Judah’s Sin and Punishment
1 “The sin of Judahiswritten with apen of iron;
# With the point of a diamonditisengraved
On the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
2 While their children remember
# Their altars and theirwooden images
By the green trees on the high hills.
3 O My mountain in the field,
I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures,
Andyour high places of sin within all your borders.
4 And you, even yourself,
Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you;
And I will cause you to serve your enemies
# Inthe land which you do not know;
# Foryou have kindled a fire in My angerwhichshall burn forever.”
5 Thus says theLord:
# “Cursedisthe man who trusts in man
# And makesflesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from theLord.
6 For he shall belike a shrub in the desert,
# Andshall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
# Ina salt landwhichisnot inhabited.
7 “Blessedisthe man who trusts in theLord,
And whose hope is theLord.
8 For he shall belike a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not 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 “Theheartisdeceitful above allthings,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
10 I, theLord,search the heart,
Itest the mind,
# Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
11 “Asa partridge that broods but does not hatch,
Soishe who gets riches, but not by right;
# Itwill leave him in the midst of his days,
# And at his end he will bea fool.”
12 A glorious high throne from the beginning
Isthe place of our sanctuary.
13 OLord,the hope of Israel,
# All who forsake You shall be ashamed.
“Those who depart from Me
# Shall bewritten in the earth,
Because they have forsaken theLord,
# Thefountain of living waters.”
Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance
14 Heal me, OLord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
# ForYouaremy praise.
15 Indeed they say to me,
# “Whereisthe word of theLord?
Let it come now!”
16 As for me,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.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
# Youaremy hope in the day of doom.
18 Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
# Butdo 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,
# Anddestroy them with double destruction!
Hallow the Sabbath Day
19 Thus 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;
20 and say to them,‘Hear the word of theLord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates.
21 Thus says theLord:“Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bringitin by the gates of Jerusalem;
22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as Icommanded your fathers.
23 But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.
24 “And it shall be,if you heed Me carefully,” says theLord, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on theSabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it,
25 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.
26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and fromthe places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and fromthe lowland, from the mountains and fromthe South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringingsacrifices 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, thenI will kindle a fire in its gates,and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not bequenched.” ’ ”