Jeremiah 12:1-4 English Standard Version (ESV)

1. Righteous are you, O Lord,when I complain to you;yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper?Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

2. You plant them, and they take root;they grow and produce fruit; you are near in their mouthand far from their heart.

3. But you, O Lord, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,and set them apart for the day of slaughter.

4. How long will the land mournand the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away,because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”

Jeremiah 12