| Chapter
12 |
| 1 |
Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee
of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are
all they happy that deal very treacherously? |
| 2 | Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they
grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from
their reins. |
| 3 | But thou,
O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull
them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of
slaughter. |
| 4 | How long
shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness
of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because
they said, He shall not see our last end. |
| 5 | If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied
thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace,
wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the
swelling of Jordan? |
| 6 | For
even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt
treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe
them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. |
|
7 | I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine
heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her
enemies. |
| 8 | Mine heritage
is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I
hated it. |
| 9 | Mine heritage
is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye,
assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. |
| 10 | Many pastors have destroyed my
vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant
portion a desolate wilderness. |
| 11
| They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me;
the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. |
| 12 | The spoilers are come upon all
high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from
the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have
peace. |
| 13 | They have sown
wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not
profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger
of the LORD. |
| 14 | Thus
saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance
which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out
of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. |
| 15 | And it shall come to pass, after
that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and
will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his
land. |
| 16 | And it shall
come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by
my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall
they be built in the midst of my people. |
| 17 | But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and
destroy that nation, saith the LORD. |
