Jeremiah 17

Judah’s Sin Engraved

1 “The sin of Judah is written with an iron tool, engraved with a diamond point on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.”

2 “Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside spreading trees and on high hills.”

3 “My mountain in the countryside and your wealth and treasures I will give away as plunder because of the sin you committed throughout your land.”

4 “You will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know, For you have kindled My anger, a fire that will burn forever.”

Trust in Man Vs. Trust in the LORD

5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, Who depends on human strength And whose heart turns away from the LORD.”

6 “He will be like a shrub in the desert; He will not see prosperity when it comes. He will live in parched places of the wilderness, In a salt land where no one lives.”

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, Whose confidence is in Him.”

8 “He will be like a tree planted by water, Sending out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought And never fails to bear fruit.”

The Deceitful Heart

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. Who can understand it?”

10 “I, the LORD, search the heart and examine the mind, To reward each person according to his ways, According to the fruit of his deeds.”

The One Who Cheats Others

11 “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay Is the one who gains riches unjustly. When his life is only halfway through, they will abandon him, And in the end he will prove to be a fool.”

A Glorious Throne and a Cry for Healing

12 “A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, Is the place of our sanctuary.”

13 “LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living water.”

14 “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; Save me, and I will be saved, For You are my praise.”

15 They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD, Let it come now!”

Jeremiah’s Integrity Before God

16 “I have not run away from being Your shepherd, Nor have I desired the day of disaster. You know what came from my lips, it was spoken before You.”

17 “Do not be a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster.”

18 “Let my persecutors be put to shame, but do not let me be ashamed. Let them be terrified, but do not let me be terrified. Bring on them the day of disaster; Destroy them with double destruction.”

Keep the Sabbath Holy

19 This is what the LORD told me: “Go stand at the People’s Gate, where the kings of Judah go in and out, and at all the gates of Jerusalem.”

20 “Say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the LORD, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all who enter these gates.’”

21 “This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring anything through the gates of Jerusalem.”

22 “Do not carry a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath. Keep it holy, as I commanded your ancestors.”

23 “But they did not listen or pay attention. They stiffened their necks and refused to hear or accept discipline.”

Blessing for Obedience, Judgment for Rebellion

24 “But if you carefully obey Me,” declares the LORD, “and do not carry any load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath holy…”

25 “…then kings and officials sitting on David’s throne will enter these gates, riding in chariots and on horses. They and their officials, the people of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will live here forever.”

26 “People will come from the towns of Judah and around Jerusalem, from Benjamin’s land, the foothills, the mountains, and the Negev, Bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, incense, and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.”

27 “But if you do not obey Me and do not keep the Sabbath holy, If you carry loads through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath, I will set fire to its gates. It will burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem and will not be quenched.”