Jeremiah 10:7

10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, ¹ 

because you deserve to be revered. ² 

For there is no one like you

among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings. ³ 

Jeremiah 12:1

12:1 Lord, you have always been fair

whenever I have complained to you. ⁴ 

However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. ⁵ 

Why are wicked people successful? ⁶ 

Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?

Jeremiah 32:24

32:24 Even now siege ramps have been built up around the city ⁷  in order to capture it. War, ⁸  starvation, and disease are sure to make the city fall into the hands of the Babylonians ⁹  who are attacking it. ¹⁰  Lord, ¹¹  you threatened that this would happen. Now you can see that it is already taking place. ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.

² tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”

³ tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.

⁴ tn Or “Lord, you are fair when I present my case before you.”

⁵ tn Heb “judgments” or “matters of justice.” For the nuance of “complain to,” “fair,” “disposition of justice” assumed here, see BDB 936 s.v. רִיב Qal.4 (cf. Judg 21:22); BDB 843 s.v. צַדִּיק 1.d (cf. Ps 7:12; 11:7); BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 1.f (cf. Isa 26:8; Ps 10:5; Ezek 7:27).

⁶ tn Heb “Why does the way [= course of life] of the wicked prosper?”

⁷ tn Heb “Siege ramps have come up to the city to capture it.”

⁸ tn Heb “sword.”

⁹ tn Heb “The Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for further explanation.

¹⁰ tn Heb “And the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it because of the sword, starvation, and disease.” The verb “has been given” is one of those perfects that view the action as good as done (the perfect of certainty or prophetic perfect).

¹¹ tn The word “Lord” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation as a reminder that it is he who is being addressed.

¹² tn Heb “And what you said has happened and behold you see it.”