Jeremiah complains to the Lord
1‘Lord, when I complain to You about what You do, then You are always right and You always do what is right, but now I ask You: Why are You good to people who are doing wrong and who are unfaithful to You? 2They are like trees that You have planted and that have strong roots and have grown and have lots of fruit. They talk about You every day but You are not in their hearts, and they don't believe in You. 3Lord, You know me. You know what I do and how I think about You. Please punish my enemies. Kill them like people kill sheep to eat. 4How long will the land keep on mourning? How long will the grass in the field stay dry? The animals and birds mourn because the people of the land are so bad. The people said: “Jeremiah will be dead before we die.” ’
5The Lord said to me: ‘Jeremiah, you get tired when you run and race against people. How will you feel when you have to race against horses? You do not have to be worried in a land where there is peace, but how will you feel in a place that is dangerous, like among all the trees near the Jordan River? 6Your brothers and your family are betraying you. They tell other people not to listen to you. If your family are friendly when they talk to you, don't believe them.’
I have given my people to their enemies
7The Lord says:
‘I have left my house, my people.
The people of Israel belong to Me,
but I have said I do not want them anymore.
I love my people,
but I have given them to their enemies.
8These are my people, and they belong to Me,
but they have become like a lion
that roars at Me in the forest,
and that is why I hate them.
9The people who belong to Me
are like an animal that is dead.
A hyena is eating it
while the vultures are waiting.
Call all the wild animals
to come together so that they can eat.
10A lot of kings have come to destroy
my Beautiful_Land,
and no one is living there now.
They are like shepherds
who have chased their sheep
into a vineyard to trample everything.
11They have destroyed the land,
and no one lives there anymore.
The plants in the land are dry and dead
and no one is worried about them.
12Soldiers have come over the hills
into the desert where no plants grow.
They have come to destroy the land.’
The Lord has sent them.
They are the sword that He uses
to kill people in the land.
There is no peace for anyone.
13The people of Judah and Jerusalem
sowed wheat,
but they have harvested thorns.
They have worked until they are tired,
but they have nothing.
They don't have anything
because the Lord is angry with them.
14The Lord says: ‘The other nations who live around my people took the land that I have given to my people, the Israelites. Now I will take those people away from their lands and I will take away the people of Judah who are among them. 15But after I have taken them away from their land, I will feel sorry for them and I will bring them back, each to his own field and to his own land. 16They have taught my people to serve Baal, but as sure as I live, if they learn to serve Me, like my people serve Me, then they will also become my people. 17But if a nation does not obey Me, I will take them away completely and I will destroy them.’ This is what the Lord said.
