Jeremiah 17

1 The sin of Judah, is written With a stylus of iron, With the point of a diamond: It is engraved Upon the tablet of their heart, And upon the horns of your altars;

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond. It is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of your altars.

2 So long as their sons remember their altars, and their Sacred Stems, By the green tree, —Upon the high hills,

Even their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles by the green trees on the high hills.

3 O my mountain in the field Thy substance all thy treasures, for a prey, will I give: Thy high places for sin, within all thy bounds.

My mountain in the field, I will give your substance and all your treasures for a plunder, and your high places, because of sin, throughout all your borders.

4 So shalt thou even of thyself, suffer to rest the inheritance which I gave thee, Seeing that I will cause thee to serve thine enemies, in the land which thou knowest not; For, a fire, have ye kindled in mine anger, Unto times age-abiding, shall it burn.

You, even of yourself, will discontinue from your heritage that I gave you. I will cause you to serve your enemies in the land which you don’t know, for you have kindled a fire in my anger which will burn forever.”

5 Thus, saith Yahweh Accursed is the man—Who trusteth in a son of earth, And hath made flesh his arm, —And whose heart from Yahweh, turneth aside:

The LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, relies on strength of flesh, and whose heart departs from the LORD.

6 Therefore shall he become as a shrub in the waste plain, Neither shall he perceive when good cometh, But shall inhabit Parched places in a wilderness, A land of salt that cannot be dwelt in.

For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when good comes, but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, an uninhabited salt land.

7 Blessed is the man Who trusteth in Yahweh, To whom Yahweh is his ground of confidence;

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose confidence is in the LORD.

8 For he shall become like a tree planted by waters, And, by a stream, shall he send out his roots, Neither shall he perceive when heat cometh, But, his leaf shall continue green: Even in a year of dearth, shall he not be anxious, Neither shall he cease from bearing fruit.

For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.

9 Deceitful is the heart above all things And, dangerously wayward, —Who can know it?

The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?

10 I—Yahweh, Searching the heart, Testing the affections; And giving to every man According to his way, According to the fruit of his doings.

“I, the LORD, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

11 As a partridge gathereth eggs she did not lay, [So] is he that maketh riches but not with justice, —In the midst of his days, shall he leave them, And in his latter end, prove to have been base.

As the partridge that sits on eggs which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right. In the middle of his days, they will leave him. At his end, he will be a fool.

12 A throne of glory, exalted from the beginning, hath been the place of our sanctuary.

A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.

13 Thou hope of Israel Yahweh, All who forsake thee, shall turn pale, —Yea, all who depart from me, in the ground, shall be written, For they have forsaken a fountain of living water, even Yahweh.

LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be disappointed. Those who depart from me will be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living waters.

14 Heal thou me O Yahweh, that I may be healed, Save me that I may be saved, —For, my praise, thou art!

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved; for you are my praise.

15 Lo! they, are saying unto me, —Where is the word of Yahweh? Pray thee let it come to pass!

Behold, they ask me, “Where is the LORD’s word? Let it be fulfilled now.”

16 But as for me, I have neither forced myself away from tending the flock after thee, Nor yet for the woeful day, have I longed—thou, knowest, —That which came out of my lips, before thy face, was uttered.

As for me, I have not hurried from being a shepherd after you. I haven’t desired the woeful day. You know. That which came out of my lips was before your face.

17 Do not thou become to me a terror, —My refuge, art thou, in the day of calamity.

Don’t be a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of evil.

18 Let my persecutors, turn pale, but let not me, turn pale, Let, them, be terrified, but let not, me, be terrified, —Bring thou upon them a day of calamity, And with a double fracture, destroy them.

Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but don’t let me be disappointed. Let them be dismayed, but don’t let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

19 Thus, said Yahweh unto me—Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people, through which the kings of Judah enter in, and through which they come out, —also in all the gates of Jerusalem.

The LORD said this to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, through which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Then shalt thou say unto them—Hear ye the word of Yahweh Ye kings of Judah and all Judah, And all ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, —who enter in through these gates:

Tell them, ‘Hear the LORD’s word, you kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:

21 Thus, saith Yahweh, Take heed unto your souls, —And do not bear any burden on the sabbath day, Nor bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem, —

The LORD says, “Be careful, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.

22 Neither shall ye take forth any burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, Nor any manner of work, shall ye do, —But ye shall hallow the sabbath day, As I commanded your fathers.

Don’t carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day. Don’t do any work, but make the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers.

23 Howbeit they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, —but stiffened their neck, that they might not hearken, neither receive correction.

But they didn’t listen. They didn’t turn their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

24 And it shall come to pass, —If ye will, indeed hearken, unto me Declareth Yahweh, To bring in no burden through the gates of this city, on the sabbath day, —But to hallow the sabbath day, by not doing thereon any manner of work,

It will happen, if you diligently listen to me,” says the LORD, “to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to make the Sabbath day holy, to do no work therein;

25 Then shall enter in through the gates of this city, Kings and princes Sitting on the throne of David, Riding in chariots and on horses They, and their princes, The men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, And this city shall remain unto times age-abiding.

then there will enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on David’s throne, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will remain forever.

26 And they shall come in—Out of the cities of Judah and Out of the places round about Jerusalem, and Out of the land of Benjamin, and Out of the lowlands, and out of the hill country, and Out of the South, Bringing in ascending-offering, and peace-offering, and meal-offering, and frankincense, —Even they who bring in a thank-offering into the house of Yahweh,

They will come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the South, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, meal offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the LORD’s house.

27 But, if ye will not hearken unto me—To hallow the sabbath day, And to bear no burden and bring in through the gates of Jerusalem, on the sabbath day, Then will I kindle a fire within her gates, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, And shall not be quenched.

But if you will not listen to me to make the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. It will not be quenched.”’”