19 O Lord, (A)my strength and my fortress,
(B)My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and (C)unprofitable things.
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
(D)Which are not gods?

21 “Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,
I will cause them to know
My hand and My might;
And they shall know that (E)My name is the Lord.

Judah’s Sin and Punishment

17 “The sin of Judah is (F)written with a (G)pen of iron;
With the point of a diamond it is (H)engraved
On the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
While their children remember
Their altars and their (I)wooden[a] images
By the green trees on the high hills.
O My mountain in the field,
I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures,
And your high places of sin within all your borders.
And you, even yourself,
Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you;
And I will cause you to serve your enemies
In (J)the land which you do not know;
For (K)you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever.”

Thus says the Lord:

(L)“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes (M)flesh his [b]strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be (N)like a shrub in the desert,
And (O)shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
(P)In a salt land which is not inhabited.

“Blessed(Q) is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be (R)like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not [c]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.

“The (S)heart is deceitful above all things,
And [d]desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
10 I, the Lord, (T)search the heart,
I test the [e]mind,
(U)Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

11 As a partridge that [f]broods but does not hatch,
So is he who gets riches, but not by right;
It (V)will leave him in the midst of his days,
And at his end he will be (W)a fool.”

12 A glorious high throne from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, (X)the hope of Israel,
(Y)All who forsake You shall be ashamed.

“Those who depart from Me
Shall be (Z)written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the Lord,
The (AA)fountain of living waters.”

Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For (AB)You are my praise.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 17:2 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities
  2. Jeremiah 17:5 Lit. arm
  3. Jeremiah 17:8 Qr., Tg. see
  4. Jeremiah 17:9 Or incurably sick
  5. Jeremiah 17:10 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
  6. Jeremiah 17:11 Sits on eggs

Bible Gateway Recommends