Jeremiah 17 (New American Standard)

The Deceitful Heart

1 The ¹sin of Judah is written down with an ²iron stylus ; With a diamond point it is ³engraved upon the tablet of their heart And on the horns of ^atheir altars, 2 As they remember their ⁴children, So they remember their altars and their ^b5Asherim By ⁶green trees on the high hills. 3 O ⁷mountain of Mine in the countryside, I will ⁸give over your wealth and all your treasures for booty, Your high places for sin throughout your borders. 4 And you will, even of yourself, ⁹let go of your inheritance That I gave you; And I will make you serve your ¹⁰enemies In the ¹¹land which you do not know ; For you have ¹²kindled a fire in My anger Which will burn forever . 5 Thus says the LORD, "¹³Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes ¹⁴flesh his ^cstrength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 "For he will be like a ¹⁵bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A ¹⁶land of salt ^dwithout inhabitant. 7 "¹⁷Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose ¹⁸trust is the LORD. 8 "For he will be like a ¹⁹tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes ; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of ²⁰drought Nor cease to yield fruit. 9 "The ²¹heart is more ²²deceitful than all else And is desperately ²³sick ; Who can understand it? 10 "I, the LORD, ²⁴search the heart, I test the ^emind, Even ²⁵to give to each man according to his ways, According to the ^fresults of his deeds. 11 "As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is he who ²⁶makes a fortune, but unjustly ; In the midst of his days it will forsake him, And in ^gthe end he will be a ²⁷fool." 12 ²⁸A glorious throne on high from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O LORD, the ²⁹hope of Israel, All who ³⁰forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn ^haway on earth will be ³¹written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. 14 ³²Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed ; ³³Save me and I will be saved, For You are my ³⁴praise. 15 Look, they keep ³⁵saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD ? Let it come now !" 16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You, Nor have I longed for the woeful day ; ³⁶You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips Was in Your presence. 17 Do not be a ³⁷terror to me; You are my ³⁸refuge in the day of disaster. 18 Let those who persecute me be ³⁹put to shame, but as for me, ⁴⁰let me not be put to shame ; Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. ⁴¹Bring on them a day of disaster, And crush them with twofold destruction !

The Sabbath Must Be Kept

19 Thus the LORD said to me, "Go and stand in the ⁱpublic gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem ; 20 and say to them, '⁴²Listen to the word of the LORD, ⁴³kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates : 21 'Thus says the LORD, "⁴⁴Take heed for yourselves, and ⁴⁵do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 "You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day ⁴⁶nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I ⁴⁷commanded your ^jforefathers. 23 "Yet they ⁴⁸did not listen or incline their ears, but ⁴⁹stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction. 24 "But it will come about, if you ⁵⁰listen attentively to Me," declares the LORD, "to ⁵¹bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, ⁵²but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 ⁵³then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes ⁵⁴sitting 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 ⁵⁵city will be inhabited forever. 26 "They will come in from the ⁵⁶cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the ⁵⁷lowland, from the hill country and from the ⁵⁸Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the LORD. 27 "But ⁵⁹if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then ⁶⁰I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will ⁶¹devour the palaces of Jerusalem and ⁶²not be quenched.""'