Jeremiah 17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Judah’s Sin and Punishment
17 The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen; with a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars,(A) 2 while their children remember their altars and their sacred poles[a] beside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your sin[b] throughout all your territory. 4 By your own act you shall lose the heritage that I gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.(B)
5 Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.(C)
6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.(D)
7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.(E)
8 They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.(F)
9 The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?(G)
10 I the Lord test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.(H)
11 Like the partridge hatching what it did not lay,
so are all who amass wealth unjustly;
in midlife it will leave them,
and at their end they will prove to be fools.
12 O glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
shrine of our sanctuary!
13 O hope of Israel! O Lord!
All who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you[c] shall be recorded in the underworld,[d]
for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, the Lord.(I)
Jeremiah Prays for Vindication
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for you are my praise.(J)
15 See how they say to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!”(K)
16 But I have not run away from being a shepherd[e] in your service,
nor have I desired the fatal day.
You know what came from my lips;
it was before your face.
17 Do not become a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster;(L)
18 Let my persecutors be shamed,
but do not let me be shamed;
let them be dismayed,
but do not let me be dismayed;
bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction!(M)
Hallow the Sabbath Day
19 Thus said the Lord to me: Go and stand in the People’s Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say to them: Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter by these gates.(N) 21 Thus says the Lord: For the sake of your lives, take care that you do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.(O) 22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.(P) 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ear; they stiffened their necks and would not hear or receive instruction.(Q)
24 But if you listen to me, says the Lord, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it,(R) 25 then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings[f] who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city shall be inhabited forever.(S) 26 And people shall come from the towns of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord.(T) 27 But if you do not listen to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy and to carry in no burden through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates; it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.(U)
Jeremiah 17
Lexham English Bible
The Sin of Judah
17 “The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus,
with a point of diamond it is engraved
on the tablet of their heart,
and on the horns of their altars.
2 As the remembering of their children,
so is the remembering of their altars
and their poles of Asherah worship
beside the leafy trees[a] on the high hills.
3 O my mountain in the open country,
I will give your wealth, all your treasures, for spoil,
your high places, because of your sin,
throughout all your territories.
4 And you will let go your hand from your inheritance[b]
that I gave to you,
and I will make you serve your enemies
in the land that you do not know,
for you kindled a fire in my anger,
until eternity it will be kindled.”
The One Who Trusts in Humankind Contrasted With the One Who Trusts in Yahweh
5 Thus says Yahweh,
“Cursed is the person who trusts in humankind
and makes flesh his strength,[c]
and turns aside his heart from Yahweh.
6 And he will be like a juniper in the wilderness,[d]
and he will not see when good comes,
and he will dwell in the parched places in the desert,[e]
in a land of salt flats,[f] where no one lives.
7 Blessed be the person who trusts in Yahweh,
and Yahweh is his trust.
8 For he will be like a tree planted by water,
and to the stream it sends its roots,
and it will not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves[g] will be luxuriant,
and in the year of drought it will not be anxious,
and it will not cease from the bearing of fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful more than anything else,
and it is disastrous. Who can understand it?
10 I, Yahweh, examine the mind,[h]
I test the heart,[i]
and give to each one according to his way,
according to the fruit of his deeds.
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
is one who amasses wealth without justice.
In the middle of his days it will leave him,
and at his end he will prove to be a fool.”
The Fountain of Living Water
12 A lofty throne of glory from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Yahweh, the hope of Israel,
all those who forsake you will be put to shame,
and those who turn aside from you in the earth will be recorded,
for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, Yahweh.
14 Heal me, O Yahweh, and I will be healed,
save me, and I will be saved,
for you are my praise.
15 Look, they are saying to me,
“Where is the word of Yahweh?
Please let it come.”
16 But I, I have not run away from being a shepherd who follows you,[j]
and I have not desired the disastrous day.
You, you know the pronouncement of my lips,
it was before your face.
17 You must not become to me a terror,
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but as for me,[k] do not let me be put to shame.
Let them be dismayed,
but as for me,[l] do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of disaster,
and with double destruction, destroy them.
The Sabbath Day
19 Thus said Yahweh to me, “Go, and you must stand in the People’s Gate[m] through which the kings of Judah enter, and through which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. 20 And you must say to them, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. 21 Thus says Yahweh, “Be on your guard for the sake of yourselves, that you must not carry a burden on the day of the Sabbath, and you must not bring it[n] through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 And you must not carry a burden from your houses on the day of the Sabbath, and you must not do any work. But you must declare holy the day of Sabbath, just as I commanded your ancestors.[o] 23 Yet they did not listen, and they did not incline their ear, and they hardened their neck so as to not hear, nor to receive discipline.
24 “And it will happen, if you carefully listen to me,” declares[p] Yahweh, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the day of the Sabbath, but to declare holy the day of Sabbath, not to do on it any work, 25 then kings and officials who sit on the throne of David will enter through the gates of this city riding in chariots[q] and on horses, they, and their officials, the people of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.[r] 26 And they will come from the towns of Judah, and from all around Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the Shephelah, and from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings,[s] and sacrifices,[t] and grain offerings,[u] and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings[v] to the house of Yahweh. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to declare holy the day of the Sabbath, and to not carry a burden and enter through the gates of Jerusalem on the day of the Sabbath, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it will not be quenched.”’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 17:2 Hebrew “tree”
- Jeremiah 17:4 Literally “you shall loose and in you from your inheritance”
- Jeremiah 17:5 Literally “arm”
- Jeremiah 17:6 Or “Arabah”
- Jeremiah 17:6 Or “wilderness”
- Jeremiah 17:6 Hebrew “salt flat”
- Jeremiah 17:8 Hebrew “leaf”
- Jeremiah 17:10 Literally “heart”
- Jeremiah 17:10 Literally “kidneys”
- Jeremiah 17:16 Literally “after you”
- Jeremiah 17:18 Literally “I”
- Jeremiah 17:18 Literally “I”
- Jeremiah 17:19 Literally “gate of the sons/children of the people”
- Jeremiah 17:21 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 17:22 Or “fathers”
- Jeremiah 17:24 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 17:25 Hebrew “chariot”
- Jeremiah 17:25 Literally “to eternity”
- Jeremiah 17:26 Hebrew “burnt offering”
- Jeremiah 17:26 Hebrew “sacrifice”
- Jeremiah 17:26 Hebrew “grain offering”
- Jeremiah 17:26 Hebrew “thank offering”
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