But thou, Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and [a]prepare them for the day of slaughter.

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, [b]He will not see our last end.

If thou hast run with the [c]footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou match thyself with horses? and if thou thoughtest thyself safe in a peaceable land, what wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 12:3 The Hebrew word is, Sanctify them, meaning, that God would be sanctified in the destruction of the wicked, to whom God for a while giveth prosperity, that afterward they should the more feel his heavy judgment when they lack their riches which were a sign of his mercy.
  2. Jeremiah 12:4 Abusing God’s lenity and his promises, they flattered themselves as though God would ever be merciful, and not utterly destroy them: therefore they hardened themselves in sin, till at length the beasts and insensible creatures felt the punishment of their stubborn rebellion against God.
  3. Jeremiah 12:5 Some think that God reproveth Jeremiah, in that that he would reason with him, saying, that if he were not able to march with men, that he were far unable to dispute with God. Others, by the footmen, mean them of Anathoth: and by the horsemen, them of Jerusalem, which should trouble the Prophet worse than his own countrymen did.

Yet you know me, Lord;
    you see me and test(A) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(B) to be butchered!
    Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(C)
How long will the land lie parched(D)
    and the grass in every field be withered?(E)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
    the animals and birds have perished.(F)
Moreover, the people are saying,
    “He will not see what happens to us.”

God’s Answer

“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(G) by[b] the Jordan?

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
  2. Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of