Jeremiah 12:1
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? 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?
The verse belongs to the warnings to the Jews in chapters 12 to 24.
It affirms that the Lord is righteous while reverently raising a difficulty with Him about His judgments.
It asks why the way of the wicked prospers and why all who deal very treacherously are happy and at ease.
The question is why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer, set against the apparent contrast between evil people who are happy and good people who are poor and distressed.
The next verse continues the picture that they take root and bear fruit, even though God is near their mouths but far from their hearts.
Prosperity of the wicked is not proof of God's favor or of the rightness of their conduct, and temporal success must be judged alongside obedience to divine instruction and principles.
The mismatch between people's character and their circumstances points to retribution beyond what is fully seen in this life.
The question applies to people who profess religion while dishonoring God through their conduct.