runners and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if you trust in a safe land,
how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?(A)
6 For even your kinsfolk and your own family,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.(B)
7 I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my heart
into the hands of her enemies.(C)
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.(D)
9 Is the hawk hungry for my heritage?
Are the vultures all around her?
Go, assemble all the wild animals;
bring them to devour her.(E)
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.(F)
11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
but no one lays it to heart.(G)
12 Upon all the bare heights[a] in the desert,
spoilers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no one shall be safe.(H)
13 They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[b] harvests
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.(I)
New International Version (NIV) 
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.