Jeremiah's Complaint

Jeremiah 12

¹ Righteous _a are You, O LORD, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
_b Why 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.
_c You are near in their mouth
But far from their ₁ mind. ³ But You, O LORD, _d know me;
You have seen me,
And You have _e tested my heart toward You.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
And prepare them for _f the day of slaughter. ⁴ How long will _g the land mourn,
And the herbs of every field wither?
_h The beasts and birds are consumed,
_i For the wickedness of those who dwell there,
Because they said, "He will not see our final end."

1. Cross References
   Ezra 9:15
   "O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!"
   Psalms 51:4
   Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight - That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
   Jeremiah 11:20
   But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause.
   
2. Cross References
   Job 12:6
   The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure - In what God provides by His hand.
   Jeremiah 5:27
   As a cage is full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich.
   Jeremiah 5:28
   They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend.
   Habakkuk 1:4
   Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
   Malachi 3:15
   So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.'
   
3. Cross References
   Isaiah 29:13
   Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.
   Ezekiel 33:31
   So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.
   Matthew 15:8
   These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
   Mark 7:6
   He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
   
4. Cross References
   Psalms 17:3
   You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
   
5. Cross References
   Psalms 7:9
   Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
   Psalms 11:5
   The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
   Jeremiah 11:20
   But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause.
   
6. Cross References
   Jeremiah 17:18
   Let them be ashamed who persecute me, But do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, But do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, And destroy them with double destruction!
   Jeremiah 50:27
   Slay all her bulls, Let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them! For their day has come, the time of their punishment.
   James 5:5
   You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
   
7. Cross References
   Jeremiah 23:10
   For the land is full of adulterers; For because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, And their might is not right.
   Hosea 4:3
   Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
   
8. Cross References
   Jeremiah 9:10
   I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, So that no one can pass through; Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; They are gone.
   Hosea 4:3
   Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
   Habakkuk 3:17
   Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls -
   
9. Cross References
   Psalms 107:34
   A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.