Jeremiah 17
17
The Sin of Judah
1“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.
2As the remembering of their children,
so is the remembering of their altars
and their poles of Asherah worship
beside the leafy trees#Hebrew “tree” on the high hills.
3O 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.
4And you will let go your hand from your inheritance#Literally “you shall loose and in you from your inheritance”
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
5Thus says Yahweh,
“Cursed is the person who trusts in humankind
and makes flesh his strength,#Literally “arm”
and turns aside his heart from Yahweh.
6And he will be like a juniper in the wilderness,#Or “Arabah”
and he will not see when good comes,
and he will dwell in the parched places in the desert,#Or “wilderness”
in a land of salt flats,#Hebrew “salt flat” where no one lives.
7Blessed be the person who trusts in Yahweh,
and Yahweh is his trust.
8For 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#Hebrew “leaf” will be luxuriant,
and in the year of drought it will not be anxious,
and it will not cease from the bearing of fruit.
9The heart is deceitful more than anything else,
and it is disastrous. Who can understand it?
10I, Yahweh, examine the mind,#Literally “heart”
I test the heart,#Literally “kidneys”
and give to each one according to his way,
according to the fruit of his deeds.
11Like 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
12A lofty throne of glory from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13O 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.
14Heal me, O Yahweh, and I will be healed,
save me, and I will be saved,
for you are my praise.
15Look, they are saying to me,
“Where is the word of Yahweh?
Please let it come.”
16But I, I have not run away from being a shepherd who follows you,#Literally “after you”
and I have not desired the disastrous day.
You, you know the pronouncement of my lips,
it was before your face.
17You must not become to me a terror,
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but as for me,#Literally “I” do not let me be put to shame.
Let them be dismayed,
but as for me,#Literally “I” do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of disaster,
and with double destruction, destroy them.
The Sabbath Day
19Thus said Yahweh to me, “Go, and you must stand in the People’s Gate#Literally “gate of the sons/children of the people” through which the kings of Judah enter, and through which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. 20And 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. 21Thus 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#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation through the gates of Jerusalem. 22And 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.#Or “fathers” 23Yet 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#Literally “a declaration of” 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, 25then kings and officials who sit on the throne of David will enter through the gates of this city riding in chariots#Hebrew “chariot” and on horses, they, and their officials, the people of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.#Literally “to eternity” 26And 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,#Hebrew “burnt offering” and sacrifices,#Hebrew “sacrifice” and grain offerings,#Hebrew “grain offering” and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings#Hebrew “thank offering” to the house of Yahweh. 27But 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.” ’ ”
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Jeremiah 17: LEB
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Jeremiah 17
17
The Lord Will Punish Judah
The Lord said:
1People of Judah,
your sins cannot be erased.
They are written on your hearts
like words chiseled in stone
or carved on the corners
of your altars.#17.1 carved on the corners of your altars: When sacrifices were offered to the Lord to ask him to forgive sins, some of the blood was smeared on the corners of the altar (see Leviticus 4.7,18-20,25, 26,30, 31,34, 35; 16.18). But now the Lord refuses to accept these sacrifices.
* 2One generation after another
has set up pagan altars
and worshiped the goddess Asherah
everywhere in your country—
on hills and mountains,
and under large trees.
3So I'll take everything you own,
including your altars,
and give it all
to your enemies.#17.3 enemies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 2,3.
4You will lose#17.4 You will lose: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. the land
that I gave you,
and I will make you slaves
in a foreign country,
because you have made my anger
blaze up like a fire
that won't stop burning.
Trust the Lord
5I, the Lord, have put a curse
on those who turn from me
and trust in human strength.
6They will dry up like a bush
in salty desert soil,
where nothing can grow.
7But I will bless those
who trust me, the Lord.
8 #
Ps 1.3. They will be like trees
growing beside a stream—
trees with roots that reach
down to the water,
and with leaves
that are always green.
They bear fruit every year
and are never worried
by a lack of rain.
9You people of Judah
are so deceitful
that you even fool yourselves,
and you can't change.
10 #
Rev 2.23;
Ps 62.12. But I know your deeds
and your thoughts,
and I will make sure
you get what you deserve.
11You cheated others,
but everything you gained
will fly away, like birds
hatched from stolen eggs.
Then you will discover
what fools you are.
Jeremiah Prays to the Lord
12Our Lord, your temple
is a glorious throne
that has stood on a mountain
from the beginning.
13You are a spring of water
giving Israel life and hope.
But if the people reject
what you have told me,
they will be swept away
like words written in dust.#17.13 reject … dust: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
14You, Lord, are the one I praise.
So heal me and rescue me!
Then I will be completely well
and perfectly safe.
15The people of Judah say to me,
“Jeremiah, you claimed to tell us
what the Lord has said.
So why hasn't it come true?”
16Our Lord, you chose me
to care for your people,
and that's what I have done.
You know everything I have said,
and I have never once
asked you to punish them.#17.16 you chose … punish them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
17I trust you for protection
in times of trouble,
so don't frighten me.
18Keep me from failure
and disgrace,
but make my enemies fail
and be disgraced.
Send destruction to make
their worst fears come true.
Resting on the Sabbath
19-20The Lord said:
Jeremiah, stand at each city gate in Jerusalem, including the one the king uses, and speak to him and everyone else. Tell them I have said:
I am the Lord, so pay attention. 21-24#Ex 20.8-10; Dt 5.12-14; Ne 13.15-22. If you value your lives, don't do any work on the Sabbath. Don't carry anything through the city gates or through the door of your house, or anywhere else. Keep the Sabbath day sacred!
I gave this command to your ancestors, but they were stubborn and refused to obey or to be corrected. But if you obey, 25then Judah and Jerusalem will always be ruled by kings from David's family. The king and his officials will ride through these gates on horses or in chariots, and the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be with them. There will always be people living in Jerusalem, 26and others will come here from the nearby villages, from the towns of Judah and Benjamin,#17.26 Judah and Benjamin: These two tribes made up the southern kingdom of Judah. from the hill country and the foothills to the west, and from the Southern Desert. They will bring sacrifices to please me and to give me thanks,#17.26 sacrifices to please me and to give me thanks: See the notes at 14.12. as well as offerings of grain and incense.
27But if you keep on carrying things through the city gates on the Sabbath and keep treating it as any other day, I will set fire to these gates and burn down the whole city, including the fortresses.
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© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.