Jeremiah’s Question

Righteous ^aare You, O Lord, when I plead with You;

Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.

^bWhy does the way of the wicked prosper?

Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

2

You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;

They grow, yes, they bear fruit.

^aYou are near in their mouth

But far from their ¹mind.

3

But You, O Lord, ^aknow me;

You have seen me,

And You have ^btested my heart toward You.

Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,

And prepare them for ^cthe day of slaughter.

4

How long will ^athe land mourn,

And the herbs of every field wither?

^bThe beasts and birds are consumed,

^cFor the wickedness of those who dwell there,

Because they said, “He will not see our final end.”

The Lord Answers Jeremiah

5

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,

Then how can you contend with horses?

And if in the land of peace,

In which you trusted, they wearied you,

Then how will you do in ^athe ¹floodplain of the Jordan?

6

For even ^ayour brothers, the house of your father,

Even they have dealt treacherously with you;

Yes, they have called ¹a multitude after you.

^bDo not believe them,

Even though they speak ²smooth words to you.

7

“I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage;

I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.

8

My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest;

It cries out against Me;

Therefore I have ^ahated it.

9

My ¹heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture;

The vultures all around are against her.

Come, assemble all the beasts of the field,

^aBring them to devour!

10

“Many ^arulers¹ have destroyed ^bMy vineyard,

They have ^ctrodden My portion underfoot;

They have made My ²pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

11

They have made it ^adesolate;

Desolate, it mourns to Me;

The whole land is made desolate,

Because ^bno one takes it to heart.

12

The plunderers have come

On all the desolate heights in the wilderness,

For the sword of the Lord shall devour

From one end of the land to the other end of the land;

No flesh shall have peace.

13

^aThey have sown wheat but reaped thorns;

They have ¹put themselves to pain but do not profit.

But be ashamed of your harvest

Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

14 Thus says the Lord: “Against all My evil neighbors who ^atouch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit—behold, I will ^bpluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. 15 ^aThen it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them ^band bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land. 16 And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, ^ato swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be ^bestablished in the midst of My people. 17 But if they do not ^aobey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord.