Jeremiah 17
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
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Cursed Is the Person Who Hopes in Man
17:5Cursed is the person who places his hope in a human and rests the flesh of his arm upon him, and whose heart departs from the Lord;
17:6and he will be like a wild tamarisk in the wilderness; he will not see when good things come, and will dwell among salt-plants and in a wilderness, in a salt land that is not inhabited.
17:7And blessed is the person who has trusted in the Lord, and the Lord will be his hope;
17:8and he will be like a tree flourishing beside waters, and will send its roots toward moisture, and will not fear when heat comes. Wooded stems will be upon it; in a rainless year it will not fear or cease bearing fruit.
The Heart Is Deep Beyond All Things
17:9The heart is deep beyond all things, and so is a human; and who will know him?
17:10I, the Lord, examine hearts and test kidneys, to give each according to his ways and the fruits of his practices.
17:11A partridge called; it gathered what it did not bear. One makes his wealth without judgment; in the middle of his days they will abandon him, and at his last he will be foolish.
17:12An exalted throne of glory is our sanctuary,
Jeremiah’s Prayer for Healing and Vindication
17:13Israel’s patient expectation, Lord, let all who abandoned You be ashamed; let those who departed be written upon the earth, because they abandoned the Lord, the fountain of life.
17:14Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, because You are my boast.
17:15Look, they say to me: Where is the Lord’s word? Let it come!
17:16But I did not grow weary following after You, and did not desire a human’s day; You know. The things going out through my lips are before You.
17:17Do not become an estrangement to me, sparing me in an evil day.
17:18Let those pursuing me be ashamed, and may I not be ashamed; may they be terrified, and may I not be terrified. Bring an evil day upon them; crush them with double crushing.
Stand in the Gates of the Sons of the People
17:19Thus says the Lord: Go and stand in the gates of your people’s sons, through which Judah’s kings enter and leave, and in all Jerusalem’s gates,
17:20and you shall say to them: Hear the Lord’s word, kings of Judah, all Judea and all Jerusalem, who enter these gates:
Guard Your Souls on the Sabbath
17:21Thus says the Lord: Guard your souls, and do not lift burdens on the Sabbath day or go out through Jerusalem’s gates,
17:22and do not bring burdens out of your houses on the Sabbath day, and you shall do no work; consecrate the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. And they did not hear or incline their ear,
17:23and they hardened their neck beyond their fathers, so as not to hear Me or accept instruction.
17:24And if you truly listen to Me, says the Lord, not bringing burdens through this city’s gates on the Sabbath day and consecrating the Sabbath day by doing no work,
17:25then kings and rulers sitting on David’s throne will enter through this city’s gates, mounted on their chariots and horses, they and their rulers, Judah’s men and those dwelling in Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited forever.
17:26And they will come from Judah’s cities, around Jerusalem, Benjamin’s land, the plain, the mountain and the south, bringing whole burnt offerings, sacrifice, incense offerings, grain offering and frankincense, bringing praise into the Lord’s house.
17:27And if you do not listen to Me to consecrate the Sabbath day, not lifting burdens and not entering Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day, I will kindle fire in her gates, and it will devour Jerusalem’s quarters and not be extinguished.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.