Jeremiah 17

1 “The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus having a diamond point. It is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of your altars.

The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and 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 their altars and their Asherah poles that were beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.

while their sons remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.

3 My mountain in the open country, and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of the sin you committed in all your territories.

O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, and thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders.

4 You will lose the inheritance that I gave to you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land that you do not know, for you have ignited a fire in my wrath, which will burn forever.”

And thou, even of thyself, shall discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee, and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou know not. For ye have kindled a fire in my anger which shall burn forever.

5 Yahweh says, “The person who trusts in mankind is accursed; he makes flesh his strength but turns his heart away from Yahweh.

Thus says Jehovah: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah.

6 For he will be like a small bush in the Arabah and will not see anything good coming. He will stay in the stony places in the wilderness, barren land without inhabitants.

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.

7 But the person who trusts in Yahweh is blessed, for Yahweh is his reason for confidence.

Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah, and whose trust Jehovah is.

8 For he will be like a tree planted by water, its roots will spread out by the stream. It will not fear the heat when it comes, for its leaves are always green. It is not anxious in a year of drought, and it will not stop producing fruit.

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green, and shall not be worried in the year of drought, nor shall cease from yielding fruit.

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else. It is sick; who can understand it?

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

10 I am Yahweh, the one who searches through the mind, who tests the hearts. I give to each person according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

I, Jehovah, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

11 A partridge hatches an egg that she did not lay. Someone may become rich unjustly, but when half his days are over, those riches will abandon him, and in the end he will be a fool.”

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.

12 “The place of our temple is a glorious throne, elevated from the beginning.

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

13 Yahweh is the hope of Israel. All who abandon you will be put to shame; those in the land who turn away from you will be written in the earth, for they have forsaken Yahweh, the fountain of living waters.

O Jehovah, the hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be put to shame. Those who depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters.

14 Heal me, Yahweh, and I will be healed! Rescue me, and I will be rescued. For you are my song of praise.

Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed. Save me, and I shall be saved, for thou are my praise.

15 See, they are saying to me, 'Where is the word of Yahweh? Let it come!'

Behold, they say to me, Where is the word of Jehovah? Let it come now.

16 As for me, I did not run from being a shepherd following you. I did not long for the day of disaster. You know the proclamations that came from my lips. They were made in your presence.

As for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd after thee, nor have I desired the woeful day. Thou know. That which came out of my lips was before thy face.

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

Be not a terror to me. Thou are my refuge in the day of evil.

18 May my pursuers be ashamed, but do not let me be ashamed. May they be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed. Send the day of disaster against them and shatter them with a double share of destruction.”

Let them be put to shame who persecute me, but let me not be put to shame. Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. Bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

19 Yahweh said this to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the people where the kings of Judah enter and where they exit, then in all the other gates of Jerusalem.

Thus Jehovah said to me, Go, and stand in the gate of the sons 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 Say to them, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah and all you people of Judah, and every resident of Jerusalem who comes in through these gates.

And say to them, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter in by these gates.

21 Yahweh says this: “Be careful for the sake of your lives and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day to bring it to the gates of Jerusalem.

Thus says Jehovah: Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.

22 Do not bring a load out from your house on the Sabbath day. Do not do any work, but set apart the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors to do.”'

Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, nor do ye any work. But hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

23 They did not listen or pay attention, but stiffened their neck so they would not hear me nor accept discipline.

But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

24 It will happen that if you truly listen to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and do not bring a load to the gates of this city on the Sabbath day but instead set apart the Sabbath day to Yahweh and not do any work on it,

And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken to me, says Jehovah, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to hallow the sabbath day, to do no work in it,

25 then kings, princes, and those who sit on David's throne will come to the gates of this city in chariots and with horses, they and their leaders, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.

then there shall enter in by the gates of this city kings and rulers sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their rulers, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall remain forever.

26 They will come from the cities of Judah and from all around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and the lowlands, from the mountains, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, thank offerings to the house of Yahweh.

And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowland, and from the hill-country, and from the South, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meal offerings, and frankincense, and bringing things of thanksgiving, to the house of Jehovah.

27 But if you do not listen to me—to set apart the Sabbath day and to not carry heavy loads and to not enter the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day—then I will light a fire in its gates, and it will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem, and it cannot be put out.”

But if ye will not hearken to me to hallow the sabbath day, 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 the gates of it, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.