The Skeptics Annotated Bible (578 page)

15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

17
For the LORD
of hosts, that planted thee,
hath pronounced evil against thee
, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

(11.17)
“For the Lord … hath pronounced evil against thee.”

18 And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.

19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.

20 But,
O LORD
of hosts, that judgest righteously,
that triest the reins
and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.

(11.20)
“O LORD … that triest the reins.”
(“Reins” means kidneys in the KJV.)

21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

22 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold,
I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:

(11.22)
“I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine.”
God will punish people by killing their young men in war and starving their children to death.

23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.

12
Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments:
Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

(12.1)
“Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?”
291 Do evildoers prosper?

2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee:
pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter
.

(12.3)
“Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.”
Jeremiah asks God to drag away his enemies like “sheep for the slaughter.”

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.

5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

6 For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.

(12.7-9) God delivered his people “into the hand of her enemies.” He “hates” his “dearly beloved” people and plans to feed them to the birds.