Jeremiah 17

1 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond. It is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of your altars.

The sin of Judah is recorded with a pen of iron, and with the sharp point of a jewel it is cut on their hearts of stone, and on the horns of their altars for a sign to them:

2 Even their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles by the green trees on the high hills.

Their altars and their wood pillars under every branching tree, on the high hills and the mountains in the field.

3 My mountain in the field, I will give your substance and all your treasures for a plunder, and your high places, because of sin, throughout all your borders.

I will give your wealth and all your stores to be taken away in war without a price, because of your sins in every part of your land.

4 You, even of yourself, will discontinue from your heritage that I gave you. 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 will burn forever.”

And your hand will have to let go your heritage which I gave you; and I will make you a servant to your haters in a land which is strange to you: for you have put my wrath on fire with a flame which will go on burning for ever.

5 The LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, relies on strength of flesh, and whose heart departs from the LORD.

This is what the Lord has said: Cursed is the man who puts his faith in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart is turned away from the Lord.

6 For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when good comes, but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, an uninhabited salt land.

For he will be like the brushwood in the upland, and will not see when good comes; but his living-place will be in the dry places in the waste land, in a salt and unpeopled land.

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose confidence is in the LORD.

A blessing is on the man who puts his faith in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

8 For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It will not cease from yielding fruit.

For he will be like a tree planted by the waters, pushing out its roots by the stream; he will have no fear when the heat comes, but his leaf will be green; in a dry year he will have no care, and will go on giving fruit.

9 The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?

The heart is a twisted thing, not to be searched out by man: who is able to have knowledge of it?

10 “I, the LORD, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

I the Lord am the searcher of the heart, the tester of the thoughts, so that I may give to every man the reward of his ways, in keeping with the fruit of his doings.

11 As the partridge that sits on eggs which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right. In the middle of his days, they will leave him. At his end, he will be a fool.

Like the partridge, getting eggs together but not producing young, is a man who gets wealth but not by right; before half his days are ended, it will go from him, and at his end he will be foolish.

12 A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.

A seat of glory, placed on high from the first, is our holy place.

13 LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be disappointed. Those who depart from me will be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living waters.

O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who give you up will be put to shame; those who go away from you will be cut off from the earth, because they have given up the Lord, the fountain of living waters.

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved; for you are my praise.

Make me well, O Lord, and I will be well; be my saviour, and I will be safe: for you are my hope.

15 Behold, they ask me, “Where is the LORD’s word? Let it be fulfilled now.”

See, they say to me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now.

16 As for me, I have not hurried from being a shepherd after you. I have not desired the woeful day. You know. That which came out of my lips was before your face.

As for me, I have not said; Let the day of trouble come to them quickly; and I have not been hoping for the death-giving day; you have knowledge of what came from my lips; it was open before you.

17 Do not be a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of evil.

Be not a cause of fear to me: you are my safe place in the day of evil.

18 Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but do not let me be disappointed. Let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

Let them be put to shame who are attacking me, but let me not be shamed; let them be overcome with fear, but let me not be overcome: send on them the day of evil, and put them to destruction twice over.

19 The LORD said this to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, through which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.

This is what the Lord has said to me: Go and take your place in the doorway of Benjamin, where the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the doorways of Jerusalem;

20 Tell them, ‘Hear the LORD’s word, you kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:

And say to them, Give ear to the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem who come in by these doors:

21 The LORD says, “Be careful, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.

This is what the Lord has said: See to yourselves, that you take up no weight on the Sabbath day, or take it in through the doors of Jerusalem;

22 Do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day. Do not do any work, but make the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers.

And take no weight out of your houses on the Sabbath day, or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I gave orders to your fathers;

23 But they did not listen. They did not turn their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

But they gave no attention and would not give ear, but they made their necks stiff so that they might not give ear and might not get teaching.

24 It will happen, if you diligently listen to me,” says the LORD, “to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to make the Sabbath day holy, to do no work therein;

And it will be, that if with all care you give ear to me, says the Lord, and take no weight through the doorways of this town on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work in it;

25 then there will enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on David’s throne, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will remain forever.

Then through the doors of this town there will come kings and princes, seated on the seat of David, going in carriages and on horseback, they and their princes, and the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem: and this town will keep its place for ever.

26 They will come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the South, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, meal offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the LORD’s house.

And they will come from the towns of Judah, and from the places round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowlands, and from the mountains, and from the South, with burned offerings and offerings of beasts and meal offerings and perfume and offerings of praise, to the house of the Lord.

27 But if you will not listen to me to make the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. It will not be quenched.”’”

But if you do not give ear to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and to let no weight be lifted and taken through the doors of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: then I will put a fire in its doorways, burning up the great houses of Jerusalem, and it will never be put out.