17:1 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.
17:2 Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.
17:3 My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country.
17:4 Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever.”
17:5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
17:6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
17:7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
17:8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
17:11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.
17:12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.
17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.
17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
17:15 They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled!”
17:16 I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you.
17:17 Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
17:18 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.
17:19 This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.
17:20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates.
17:21 This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem.
17:22 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 forefathers.
17:23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline.
17:24 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 by not doing any work on it,
17:25 then kings who sit on David’s throne 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.
17:26 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, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings, incense and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.
17:27 But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath 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 in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”
17:1 The sin of Judah is written / With an iron pen; / With the point of an adamant it is engraved / On the tablet of their heart / And on the horns of your altars,
17:2 While their children remember / Their altars and their Asherahs / Beside flourishing trees / Upon high hills.
17:3 O My mountain in the field, / Your wealth and all your treasures / I will give as plunder, / Your high places, because of sin, / Within all your borders.
17:4 And you yourself will let go of your inheritance, / Which I gave to you; / And I will cause you to serve your enemies / In a land which you do not know; / For you have kindled a fire in My anger, / Which will burn forever.
17:5 Thus says Jehovah, / Cursed is the man who trusts in man / And makes flesh his arm / And whose heart turns away from Jehovah.
17:6 And he will be like a shrub in the desert / And will not see when good comes; / But he will dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, / A land of salt and uninhabited.
17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah / And whose trust Jehovah is.
17:8 And he will be like a tree transplanted beside water, / Which sends out its roots by a stream, / And will not be afraid when heat comes; / For its leaves remain flourishing, / And it will not be anxious in the year of drought / And will not cease to bear fruit.
17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, / And it is incurable; / Who can know it?
17:10 I, Jehovah, search the heart / And test the inward parts, / Even to give to each one according to his ways, / According to the fruit of his deeds.
17:11 As a partridge broods over what she has not laid, / A man makes riches but not rightly; / In the midst of his days they will leave him, / And at his end he will be a fool.
17:12 A throne of glory set on high from the beginning / Is the place of our sanctuary.
17:13 You are the hope of Israel, O Jehovah; / All who forsake You will be put to shame. / Those who turn away from Me will be written in the earth / Because they forsook Jehovah, / The fountain of living waters.
17:14 Heal me, O Jehovah, and I will be healed; / Save me and I will be saved, / For You are my praise.
17:15 Indeed, they say to me, / Where is the word of Jehovah? / Let it come now!
17:16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You, / And I have not desired a day of disaster. / You know that what came out of my lips / Was before Your face.
17:17 Do not become a terror to me; / You are my refuge in an evil day.
17:18 Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, do not let me be / put to shame; / Let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed. / Bring upon them an evil day, / And break them with a double destruction.
17:19 Thus said Jehovah to me, Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people, through which the kings of Judah come in and through which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem,
17:20 And say to them, Hear the word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah and all Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter through these gates:
17:21 Thus says Jehovah, Take heed to your souls and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring anything through the gates of Jerusalem.
17:22 And do not bring out any burden from your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work; but sanctify the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
17:23 But they did not listen or incline their ear; rather they stiffened their neck that they might not hear or receive correction.
17:24 But if indeed you listen to Me, declares Jehovah, and bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but sanctify the Sabbath day and do not do any work on it,
17:25 Then kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding on chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will come through the gates of this city; and this city will be inhabited forever.
17:26 And they will come from the cities of Judah and the places surrounding Jerusalem and from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland and from the hill country and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices and meal offerings and frankincense and bringing thanksgiving to the house of Jehovah.
17:27 But if you do not listen to Me to sanctify the Sabbath day and not to bear a burden when coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and will not be extinguished.