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Jeremiah 17
Expanded Bible
Jeremiah 17
Expanded Bible
Judah’s Guilty Heart
17 “The sin of Judah is written with an iron ·tool [L pen].
Their sins were cut with a ·hard [L diamond] point into the ·stone that is [L tablet of] their hearts.
Their sins were cut into the ·corners [L horns] of their altars [Ex. 27:2].
2 Even their children remember
their altars [C to idols] and their ·Asherah idols [sacred poles; L Asherim]
beside the green trees
and on the high hills [2:20].
3 My mountain in the open country
and your wealth and treasures
I will give ·away to other people [L as plunder].
I will give away the places of worship in your country,
because you sinned by worshiping there.
4 You will ·lose [drop] the ·land [L inheritance] I gave you,
and it is your own fault.
I will ·let your enemies take you as their slaves [L make you serve your enemies]
to a land you have never known.
This is because you ·have made my anger burn like a hot fire [L kindled a fire in my anger],
and it will burn forever [15:11–14].”
Trusting in Humans or God
5 This is what the Lord says:
“·A curse is placed on [L Cursed are] those who ·trust [have confidence in] other people,
who ·depend on humans for [L make flesh their] strength,
who have ·stopped trusting [L turned their heart from] the Lord.
6 They are like a ·bush [shrub; or juniper] in a ·desert [steppe]
that ·grows in a land where no one lives [L lives in a salt land where no one lives],
a ·hot and dry land with bad soil [L parched land in the wilderness].
They don’t ·know about the good things God can give [L see when good comes].
7 “But the person who ·trusts [has confidence] in the Lord will be blessed.
·The Lord will show him that he can be trusted [L …whose trust/confidence is in him].
8 He will be like a tree planted near water [C vital and strong]
that sends its roots by a stream [Ps. 1:3].
It is not afraid when the ·days are hot [L heat comes];
its leaves are always green.
It ·does not worry [is not anxious] in a year ·when no rain comes [of drought];
it always produces fruit.
9 “·More than anything else [T Above all things], ·a person’s mind is evil [T the heart is deceitful; L the heart is devious/crooked]
and ·cannot be healed [T desperately wicked; L it is perverse/sick].
Who can ·understand [know] it?
10 But I, the Lord, ·look into a person’s [investigate/test the] heart
and test the ·mind [L kidneys].
·So I can decide what each one deserves [L …to give to each according to his way/path];
I can give each one the right payment for what he does.”
11 Like a ·bird [L partridge] hatching an egg it did not lay,
so are the people who get rich ·by cheating [unjustly].
When their ·lives [L days] are half finished, ·they will lose their riches [L it will leave/abandon them].
At the end of their lives, it will be clear they were fools.
12 From the beginning, our ·Temple [L sanctuary] has been ·honored [L exalted]
as a glorious throne [C for God; Is. 6:1–3; Ezek. 1:26–28; 43:2–5].
13 Lord, hope of Israel,
those who ·leave [abandon; forsake] you will be ·shamed [humiliated].
People who ·quit following the Lord [L turn away from you] will be ·written [recorded] in the ·dust [or underworld],
because they have ·left [abandoned; forsaken] the Lord, the spring of living water [2:13].
Jeremiah’s Third Complaint
14 Lord, heal me, and I will truly be healed.
·Save [Rescue] me, and I will truly be ·saved [rescued].
You are ·the one I praise [L my praise].
15 The people of Judah keep asking me,
“Where is the word from the Lord?
·Let’s see that message come true [L Let it come]!”
16 Lord, I didn’t ·run away from [or insist on] being the shepherd ·you wanted [L after you].
I didn’t want the ·terrible day [or day of despair] to come.
You know ·everything I have said [L what comes out of my lips];
·you see all that is happening [L it was before your face].
17 Don’t be a terror to me.
·I run to you for safety [L You are my refuge] in ·times [L days] of ·trouble [disaster; evil].
18 Make those who are ·hurting [persecuting; pursuing] me be ·ashamed [humiliated],
but don’t bring ·shame to [humiliation on] me.
Let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring the day of ·disaster [evil; trouble] on them [C my enemies].
Destroy them, ·and destroy them again [L with double destruction].
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the People’s Gate [C of Jerusalem], where the kings of Judah go in and out. And then go to all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Say to them there: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, all you people of Judah, and all who live in Jerusalem, who come through these gates into the city. 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to ·carry [lift] a ·load [burden] on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Don’t take a ·load [burden] out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work on that day. But keep the Sabbath as a holy day, as I commanded your ·ancestors [fathers; Ex. 20:8–11; 31:12–18; Deut. 5:12–15]. 23 But your ·ancestors [fathers] did not listen or ·pay attention [L incline their ear] to me. They ·were very stubborn [L stiffened their necks] and did not listen. ·I punished them, but it didn’t do any good [L They did not take instruction/discipline]. 24 But you must ·be careful to obey [listen to] me, says the Lord. You must not bring a ·load [burden] through the gates of this city [C Jerusalem] on the Sabbath, but you must keep the Sabbath as a holy day and not do any work on that day.
25 “‘If you obey this command, kings who sit on David’s throne [2 Sam. 7:11–16] will come through the gates of ·Jerusalem [L this city] with their officers. They will come riding in chariots and on horses, along with the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And ·the city of Jerusalem [L this city] will have people living in it forever. 26 People will come [C to Jerusalem] from the villages around it, from the towns of Judah, from the land of Benjamin, from the ·western hills [L Shephelah], from the mountains, and from ·southern Judah [L the Negev]. They will all bring to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], sacrifices, ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], incense, and ·offerings to show thanks to God [thank offerings]. 27 But you must obey me and keep the Sabbath day as a holy day. You must not carry any loads into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. If you don’t ·obey [listen to] me, to keep the Sabbath day as a holy day, I will ·start [kindle] a fire at its gates [C of Jerusalem], and it will ·burn until it burns even [L consume; devour] the ·strong towers [palaces]. And it will not be put out.’”
Jeremiah 17
New International Version
Jeremiah 17
New International Version
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(A)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(B)
and on the horns(C) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[a](D)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(E)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[b] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(F)
together with your high places,(G)
because of sin throughout your country.(H)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(I) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(J)
in a land(K) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(L) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(M)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(N)
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places(O) of the desert,
in a salt(P) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(Q) is the one who trusts(R) in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.(S)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(T)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(U)
9 The heart(V) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(W)
and examine the mind,(X)
to reward(Y) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(Z)
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.(AA)
12 A glorious throne,(AB) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(AC) of Israel;
all who forsake(AD) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(AE)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(AF)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(AG)
save(AH) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(AI)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(AJ)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(AK) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(AL) to me;
you are my refuge(AM) in the day of disaster.(AN)
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.(AO)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[c] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(AP) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(AQ) who come through these gates.(AR) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(AS) day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.(AT) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(AU) they were stiff-necked(AV) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(AW) 24 But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy(AX) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(AY) will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.(AZ) 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev,(BA) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey(BB) me to keep the Sabbath(BC) day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire(BD) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(BE)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 17:2 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Jeremiah 17:3 Or hills / 3 and the mountains of the land. / Your
- Jeremiah 17:19 Or Army
Expanded Bible (EXB)
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