Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man (A)who trusts in man
    and makes flesh his strength,[a]
    whose heart turns away from the Lord.
(B)He is like a shrub in the desert,
    (C)and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
    in (D)an uninhabited salt land.

(E)“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    (F)whose trust is the Lord.
(G)He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
10 (H)“I the Lord search the heart
    (I)and test the mind,[b]
(J)to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.”

11 Like the (K)partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
    so is (L)he who gets riches but not by justice;
(M)in the midst of his days they will leave him,
    (N)and at his end he will be a fool.

12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
    is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, (O)the hope of Israel,
    (P)all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you[c] (Q)shall be written in the earth,
    for (R)they have forsaken (S)the Lord, the fountain of living water.

Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

14 (T)Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
    save me, and I shall be saved,
    for (U)you are my praise.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 17:5 Hebrew arm
  2. Jeremiah 17:10 Hebrew kidneys
  3. Jeremiah 17:13 Hebrew me

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(A)
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(B)
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places(C) of the desert,
    in a salt(D) land where no one lives.

“But blessed(E) is the one who trusts(F) in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.(G)
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(H)
    and never fails to bear fruit.”(I)

The heart(J) is deceitful above all things
    and beyond cure.
    Who can understand it?

10 “I the Lord search the heart(K)
    and examine the mind,(L)
to reward(M) each person according to their conduct,
    according to what their deeds deserve.”(N)

11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
    are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
    and in the end they will prove to be fools.(O)

12 A glorious throne,(P) exalted from the beginning,
    is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(Q) of Israel;
    all who forsake(R) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(S)
    because they have forsaken the Lord,
    the spring of living water.(T)

14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(U)
    save(V) me and I will be saved,
    for you are the one I praise.(W)

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