Jeremiah 17
1 The sinne of Iudah is written with a pen of yron, and with the poynt of a diamonde, and grauen vpon the table of their heart, and vpon the hornes of your altars.
[Yahweh said, “It is as though a list of] the sins [committed by the people of] Judah is engraved with an iron chisel, or engraved using the fine point of a very hard stone, on the altars [where they worship idols]. And [it is as though] this list is engraved on their inner beings!
2 They remember their altars as their children, with their groues by the greene trees vpon the hilles.
[Even] their children are happy to go to the altars [to worship their gods], and to the poles [that represent the goddess] Asherah [at which their parents worshiped], shrines that are underneath all the big trees and on [all] the high hills.
3 O my mountaine in the fielde, I will giue thy substance, and all thy treasures to be spoyled, for the sinne of thy high places throughout all thy borders.
So, I will allow your enemies to capture [Zion], your holy hill, and all your wealth and your (treasures/valuable things), and [even] the shrines on all those hills, because of the sins that you people have committed throughout your land.
4 And thou shalt rest, and in thee shall be a rest from thine heritage that I gaue thee, and I will cause thee to serue thine enemies in the land, which thou knowest not: for yee haue kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burne for euer.
The [wonderful] land that I gave to you will no longer belong to you. I will tell your enemies to take you to a land that you do not know about, and you will become their slaves. [I will do that] because I am extremely angry [with you]; my being angry is [like] a fire that will burn forever.”
5 Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arme, and withdraweth his heart from the Lord.
This is [also] what Yahweh says: “[I] will curse/condemn those who trust in human beings [to help them], those who rely on their own strength and turn away from me.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the wildernesse, and shall not see when any good commeth, but shall inhabite the parched places in the wildernesse, in a salt land, and not inhabited.
They are like [dry] bushes in the desert, they are people who will not experience any good things. Those people will live in the barren desert in a salty area, where nothing grows.
7 Blessed be the man, that trusteth in ye Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
But I am pleased with those who trust in [me], Yahweh, and who confidently expect [me to take care of them].
8 For he shall be as a tree that is planted by the water, which spreadeth out her rootes by the riuer, and shall not feele when the heate commeth, but her leafe shall be greene, and shall not care for the yeere of drought, neyther shall cease from yeelding fruit.
Those people are like [SIM] fruit trees that have been planted along a riverbank, trees that have roots that go down into the [wet ground beside] the water. They are trees whose leaves remain green when it becomes hot, trees that continue to bear fruit when there are many months in which there is no rain.
9 The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things, who can knowe it?
Human minds are extremely corrupt/deceitful, and you cannot change that. It is also completely impossible [RHQ] for anyone to understand that.
10 I the Lord search the heart, and try ye reines, euen to giue euery man according to his wayes, and according to the fruite of his workes.
But I, Yahweh, search what is in everyone’s inner being, and I examine what they are thinking. I will give all people rewards, what they deserve for what they have done.”
11 As the partryche gathereth the yong, which she hath not brought forth: so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leaue them in the middes of his dayes, and at his ende shall bee a foole.
[I, Jeremiah, agree, because I know that] people who become rich by doing things that are unjust are like birds that hatch eggs that they (did not lay/stole from another nest). So, when those people have lived only half of the years [that they expect to live], their wealth will disappear. Then [other people will realize that] those rich people have been foolish.
12 As a glorious throne exalted from the beginning, so is the place of our Sanctuarie.
Yahweh, your temple is [like] a glorious throne that is still on a high hill.
13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee, shall be confounded: they that depart from thee, shalbe written in the earth, because they haue forsaken the Lord, the fountaine of liuing waters.
You are the one whom [we] Israeli people confidently expect [to bless us], and all those who turn away from you will be disgraced. Their names will be written [only] in the dust, [and will soon disappear], because they have abandoned you, [who are like] [MET] a fountain where people obtain fresh water.
14 Heale me, O Lord, and I shall bee whole: saue me, and I shall bee saued: for thou art my prayse.
Yahweh, [please] heal me, because [if you heal me], I will truly be healed. [If you] rescue me, I will truly be safe, because you are the [only] one whom I praise.
15 Behold, they say vnto me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come nowe.
People often ridicule me and say, “You tell us messages that you say came from Yahweh, but (why have the things that you predicted not happened?/those predictions have not come true!)” [RHQ]
16 But I haue not thrust in my selfe for a pastour after thee, neither haue I desired the day of miserie, thou knowest: that which came out of my lips, was right before thee.
Yahweh, you [appointed me to take care of your people like] a shepherd [takes care of his sheep] [MET]; I have not abandoned that work, and you know that I have not [previously] wanted this time of disaster [to come to people who ridicule me]. And you know everything that I have said [MTY] [to your people].
17 Be not terrible vnto mee: thou art mine hope in the day of aduersitie.
Do not cause me to be terrified! When disasters come/occur, you are the one to whom I will go to be safe.
18 Let them bee confounded, that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be afraide, but let not me be afraide: bring vpon them the day of aduersitie, and destroy them with double destruction.
[So now], cause those who (persecute me/cause me to suffer) to be ashamed and dismayed, but do not [do things to me that will] cause me to be ashamed and dismayed. Cause them to be terrified! Do to them many things that will completely destroy them!
19 Thus hath the Lord said vnto me, Goe and stande in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the Kings of Iudah come in, and by the which they goe out, and in all ye gates of Ierusalem,
This is what Yahweh said to me: “Go to the city gates in Jerusalem. [First] go to the gate where the kings of Judah go in and out of the city, and [then] go to each of the [other] gates.
20 And say vnto them, Heare the word of the Lord, ye Kings of Iudah, and al Iudah, and all the inhabitants of Ierusale, that enter in by these gates.
Say to the people [at each gate], ‘You kings of Judah and everyone [else] who is living in Jerusalem and all [you other people of] Judah who enter these gates, listen to this message from Yahweh!
21 Thus sayth the Lord, Take heede to your soules, and beare no burden in the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Ierusalem.
He says, “Listen to this warning carefully! [Stop doing work] on (Sabbath/our rest) days! Stop carrying loads through these gates [on those days]!
22 Neither cary foorth burdens out of your houses in the Sabbath day: neither doe yee any worke, but sanctifie the Sabbath, as I commanded your fathers.
Do not carry loads out of your houses or do any [other] work on Sabbath days! Instead, cause Sabbath days to be (holy/set apart for me). I commanded your ancestors to do that,
23 But they obeied not, neither inclined their eares, but made their neckes stiffe and would not heare, nor receiue correction.
but they did not listen to me or obey me. When I did things to correct them, they stubbornly [IDM] refused to pay attention to what I said or to accept it.
24 Neuerthelesse if ye will heare me, sayth the Lord, and beare no burden through the gates of the citie in the Sabbath day, but sanctifie ye Sabbath day, so that ye do no worke therein,
But I say that if you obey me, and if you do not carry loads through these gates [on Sabbath days] or do any other work on Sabbath days, and if you dedicate the Sabbath days to me,
25 Then shall the Kings and the princes enter in at the gates of this citie, and shall sit vpon the throne of Dauid, and shall ride vpon charets, and vpon horses, both they and their princes, the men of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem: and this citie shall remaine for euer.
kings of Judah [MTY] and [their] officials will [continue to] go in and out of these gates. There will [always] be someone who is a descendant of [MTY] [King] David ruling [here] [MTY] in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates, riding in chariots and on horses, and there will be people living in this city forever.
26 And they shall come from the cities of Iudah, and from about Ierusalem, and from the land of Beniamin, and from the plaine, and from the mountaines, and from the South, which shall bring burnt offrings, and sacrifices, and meate offrings, and incense, and shall bring sacrifice of prayse into the house of the Lord.
And people will come [to Jerusalem] bringing offerings to be completely burned [on the altar] and [other] offerings. They will bring to the temple grain offerings and incense and offerings to thank [me]. People will bring those offerings from the towns in Judah and the villages near Jerusalem and from the land [where the tribe] of Benjamin [lives] and from the western foothills and from the desert in the south.
27 But if ye will not heare me to sanctifie the Sabbath day, and not to beare a burden nor to go through the gates of Ierusalem in the Sabbath day, then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
But if you do not pay attention to what I say, and if you refuse to dedicate the Sabbath days to me, and if you [continue to] carry loads through these gates into the city on Sabbath days, I will burn these gates completely. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out that fire.”’”
