Jeremiah 17
New King James Version

Judah’s Sin and Punishment

17 “The sin of Judahis^(A)written with a^(B)pen of iron;
With the point of a diamondit is^(C)engraved
On the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
²While their children remember
Their altars and their^(D)wooden^[a]images
By the green trees on the high hills.
³O My mountain in the field,
I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures,
Andyour high places of sin within all your borders.
⁴And you, even yourself,
Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you;
And I will cause you to serve your enemies
In^(E)the land which you do not know;
For^(F)you have kindled a fire in My angerwhichshall burn forever.”

⁵Thus says theLord:

^(G)“Cursedisthe man who trusts in man
And makes^(H)flesh his^[b]strength,
Whose heart departs from theLord.
⁶For he shall be^(I)like a shrub in the desert,
And^(J)shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
^(K)Ina salt landwhich isnot inhabited.

⁷“Blessed^(L)isthe man who trusts in theLord,
And whose hope is theLord.
⁸For he shall be^(M)like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not^[c]fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

⁹“The^(N)heartisdeceitful above allthings,
And^[d]desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
¹⁰I, theLord,^(O)search the heart,
Itest the^[e]mind,
^(P)Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

¹¹“Asa partridge that^[f]broods but does not hatch,
So ishe who gets riches, but not by right;
It^(Q)will leave him in the midst of his days,
And at his end he will be^(R)a fool.”

¹²A glorious high throne from the beginning
Isthe place of our sanctuary.
¹³OLord,^(S)the hope of Israel,
^(T)All who forsake You shall be ashamed.

“Those who depart from Me
Shall be^(U)written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken theLord,
The^(V)fountain of living waters.”

Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

¹⁴Heal me, OLord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For^(W)Youaremy praise.
¹⁵Indeed they say to me,
^(X)“Whereisthe word of theLord?
Let it come now!”
¹⁶As for me,^(Y)I have not hurried away frombeinga shepherdwhofollows You,
Nor have I desired the woeful day;
You know what came out of my lips;
It was right there before You.
¹⁷Do not be a terror to me;
^(Z)Youaremy hope in the day of doom.
¹⁸^(AA)Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
But^(AB)do not let me be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed,
But do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of doom,
And^(AC)destroy^[g]them with double destruction!

Hallow the Sabbath Day

¹⁹Thus theLordsaid to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;²⁰and say to them,^(AD)‘Hear the word of theLord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates.²¹Thus says theLord:^(AE)“Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bringitin by the gates of Jerusalem;²²nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I^(AF)commanded your fathers.²³^(AG)But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but^[h]made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.

²⁴“And it shall be,^(AH)if you heed Me carefully,” says theLord, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the^(AI)Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it,²⁵^(AJ)then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.²⁶And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from^(AK)the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from^(AL)the^[i]lowland, from the mountains and from^(AM)the^[j]South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing^(AN)sacrifices of praise to the house of theLord.

²⁷“But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then^(AO)I will kindle a fire in its gates,^(AP)and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be^(AQ)quenched.” ’ ”