Jeremiah 17
Complete Jewish Bible
17 “Y’hudah’s sin is written with an iron pen;
with a diamond point it is engraved
on the tablet of their hearts
and on the horns of your altars.
2 As they remember their children,
so they remember their altars
and their sacred poles by the green trees
on the high hills.
3 My mountain in the field, your wealth
and all your treasures will be plundered;
because of the sin of your high places
throughout your territory.
4 You will relinquish your hold
on your heritage which I gave you.
I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know.
For you have kindled my fiery anger,
and it will burn forever.”
5 Here is what Adonai says:
“A curse on the person who trusts in humans,
who relies on merely human strength,
whose heart turns away from Adonai.
6 He will be like a tamarisk in the ‘Aravah —
when relief comes, it is unaffected;
for it lives in the sun-baked desert,
in salty, uninhabited land.
7 Blessed is the man who trusts in Adonai;
Adonai will be his security.
8 He will be like a tree planted near water;
it spreads out its roots by the river;
it does not notice when heat comes;
and its foliage is luxuriant;
it is not anxious in a year of drought
but keeps on yielding fruit.
9 “The heart is more deceitful than anything else
and mortally sick. Who can fathom it?
10 I, Adonai, search the heart;
I test inner motivations;
in order to give to everyone
what his actions and conduct deserve.”
11 A partridge hatches eggs it did not lay;
like this are those who get rich unjustly:
in the prime of life their wealth will desert them;
in the end they will prove to be fools.
12 Throne of Glory,
exalted from the beginning!
Our Holy Sanctuary,
13 Hope of Isra’el, Adonai!
All who abandon you will be ashamed,
those who leave you will be inscribed in the dust,
because they have abandoned Adonai,
the source of living water.
14 Heal me, Adonai, and I will be healed;
save me, and I will be saved,
for you are my praise.
15 They keep asking me,
“Where is the word of Adonai?
Let it come now.”
16 As for me, I have not run away
from being a shepherd who follows you;
you know I didn’t want this fatal day;
what came from my lips has been clear to you.
17 So do not be my ruin,
you, my refuge on the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be ashamed, not me;
let them be terrified, not me.
Bring on them the day of disaster,
destroy them with double destruction.
19 Then Adonai said this to me: “Go, and stand at the People’s Gate, where the kings of Y’hudah go in and out, and at all the gates of Yerushalayim; 20 and say to them: ‘Kings of Y’hudah, all Y’hudah and all living in Yerushalayim who enter through these gates, hear the word of Adonai! 21 Here is what Adonai says: “If you value your lives, don’t carry anything on Shabbat or bring it in through the gates of Yerushalayim; 22 don’t carry anything out of your houses on Shabbat; and don’t do any work. Instead, make Shabbat a holy day. I ordered your ancestors to do this, 23 but they neither listened nor paid attention; rather, they stiffened their necks, so that they wouldn’t have to hear or receive instruction. 24 However, if you will pay careful heed to me,” says Adonai “and carry nothing through the gates of this city on Shabbat, but instead make Shabbat a day which is holy and not for doing work; 25 then kings and princes occupying the throne of David will enter through the gates of this city, riding in chariots and on horses. They, their princes, the people of Y’hudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim will enter; and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come from the cities of Y’hudah, from the places surrounding Yerushalayim, from the land of Binyamin, from the Sh’felah, from the hills and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, frankincense and thanksgiving sacrifices to the house of Adonai. 27 But if you will not obey me and make Shabbat a holy day and not carry loads through the gates of Yerushalayim on Shabbat, then I will set its gates on fire; it will burn up the palaces of Yerushalayim and not be quenched.”’”
Jeremiah 17
English Standard Version
The Sin of Judah
17 “The sin of Judah is written with (A)a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on (B)the tablet of their heart, and on (C)the horns of their altars, 2 while (D)their children remember their altars and their (E)Asherim, (F)beside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 (G)on the mountains in the open country. (H)Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. 4 You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, (I)and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, (J)for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”
5 Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man (K)who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,[a]
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 (L)He is like a shrub in the desert,
(M)and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in (N)an uninhabited salt land.
7 (O)“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
(P)whose trust is the Lord.
8 (Q)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.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 (R)“I the Lord search the heart
(S)and test the mind,[b]
(T)to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
11 Like the (U)partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is (V)he who gets riches but not by justice;
(W)in the midst of his days they will leave him,
(X)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, (Y)the hope of Israel,
(Z)all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you[c] (AA)shall be written in the earth,
for (AB)they have forsaken (AC)the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance
14 (AD)Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for (AE)you are my praise.
15 (AF)Behold, they say to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!”
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd,
nor have I desired the day of sickness.
(AG)You know (AH)what came out of my lips;
it was before your face.
17 Be not a terror to me;
(AI)you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 (AJ)Let those be put to shame who persecute me,
but let me not be put to shame;
(AK)let them be dismayed,
but let me not be dismayed;
(AL)bring upon them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction!
Keep the Sabbath Holy
19 Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which (AM)the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, (AN)you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and (AO)do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath (AP)or do any work, but (AQ)keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet (AR)they did not listen or incline their ear, (AS)but stiffened their neck, that they (AT)might not hear and receive instruction.
24 “‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and (AU)bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but (AV)keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then (AW)there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit 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 be inhabited forever. 26 And people shall come from (AX)the cities of Judah (AY)and the places around Jerusalem, (AZ)from the land of Benjamin, (BA)from the Shephelah, from the hill country, (BB)and from (BC)the Negeb, bringing (BD)burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and (BE)bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to (BF)keep the Sabbath day holy, (BG)and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will (BH)kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall (BI)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (BJ)shall not be quenched.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 17:5 Hebrew arm
- Jeremiah 17:10 Hebrew kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:13 Hebrew me
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
