Jeremiah 17

The Sin of Judah

1 "The sin of Judah is written with r a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on s the tablet of their heart, and on t the horns of their altars, 2 while u their children remember their altars and their v Asherim, w beside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 x on the mountains in the open country. y Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. 4 You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, z and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, a for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever."

5 Thus says the Lord:
"Cursed is the man b who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength, 1
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 c He is like a shrub in the desert,
d and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in e an uninhabited salt land.

7 f "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
g whose trust is the Lord.
8 h He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit."

9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 i "I the Lord search the heart
j and test the mind, 2
k to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds."

11 Like the l partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is m he who gets riches but not by justice;
n in the midst of his days they will leave him,
o and at his end he will be a fool.

12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, p the hope of Israel,
q all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you 3 r shall be written in the earth,
for s they have forsaken t the Lord, the fountain of living water.

Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

14 u Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for v you are my praise.
15 w Behold, they say to me,
"Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!"
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd,
nor have I desired the day of sickness.
x You know x what came out of my lips;
it was before your face.
17 Be not a terror to me;
y you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 z Let those be put to shame who persecute me,
but let me not be put to shame;
z let them be dismayed,
but let me not be dismayed;
a bring upon them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction!

Keep the Sabbath Holy

19 Thus said the Lord to me: "Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which b the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: 'Hear the word of the Lord, b you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and c do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath d or do any work, but e keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet f they did not listen or incline their ear, g but stiffened their neck, that they h might not hear and receive instruction.

24 "'But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and c bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but e keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then i there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. 26 And people shall come from j the cities of Judah k and the places around Jerusalem, j from the land of Benjamin, k from the Shephelah, from the hill country, k and from l the Negeb, bringing m burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and m bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to e keep the Sabbath day holy, c and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will n kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall o devour the palaces of Jerusalem and p shall not be quenched.'"

  1. Cross References
    Job 19:24
    Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever!
  2. Cross References
    Proverbs 3:3
    Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
    Proverbs 7:3
    Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
    2 Corinthians 3:3
    And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 27:2
    And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.
    Psalms 118:27
    The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
  4. Cross References
    Jeremiah 19:5
    And have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind -
  5. Cross References
    Judges 3:7
    And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
    Deuteronomy 16:21
    You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make.
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:29
    For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen.
    Jeremiah 2:20
    For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, 'I will not serve.' Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
  7. Cross References
    Psalms 48:1 - 2
    Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain.
    Psalms 87:1
    On the holy mount stands the city he founded.
    Isaiah 2:3
    And many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
  8. Cross References
    Jeremiah 15:13
    Your wealth and your treasures I will give as spoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory.
  9. Cross References
    Jeremiah 15:14
    I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.
  10. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:22
    For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
  11. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 32:8
    With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
    Psalms 146:3
    Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
  12. Cross References
    Jeremiah 48:6
    Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 29:32
    Therefore thus says the Lord : Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.'
    Job 20:17
    He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds.
    Psalms 34:12
    What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?
  14. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 29:23
    The whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath -
    Job 39:6
    To whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place?
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 25:2
    O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
    Psalms 34:8
    Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
    Psalms 125:1
    Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
    Psalms 2:12
    Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 71:5
    For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 1:3
    He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
    Ezekiel 47:12
    And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.
  18. Cross References
    1 Samuel 16:7
    But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
    1 Chronicles 28:9
    And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
    Psalms 139:23
    Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
    Romans 8:27
    And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
  19. Cross References
    Jeremiah 11:20
    But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.
  20. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:19
    Great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
    Job 34:11
    For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
    Psalms 62:12
    And that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
  21. Cross References
    1 Samuel 26:20
    Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.
  22. Cross References
    Psalms 39:6
    Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 55:23
    But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
  24. Cross References
    Luke 12:20
    But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?
  25. Cross References
    Jeremiah 14:8
    O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
  26. Cross References
    Joshua 24:20
    If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.
    Psalms 73:27
    For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
    Isaiah 1:28
    But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
  27. Cross References
    Luke 10:20
    Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
  28. Cross References
    Jeremiah 1:16
    And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.
  29. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:13
    For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
    John 4:10
    Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.
    John 4:14
    But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
  30. Cross References
    Psalms 6:2
    Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
  31. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 10:21
    He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
  32. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:19
    Who say: "Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!
    2 Peter 3:4
    They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.
  33. Cross References
    Jeremiah 15:15
    O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach.
    Psalms 40:9
    I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
    Psalms 139:4
    Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
  34. Cross References
    Jeremiah 15:15
    O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach.
    Psalms 40:9
    I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
    Psalms 139:4
    Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
  35. Cross References
    Jeremiah 16:19
    O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: "Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.
  36. Cross References
    Psalms 35:4
    Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!
    Psalms 40:14
    Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
  37. Cross References
    Psalms 35:4
    Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!
    Psalms 40:14
    Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
  38. Cross References
    Jeremiah 11:20
    But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.
    Psalms 35:8
    Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it - to his destruction!
  39. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:13
    Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord : Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
  40. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:19
    Thus said the Lord to me: "Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.
  41. Cross References
    John 5:10
    So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.
    Nehemiah 13:15 - 19
    In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food.
  42. Cross References
    Numbers 15:32 - 36
    While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.
  43. Cross References
    Exodus 23:12
    Six days you shall do your work, but on the sev...
    Exodus 31:13
    You are to speak to the people of Israel and sa...
    Isaiah 56:2
    Blessed is the man who does this, and the son o...
    Isaiah 58:13
    If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, fr...
    Ezekiel 20:12
    Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign be...
    Ezekiel 20:20
    And keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a si...
    Exodus 20:8 - 11
    Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
    Deuteronomy 5:12 - 15
    'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as t...
  44. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:24
    But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.
    Jeremiah 7:26
    Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
    Jeremiah 11:10
    They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers.
  45. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 30:8
    Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.
    Acts 7:51
    You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
  46. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:3
    O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.
  47. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:21
    Thus says the Lord : Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.
  48. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:22
    And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers.
  49. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:4
    For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people.
  50. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:44
    Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.
    Jeremiah 33:13
    In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the Lord.
  51. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:44
    Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.
    Jeremiah 33:13
    In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the Lord.
  52. Cross References
    Zechariah 7:7
    Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?
  53. Cross References
    Zechariah 7:7
    Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?
  54. Cross References
    Zechariah 7:7
    Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?
  55. Cross References
    Genesis 13:1
    So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
  56. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:12
    If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.
    Leviticus 22:29
    And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.
    2 Chronicles 33:16
    He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.
    Psalms 107:22
    And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
    Psalms 116:17
    I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
  57. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:12
    If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.
    Leviticus 22:29
    And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.
    2 Chronicles 33:16
    He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.
    Psalms 107:22
    And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
    Psalms 116:17
    I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
  58. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:22
    And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers.
  59. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:21
    Thus says the Lord : Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.
  60. Cross References
    Jeremiah 21:14
    I will punish you according to the fruit of you...
    Jeremiah 43:12
    I shall kindle a fire in the temples of the god...
    Jeremiah 49:27
    And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascu...
    Jeremiah 50:32
    The proud one shall stumble and fall, with none...
    Lamentations 4:11
    The Lord gave full vent to his wrath; he poured...
    Amos 1:14
    So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, ...
  61. Cross References
    Jeremiah 52:13
    And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.
    2 Kings 25:9
    And he burned the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.
  62. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:20
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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