American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Jeremiah 12
1
Righteous are you, O LORD, when I plead with you: yet let me talk with you of your judgments: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? why are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
Reference
Evil
Malachi 3:15
Psalm 92:7
Psalm 37:1
Psalm 37:35
Parallel theme
Job 12:6
Righteousness
Daniel 9:7
Psalm 51:4
Habakkuk 1:4
Jeremiah 11:20
Zephaniah 3:5
2
You have planted them, yes, they have taken root: they grow, yes, they bring forth fruit: you are near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
Reference
3
But you, O LORD, know me: you have seen me, and tried my heart toward you: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 17:18
Psalm 17:3
James 5:5
Psalm 139:23
Job 23:10
Jeremiah 50:27
References Lord
2 Kings 20:3
Psalm 26:1
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.
Reference
Evil
Psalm 107:34
Jeremiah 23:10
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 9:10
Jeremiah 4:25
Jeremiah 7:20
Romans 8:22
Hosea 4:3
Jeremiah 5:31
Habakkuk 3:17
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, wherein you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the swelling of Jordan?
Reference
6
For even your brothers, and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; yes, they have called a multitude after you: believe them not, though they speak fair words to you.
Reference
Faith
Proverbs 26:25
Jeremiah 9:4
Parallel theme
Psalm 12:2
Matthew 10:21
Jeremiah 11:21
Jeremiah 11:19
Acts 18:12
Psalm 69:8
Job 6:15
Jeremiah 20:10
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.
Reference
8
My heritage is to me as a lion in the forest; it cries out against me: therefore have I hated it.
Reference
9
My heritage is to me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come you, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.
Reference
10
Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
Reference
11
They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourns to me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart.
Reference
12
The spoilers are come on 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.
Reference
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.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 28:38
Micah 6:15
Haggai 1:6
Isaiah 55:2
Leviticus 26:16
References Lord
Jeremiah 4:26
Habakkuk 2:13
14
Thus said the LORD against all my evil neighbors, 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.
Reference
Evil
Jeremiah 2:3
References Israel
Jeremiah 3:18
References Lord
Zechariah 2:8
Jeremiah 49:7
Psalm 106:47
Deuteronomy 30:3
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.
Reference
16
And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD lives; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the middle of my people.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 23:7
Isaiah 45:23
Isaiah 65:16
Isaiah 49:6
References Lord
Jeremiah 4:2
Zephaniah 1:5
Jeremiah 5:2
Jeremiah 3:17
Zechariah 2:11
17
But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, said the LORD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 60:12
Summary of Jeremiah 12
Jeremiah 12 begins with one of the most honest questions in the book: Why do wicked people sometimes prosper while those who try to follow God suffer?
Jeremiah knows that God is righteous, yet he struggles to understand why dishonest and violent people can appear secure while God's faithful servants experience opposition.
He asks God to explain why people who are corrupt seem to flourish.
Jeremiah also recognizes that God sees beyond appearances.
People may speak about God with their mouths, but God knows what is actually inside their hearts.
This gives Jeremiah confidence that, even when justice seems delayed, God understands the true condition of every person.
Jeremiah then turns his attention to the suffering of the land.
The consequences of Judah's rebellion are affecting not only people but also animals, birds, crops, and the entire countryside.
The land itself seems to mourn because human sin has produced consequences throughout society and creation.
God's response to Jeremiah is challenging.
Instead of immediately explaining why the wicked prosper, God asks Jeremiah whether he can handle greater difficulties if he is already exhausted by what he has experienced.
The comparison between running with people and running with horses suggests that Jeremiah's present struggles are preparing him for even more demanding circumstances.
God is essentially telling him that his prophetic calling will require endurance.
The next warning is particularly painful.
Even Jeremiah's own family cannot necessarily be trusted.
People close to him may speak kindly while secretly working against him.
This reveals the personal cost of Jeremiah's calling: following God's truth may sometimes create conflict even with people who should be closest to us.
The chapter then returns to Judah as God's inheritance.
God had planted and cared for His people, but they have turned against Him.
They are compared to a lion that has become hostile toward its owner and to a beautiful bird surrounded by predators.
The images communicate both God's original care and the nation's current danger.
The vineyard image continues this theme.
God's land, which should have been productive and beautiful, has been trampled by corrupt leaders and foreign destroyers.
The people plant crops but harvest thorns.
Their work produces little because judgment has disrupted the blessing and stability they once enjoyed.
The final section expands the message beyond Judah.
The surrounding nations that have taken advantage of Judah will also be judged.
However, God's judgment is not presented as permanent destruction for every nation.
God says that He can also show compassion and restore nations to their lands if they learn His ways.
This is an important development because it shows that God's authority extends beyond Israel and Judah.
Other nations are accountable to Him as well.
They can either learn His ways or continue in rebellion.
The central message is that Jeremiah's struggle with the prosperity of wicked people is answered not by an immediate explanation of every injustice but by a call to endurance, trust, and faithfulness; God reminds Jeremiah that greater challenges are ahead, warns him that even people close to him may oppose him, and explains that Judah's land and society are suffering because the nation has rejected Him, yet the chapter also reveals God's wider purposes for the surrounding nations, showing that judgment is not limited to Judah and that even foreign peoples may receive mercy and restoration if they turn toward God and learn His ways.
Jeremiah knows that God is righteous, yet he struggles to understand why dishonest and violent people can appear secure while God's faithful servants experience opposition.
He asks God to explain why people who are corrupt seem to flourish.
Jeremiah also recognizes that God sees beyond appearances.
People may speak about God with their mouths, but God knows what is actually inside their hearts.
This gives Jeremiah confidence that, even when justice seems delayed, God understands the true condition of every person.
Jeremiah then turns his attention to the suffering of the land.
The consequences of Judah's rebellion are affecting not only people but also animals, birds, crops, and the entire countryside.
The land itself seems to mourn because human sin has produced consequences throughout society and creation.
God's response to Jeremiah is challenging.
Instead of immediately explaining why the wicked prosper, God asks Jeremiah whether he can handle greater difficulties if he is already exhausted by what he has experienced.
The comparison between running with people and running with horses suggests that Jeremiah's present struggles are preparing him for even more demanding circumstances.
God is essentially telling him that his prophetic calling will require endurance.
The next warning is particularly painful.
Even Jeremiah's own family cannot necessarily be trusted.
People close to him may speak kindly while secretly working against him.
This reveals the personal cost of Jeremiah's calling: following God's truth may sometimes create conflict even with people who should be closest to us.
The chapter then returns to Judah as God's inheritance.
God had planted and cared for His people, but they have turned against Him.
They are compared to a lion that has become hostile toward its owner and to a beautiful bird surrounded by predators.
The images communicate both God's original care and the nation's current danger.
The vineyard image continues this theme.
God's land, which should have been productive and beautiful, has been trampled by corrupt leaders and foreign destroyers.
The people plant crops but harvest thorns.
Their work produces little because judgment has disrupted the blessing and stability they once enjoyed.
The final section expands the message beyond Judah.
The surrounding nations that have taken advantage of Judah will also be judged.
However, God's judgment is not presented as permanent destruction for every nation.
God says that He can also show compassion and restore nations to their lands if they learn His ways.
This is an important development because it shows that God's authority extends beyond Israel and Judah.
Other nations are accountable to Him as well.
They can either learn His ways or continue in rebellion.
The central message is that Jeremiah's struggle with the prosperity of wicked people is answered not by an immediate explanation of every injustice but by a call to endurance, trust, and faithfulness; God reminds Jeremiah that greater challenges are ahead, warns him that even people close to him may oppose him, and explains that Judah's land and society are suffering because the nation has rejected Him, yet the chapter also reveals God's wider purposes for the surrounding nations, showing that judgment is not limited to Judah and that even foreign peoples may receive mercy and restoration if they turn toward God and learn His ways.