As far as you have followed the surrounding nations in their worship, so far shall they prevail over your state. Every one shall take that which is his own; and wherever he finds his own gods, he will consider the land consecrated to them, and take it as his property, because those very gods are the objects of his worship. The fable of the daw and borrowed plumes is no mean illustration of this passage.

Dahler translates the whole verse thus:- Birds of prey! inundate with blood my heritage.

Birds of prey! come against her from all sides.

Run together in crowds, ye savage beasts! Come to the carnage!

Jer. 12:1-6 When we are most in the dark concerning God' dispensations, we must keep up right thoughts of God, believing that he never did the least wrong to any of his creatures. When we find it har to understand any of his dealings with us, or others, we must look to general truths as our first principles, and abide by them: the Lord is righteous. The God with whom we have to do, knows how our hearts ar toward him. He knows both the guile of the hypocrite and the sincerit of the upright. Divine judgments would pull the wicked out of their pasture as sheep for the slaughter. This fruitful land was turned int barrenness for the wickedness of those that dwelt therein. The Lor reproved the prophet. The opposition of the men of Anathoth was not s formidable as what he must expect from the rulers of Judah. Our grie that there should be so much evil is often mixed with peevishness of account of the trials it occasions us. And in this our favoured day and under our trifling difficulties, let us consider how we shoul behave, if called to sufferings like those of saints in former ages.

Jer. 12:7-13 God's people had been the dearly-beloved of his soul precious in his sight, but they acted so, that he gave them up to their enemies. Many professing churches become like speckled birds presenting a mixture of religion and the world, with its vain fashions pursuits, and pollutions. God's people are as men wondered at, as speckled bird; but this people had by their own folly made themselve so; and the beasts and birds are called to prey upon them. The whol land would be made desolate. But until the judgments were actuall inflicted, none of the people would lay the warning to heart. When God's hand is lifted up, and men will not see, they shall be made to feel. Silver and gold shall not profit in the day of the Lord's anger And the efforts of sinners to escape misery, without repentance an works answerable thereto, will end in confusion.

Jer. 12:14-17 The Lord would plead the cause of his people agains their evil neighbours. Yet he would afterwards show mercy to thos nations, when they should learn true religion. This seems to loo forward to the times when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in Those who would have their lot with God's people, and a last end lik theirs, must learn their ways, and walk in them __________________________________________________________________

Original Hebrew