< 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 written with a pen of iron, With the point of a diamond, Graven on the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altars,
2 while their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees on the high hills.
As their sons remember their altars and their shrines, By the green tree, by the high hills.
3 My mountain in the field, I will give your substance and all your treasures for a spoil, and your high places, because of sin, throughout all your borders.
O My mountain in the field — thy strength, All thy treasures — for a prey I give, Thy high places for sin in all thy borders.
4 You, even of yourself, shall discontinue from your heritage that 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."
And thou hast let go — even through thyself, Of thine inheritance that I gave to thee, And I have caused thee to serve thine enemies, In a land that thou hast not known, For a fire ye have kindled in Mine anger, Unto the age it doth burn.
5 Thus says YHWH: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from YHWH.
Thus said Jehovah: Cursed [is] the man who doth trust in man, And hath made flesh his arm, And from Jehovah whose heart turneth.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.
And he hath been as a naked thing in a desert, And doth not see when good cometh, And hath inhabited parched places in a wilderness, A salt land, and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man who trusts in YHWH, and whose confidence is in YHWH.
Blessed [is] the man who trusteth in Jehovah, And whose confidence hath been Jehovah.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
And hath been as a tree planted by waters, And by a rivulet he sendeth forth his roots, And he doth not see when heat cometh, And his leaf hath been green, And in a year of dearth he is not sorrowful, Nor doth he cease from making fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?
Crooked [is] the heart above all things, And it [is] incurable — who doth know it?
10 I, YHWH, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
I Jehovah do search the heart, try the reins, Even to give to each according to his way, According to 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 midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool."
A partridge hatching, and not bringing forth, [Is] one making wealth, and not by right, In the midst of his days he doth forsake it, And in his latter end — he is a fool.
12 "A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.
A throne of honour on high from the beginning, The place of our sanctuary,
13 YHWH, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be disappointed. Those who depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken YHWH, the spring of living waters.
The hope of Israel [is] Jehovah, All forsaking Thee are ashamed, And 'My apostates' in the earth are written, For they have forsaken Jehovah, A fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, YHWH, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for you are my praise.
Heal me, O Jehovah, and I am healed, Save me, and I am saved, for my praise [art] Thou.
15 Look, they tell me, 'Where is the word of YHWH? Let it come now.'
Lo, they are saying unto me: 'Where [is] the word of Jehovah? pray, let it come.'
16 As for me, I have not hurried from being a shepherd after you; neither have I desired the woeful day; you know: that which came out of my lips was before your face.
And I hastened not from feeding after Thee, And the desperate day I have not desired, Thou — Thou hast known, The produce of my lips, before Thy face it hath been,
17 Do not be a terror to me: you are my refuge in the day of evil.
Be not Thou to me for a terror, My hope [art] Thou in a day of evil.
18 Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but let not me be disappointed; let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed; bring on them the day of disaster, and destroy them with double destruction."
Let my pursuers be ashamed, and let not me be ashamed — me! Let them be affrighted, and let not me be affrighted — me! Bring in on them a day of evil, And a second time [with] destruction destroy them.
19 Thus said YHWH 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;
Thus said Jehovah unto me: 'Go, and thou hast stood in the gate of the sons of the people, by which kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all gates of Jerusalem,
20 and tell them, 'Hear the word of YHWH, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
and thou hast said unto them: Hear a word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem, who are coming in by these gates,
21 Thus says YHWH, "Be careful, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
Thus said Jehovah, Take ye heed to yourselves, And ye bear not a burden on the day of rest, Nor have ye brought [it] in by the gates of Jerusalem.
22 neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day holy, neither do any work: but make the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
Nor do ye take out a burden from your houses on the day of rest, Yea, any work ye do not do, And ye have sanctified the day of rest, As I have commanded your fathers.
23 But they did not listen, neither turn their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.
And they have not hearkened nor inclined their ear, And they stiffen their neck not to hear, And not to receive instruction.
24 It shall happen, if you diligently listen to me," says YHWH, "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 in it;
And it hath been, if ye certainly hearken unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah, So as not to bring in a burden By the gates of this city on the day of rest, And to sanctify the day of rest, So as not to do in it any work —
25 then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their officials, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.
Then entered by the gates of this city have kings and princes, Sitting on the throne of David, Riding in a chariot, and on horses, They, and their princes, the man of Judah, And inhabitants of Jerusalem, And this city hath remained to the age.
26 They shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowland, and from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meal offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving, to the house of YHWH.
And they have come in from cities of Judah, And from suburbs of Jerusalem, And from the land of Benjamin, And from the low country, And from the hill-country, and from the south, Bringing in burnt-offering, and sacrifice, And present, and frankincense, And bringing praise [to] the house of Jehovah.
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 will I kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."'"
And if ye do not hearken unto me to sanctify the day of rest, And so as not to bear a burden, And to come in at the gates of Jerusalem on the day of rest, Then I have kindled a fire in its gates, And it hath consumed the high places of Jerusalem, And it is not quenched!'