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Jeremiah 17 :: Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Persistent Sin of Judah
Jer 17:1

The sin of Judah is inscribed

with an iron stylus.

With a diamond point

it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts

and on the horns of their[fn] altars,

Jer 17:2

while their children remember their altars

and their Asherah poles, by the green trees

on the high hills —

Jer 17:3

my mountains in the countryside.

I will give up your wealth

and all your treasures as plunder

because of the sin of your high places[fn]

in all your borders.

Jer 17:4

You will, on your own, relinquish your inheritance

that I gave you.

I will make you serve your enemies

in a land you do not know,

for you have set my anger on fire;

it will burn forever.

Curse and Blessing
Jer 17:5

This is what the LORD says:

Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind.

He makes human flesh his strength,

and his heart turns from the LORD.

Jer 17:6

He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;

he cannot see when good comes

but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,

in a salt land where no one lives.

Jer 17:7

The person who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence indeed is the LORD, is blessed.

Jer 17:8

He will be like a tree planted by water:

it sends its roots out toward a stream,

it doesn’t fear when heat comes,

and its foliage remains green.

It will not worry in a year of drought

or cease producing fruit.

The Deceitful Heart
Jer 17:9

The heart is more deceitful than anything else,

and incurable ​— ​who can understand it?

Jer 17:10

I, the LORD, examine the mind,

I test the heart[fn]

to give to each according to his way,

according to what his actions deserve.

Jer 17:11

He who makes a fortune unjustly

is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.

In the middle of his life

his riches will abandon him,

so in the end he will be a fool.

Jer 17:12

A glorious throne

on high from the beginning

is the place of our sanctuary.

Jer 17:13

LORD, the hope of Israel,

all who abandon you

will be put to shame.

All who turn away from me

will be written in the dirt,

for they have abandoned

the LORD, the fountain of living water.

Jeremiah’s Plea
Jer 17:14

Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed;

save me, and I will be saved,

for you are my praise.

Jer 17:15

Hear how they keep challenging me,

“Where is the word of the LORD?

Let it come! ”

Jer 17:16

But I have not run away from being your shepherd,

and I have not longed for the fatal day.

You know my words were spoken in your presence.

Jer 17:17

Don’t become a terror to me.

You are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Jer 17:18

Let my persecutors be put to shame,

but don’t let me be put to shame.

Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified.

Bring on them the day of disaster;

shatter them with total[fn] destruction.

Observing the Sabbath
Jer 17:19

This is what the LORD said to me, “Go and stand at the People’s Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem.

Jer 17:20

“Announce to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates.

Jer 17:21

“This is what the LORD says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day.

Jer 17:22

“Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your ancestors.

Jer 17:23

“They wouldn’t listen or pay attention but became obstinate, not listening or accepting discipline.

Jer 17:24

“ ‘However, if you listen to me ​— ​this is the LORD’s declaration ​— ​and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it,

Jer 17:25

“kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David; they will ride in chariots and on horses with their officials, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem. This city will be inhabited forever.

Jer 17:26

“Then people will come from the cities of Judah and from the area around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the Judean foothills, from the hill country and from the Negev bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and thanksgiving sacrifices to the house of the LORD.

Jer 17:27

“But if you do not listen to me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set fire to its gates, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem and not be extinguished.’ ”

CSB Footnotes
Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read your
Lit plunder, your high places because of sin
Lit kidneys
Lit double
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Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017, 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers.

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