Jeremiah 17
1 The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron stylus, engraved with an adamant point, on their minds and on corners of their altars where they worship.
The sin of Judah, is written With a stylus of iron, With the point of a diamond: It is engraved Upon the tablet of their heart, And upon the horns of your altars;
2 Even their children remember to worship at their pagan altars and Asherah poles, set up by the green trees and on the high hills,
So long as their sons remember their altars, and their Sacred Stems, By the green tree, —Upon the high hills,
3 on my mountain in the fields. I will hand over your wealth and all your valuable possessions as plunder, because of the sin committed on your pagan high places inside your country.
O my mountain in the field Thy substance all thy treasures, for a prey, will I give: Thy high places for sin, within all thy bounds.
4 You will have to give up the land I gave you. I will have your enemies make you their slaves in an unfamiliar country for you made my anger blaze, and it will burn forever.
So shalt thou even of thyself, suffer to rest the inheritance which I gave thee, Seeing that I will cause thee to serve thine enemies, in the land which thou knowest not; For, a fire, have ye kindled in mine anger, Unto times age-abiding, shall it burn.
5 This is what the Lord says: Cursed are those who put their confidence in human beings, who trust in human strength and give up relying on the Lord.
Thus, saith Yahweh Accursed is the man—Who trusteth in a son of earth, And hath made flesh his arm, —And whose heart from Yahweh, turneth aside:
6 They will be like a shrub alone in the desert that isn't even aware when good things happen. It just goes on living in the dry desert, in a salt flat that's uninhabited.
Therefore shall he become as a shrub in the waste plain, Neither shall he perceive when good cometh, But shall inhabit Parched places in a wilderness, A land of salt that cannot be dwelt in.
7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, who put their confidence in him.
Blessed is the man Who trusteth in Yahweh, To whom Yahweh is his ground of confidence;
8 They are like trees planted by water, sending out roots toward the stream. They don't panic when it gets hot; their leaves are always green. They don't worry during a time of drought—they go on producing fruit.
For he shall become like a tree planted by waters, And, by a stream, shall he send out his roots, Neither shall he perceive when heat cometh, But, his leaf shall continue green: Even in a year of dearth, shall he not be anxious, Neither shall he cease from bearing fruit.
9 The mind is more deceptive than anything else—it's incurably sick! Who can possibly understand it?
Deceitful is the heart above all things And, dangerously wayward, —Who can know it?
10 But I, the Lord, see what people are thinking. I examine their minds, so I can reward them depending on their attitudes and the way they behave.
I—Yahweh, Searching the heart, Testing the affections; And giving to every man According to his way, According to the fruit of his doings.
11 Like a partridge hatching eggs it didn't lay is someone who makes a fortune by cheating others. Their riches will fly away at midday, and in the end they'll look like a fool.
As a partridge gathereth eggs she did not lay, [So] is he that maketh riches but not with justice, —In the midst of his days, shall he leave them, And in his latter end, prove to have been base.
12 Our Temple is a throne of glory, raised up high from the beginning.
A throne of glory, exalted from the beginning, hath been the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are Israel's hope, anyone who deserts you will be disgraced. Anyone who turns their back on you will vanish like names written in the dust, for they have abandoned the Lord, the source of living water.
Thou hope of Israel Yahweh, All who forsake thee, shall turn pale, —Yea, all who depart from me, in the ground, shall be written, For they have forsaken a fountain of living water, even Yahweh.
14 Please heal me, Lord, and I'll be healed; save me, and I'll be saved, for you are the one I praise.
Heal thou me O Yahweh, that I may be healed, Save me that I may be saved, —For, my praise, thou art!
15 See how they keep on saying to me, “Where is the disaster that the Lord's predicted? Is it ever going to happen?”
Lo! they, are saying unto me, —Where is the word of Yahweh? Pray thee let it come to pass!
16 But I haven't been in a hurry to give up being your shepherd. I haven't wanted the time of trouble to come. You know that whatever I said was said in front of you.
But as for me, I have neither forced myself away from tending the flock after thee, Nor yet for the woeful day, have I longed—thou, knowest, —That which came out of my lips, before thy face, was uttered.
17 Please don't be the one who terrifies me! You are my protection in the time of trouble.
Do not thou become to me a terror, —My refuge, art thou, in the day of calamity.
18 Bring shame on my persecutors, but not on me. Terrify them, but not me, Let them experience the time of trouble, and smash them to pieces.
Let my persecutors, turn pale, but let not me, turn pale, Let, them, be terrified, but let not, me, be terrified, —Bring thou upon them a day of calamity, And with a double fracture, destroy them.
19 This is what the Lord told me: Go and stand at the main gate of the city, the one used by kings of Judah, and do the same at all the other gates of Jerusalem.
Thus, said Yahweh unto me—Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people, through which the kings of Judah enter in, and through which they come out, —also in all the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Tell them, Listen to the Lord's message, kings of Judah, and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem who come in through these gates.
Then shalt thou say unto them—Hear ye the word of Yahweh Ye kings of Judah and all Judah, And all ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, —who enter in through these gates:
21 This is what the Lord says: Pay attention, if you value your lives! Don't carry a load on the Sabbath day, and don't bring it through the gates of Jerusalem.
Thus, saith Yahweh, Take heed unto your souls, —And do not bear any burden on the sabbath day, Nor bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem, —
22 Don't carry a load out of your houses, and don't do any work on the Sabbath day. Keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I ordered your forefathers.
Neither shall ye take forth any burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, Nor any manner of work, shall ye do, —But ye shall hallow the sabbath day, As I commanded your fathers.
23 However, they refused to listen or pay attention. Instead they were stubborn and refused to obey or accept instruction.
Howbeit they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, —but stiffened their neck, that they might not hearken, neither receive correction.
24 Listen carefully to me, says the Lord, and don't bring any load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and keep the Sabbath day holy, and don't do any work on it.
And it shall come to pass, —If ye will, indeed hearken, unto me Declareth Yahweh, To bring in no burden through the gates of this city, on the sabbath day, —But to hallow the sabbath day, by not doing thereon any manner of work,
25 Then kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David. They will ride in chariots and on horses with their officials, accompanied by the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.
Then shall enter in through the gates of this city, Kings and princes Sitting on the throne of David, Riding in chariots and on horses They, and their princes, The men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, And this city shall remain unto times age-abiding.
26 People will come from the towns of Judah and everywhere around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowlands the hill country, and the Negev. They will bring burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and thank offerings to the Lord's Temple.
And they shall come in—Out of the cities of Judah and Out of the places round about Jerusalem, and Out of the land of Benjamin, and Out of the lowlands, and out of the hill country, and Out of the South, Bringing in ascending-offering, and peace-offering, and meal-offering, and frankincense, —Even they who bring in a thank-offering into the house of Yahweh,
27 But if you refuse to listen to me and keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will set its gates alight with a fire that can't be put out, and it will burn down Jerusalem's fortresses.
But, if ye will not hearken unto me—To hallow the sabbath day, And to bear no burden and bring in through the gates of Jerusalem, on the sabbath day, Then will I kindle a fire within her gates, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, And shall not be quenched.
