Jeremiah 17

Judahs Sin and Punishment

1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved On the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altars,2 While their children remember Their altars and their wooden images By the green trees on the high hills.3 O My mountain in the field, I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures, And your high places of sin within all your borders.4 And you, even yourself, Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you; And I will cause you to serve your enemies In the land which you do not know; For you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever.5 Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.9 The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.11  As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.12 A glorious high throne from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary.13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the Lord, The fountain of living waters.

Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.15 Indeed they say to me, Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!16 As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You.17 Do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom.18 Let them be ashamed who persecute me, But do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, But do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, And destroy them with double destruction!

Hallow the Sabbath Day

19 Thus the Lord said to me: Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;20 and say to them, Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates.21 Thus says the Lord: Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.23 But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.24 And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully, says the Lord, to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it,25 then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord.27 But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

JEREMIAH 17

The [Lord] Will Punish Judah

The [Lord] said:

1 People of Judah,
your sins cannot be erased.
They are written on your hearts
like words chiseled in stone
or carved on the corners
of your altars.t
*

2 One generation after another
has set up pagan altars
and worshiped the goddess Asherah
everywhere in your country—
on hills and mountains,
and under large trees.

3 So I'll take everything you own,
including your altars,
and give it all
to your enemies.t

4 You will loset the land
that I gave you,
and I will make you slaves
in a foreign country,
because you have made my anger
blaze up like a fire
that won't stop burning.

Trust the [Lord]

5 I, the [Lord], have put a curse
on those who turn from me
and trust in human strength.

6 They will dry up like a bush
in salty desert soil,
where nothing can grow.

7 But I will bless those
who trust me, the [Lord].

8  t They will be like trees
growing beside a stream—
trees with roots that reach
down to the water,
and with leaves
that are always green.
They bear fruit every year
and are never worried
by a lack of rain.

9 You people of Judah
are so deceitful
that you even fool yourselves,
and you can't change.

10  t But I know your deeds
and your thoughts,
and I will make sure
you get what you deserve.

11 You cheated others,
but everything you gained
will fly away, like birds
hatched from stolen eggs.
Then you will discover
what fools you are.

Jeremiah Prays to the [Lord]

12 Our [Lord], your temple
is a glorious throne
that has stood on a mountain
from the beginning.

13 You are a spring of water
giving Israel life and hope.
But if the people reject
what you have told me,
they will be swept away
like words written in dust.t

14 You, [Lord], are the one I praise.
So heal me and rescue me!
Then I will be completely well
and perfectly safe.

15 The people of Judah say to me,
“Jeremiah, you claimed to tell us
what the [Lord] has said.
So why hasn't it come true?”

16 Our [Lord], you chose me
to care for your people,
and that's what I have done.
You know everything I have said,
and I have never once
asked you to punish them.t

17 I trust you for protection
in times of trouble,
so don't frighten me.

18 Keep me from failure
and disgrace,
but make my enemies fail
and be disgraced.
Send destruction to make
their worst fears come true.

Resting on the Sabbath

19-20 The [Lord] said:
Jeremiah, stand at each city gate in Jerusalem, including the one the king uses, and speak to him and everyone else. Tell them I have said:
I am the [Lord], so pay attention.

21-24 t If you value your lives, don't do any work on the Sabbath. Don't carry anything through the city gates or through the door of your house, or anywhere else. Keep the Sabbath day sacred!
I gave this command to your ancestors, but they were stubborn and refused to obey or to be corrected. But if you obey, 25 then Judah and Jerusalem will always be ruled by kings from David's family. The king and his officials will ride through these gates on horses or in chariots, and the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be with them. There will always be people living in Jerusalem,

26 and others will come here from the nearby villages, from the towns of Judah and Benjamin, t from the hill country and the foothills to the west, and from the Southern Desert. They will bring sacrifices to please me and to give me thanks, t as well as offerings of grain and incense.
27 But if you keep on carrying things through the city gates on the Sabbath and keep treating it as any other day, I will set fire to these gates and burn down the whole city, including the fortresses.