“Many shepherds have destroyed
My vineyard.
They have trampled down my portion.
They have made my pleasant portion
A desolate wilderness.
They have made it a desolation.
Desolate!
It mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate.
But no one lays it to heart.
Upon all the bare heights
In the desert,
Spoilers have come.
The sword of Yahweh devours
From one end of the land
To the other.
No one shall be safe.
They have sown wheat.
They have reaped thorns.
They have tired themselves out
But they profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their harvests
Because of the fierce anger of Yahweh.”
Jeremiah continues with Yahweh’s lament about the desolation of his land. The shepherd leaders destroyed his vineyards. They have trampled his land from one end to the other end until it is a desolate wilderness, but no one seems to care. The spoilers have come from all over to devour the land. No one was safe from Yahweh’s sword. After they had sown wheat, they only harvested thorns. They worked hard, but without any gain. They were going to be ashamed of their harvests, because of the fierce anger of Yahweh.