Jeremiah 17:1-3

Contemporary English Version

The Lord Will Punish Judah

The Lord said:

17 People 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.^[a]
* 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.^[b]

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Footnotes

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.
17.3 enemies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 2,3.