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Jeremiah 14-17
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah 14-17
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Drought
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(A)
2 Judah mourns;
her gates languish.(B)
Her people are on the ground in mourning;
Jerusalem’s cry rises up.(C)
3 Their nobles send their servants[a] for water.
They go to the cisterns;
they find no water;
their containers return empty.
They are ashamed and humiliated;
they cover their heads.(D)
4 The ground is cracked
since no rain has fallen on the land.
The farmers are ashamed;(E)
they cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
gives birth and abandons her fawn
since there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(F)
panting for air like jackals.
Their eyes fail
because there are no green plants.
7 Though our guilt testifies against us,
Yahweh, act for Your name’s sake.
Indeed, our rebellions(G) are many;
we have sinned against You.
8 Hope of Israel,(H)
its Savior in time of distress,
why are You like a foreigner in the land,
like a traveler stopping only for the night?
9 Why are You like a helpless man,
like a warrior unable to save?(I)
Yet You are among us, Yahweh,(J)
and we are called by Your name.
Don’t leave us!
10 This is what the Lord says concerning these people:
Truly they love to wander;(K)
they never rest their feet.
So the Lord does not accept them.
Now He will remember their guilt
and punish their sins.(L)
False Prophets to be Punished
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of these people.(M) 12 If they fast, I will not hear their cry of despair. If they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. Rather, I will finish them off by sword, famine, and plague.”(N)
13 And I replied, “Oh no, Lord God! The prophets are telling them, ‘You won’t see sword or suffer famine. I will certainly give you true peace in this place.’”(O)
14 But the Lord said to me, “These prophets are prophesying a lie in My name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit(P) of their own minds.
15 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, though I did not send them, and who say, ‘There will never be sword or famine in this land.’ By sword and famine these prophets will meet their end. 16 The people they are prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. There will be no one to bury them(Q)—they, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. I will pour out their own evil on them.”
Jeremiah’s Request
17 You are to speak this word to them:
Let my eyes overflow with tears;
day and night may they not stop,(R)
for the virgin daughter of my people
has been destroyed by a great disaster,(S)
an extremely severe wound.(T)
18 If I go out to the field,
look—those slain by the sword!
If I enter the city,
look—those ill(U) from famine!
For both prophet and priest
travel to a land they do not know.
19 Have You completely rejected Judah?
Do You detest(V) Zion?
Why do You strike us
with no hope of healing for us?
We hoped for peace,
but there was nothing good;
for a time of healing,
but there was only terror.(W)
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,
the guilt of our fathers;(X)
indeed, we have sinned against You.
21 Because of Your name, don’t despise us.
Don’t disdain Your glorious throne.(Y)
Remember Your covenant(Z) with us;
do not break it.
22 Can any of the worthless idols of the nations(AA) bring rain?
Or can the skies alone give showers?
Are You not the Lord our God?
We therefore put our hope in You,(AB)
for You have done all these things.
The Lord’s Negative Response
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if(AC) Moses and(AD) Samuel should(AE) stand before Me,(AF) My compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from My presence, and let them go. 2 If they ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ you must tell them: This is what the Lord says:
Those destined for death,(AG) to death;
those destined for the sword, to the sword.
Those destined for famine, to famine;
those destined for captivity, to captivity.
3 “I will ordain four kinds[b] of judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away,(AH) and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land(AI) to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh(AJ) son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?(AK)
Who will show sympathy toward you?(AL)
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6 You have left Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
You have turned your back,
so I have stretched out My hand against you
and destroyed you.
I am tired of showing compassion.
7 I scattered them with a winnowing fork
at the gates of the land.
I made them childless; I destroyed My people.
They would not turn from their ways.(AM)
8 I made their widows more numerous
than the sand of the seas.(AN)
I brought a destroyer at noon
against the mother of young men.
I suddenly released on her
agitation and terrors.
9 The mother of seven grew faint;(AO)
she breathed her last breath.
Her sun set while it was still day;
she was ashamed and humiliated.
The rest of them I will give over to the sword
in the presence of their enemies.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 Woe is me, my mother,
that you gave birth to me,(AP)
a man who incites dispute and conflict
in all the land.
I did not lend or borrow,
yet everyone curses me.(AQ)
The Lord’s Response
11 The Lord said:
I will certainly set you free and care for you.[c]
I will certainly intercede for you
in a time of trouble,
in your time of distress, with the enemy.
12 Can anyone smash iron,
iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give up your wealth
and your treasures as plunder,
without cost,(AR) for all your sins
in all your borders.
14 Then I will make you serve your enemies[d]
in a land you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.(AS)
Jeremiah’s Prayer for Vengeance
15 You know,(AT) Lord;
remember me and take note of me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.(AU)
In Your patience,[e] don’t take me away.
Know that I suffer disgrace for Your honor.(AV)
16 Your words were found, and I ate them.(AW)
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,(AX)
Yahweh God of Hosts.
17 I never sat with the band of revelers,
and I did not celebrate with them.
Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone,(AY)
for You filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain become unending,
my wound incurable,(AZ)
refusing to be healed?
You truly have become like a mirage to me—
water that is not reliable.
Jeremiah Told to Repent
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
If you return, I will restore you;
you will stand in My presence.
And if you speak noble words,
rather than worthless ones,
you will be My spokesman.(BA)
It is they who must return to you;
you must not return to them.
20 Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze
to this people.
They will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you.(BB)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
21 I will deliver you from the power of evil people
and redeem you from the control of the ruthless.
No Marriage for Jeremiah
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place. 3 For this is what the Lord says concerning sons and daughters born in this place as well as concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who father them in this land: 4 They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the face of the earth.(BC) They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.(BD)
5 “For this is what the Lord says: Don’t enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place.[f] Don’t go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed My peace from these people”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“as well as My faithful love and compassion.(BE) 6 Both great and small will die in this land without burial. No lament will be made for them, nor will anyone cut himself or(BF) shave his head for them.[g] 7 Food won’t be provided for the mourner(BG) to comfort him because of the dead. A cup of consolation won’t be given him because of the loss of his father or mother. 8 You must not enter the house where feasting is taking place to sit with them to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to eliminate from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride.(BH)
Abandoning the Lord and His Law
10 “When you tell these people all these things, they will say to you, ‘Why has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us?(BI) What is our guilt? What is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you will answer them: Because your fathers abandoned Me”(BJ)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and followed other gods, served them, and worshiped them.(BK) Indeed, they abandoned Me and did not keep My instruction. 12 You did more evil than your fathers.(BL) Look, each one of you was following the stubbornness of his evil heart, not obeying Me. 13 So I will hurl you from this land into a land that you and your fathers are not familiar with.(BM) There you will worship other gods(BN) both day and night, for I will not grant you grace.[h]
14 “However, take note! The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’(BO) 15 but rather, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north(BP) and from all the other lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.(BQ)
Punishment of Exile
16 “I am about to send for many fishermen”(BR)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks, 17 for My gaze takes in all their ways.(BS) They are not concealed from Me, and their guilt is not hidden from My sight. 18 I will first repay them double for their guilt(BT) and sin because they have polluted My land. They have filled My inheritance with the lifelessness of their detestable and abhorrent idols.”
19 Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,(BU)
the nations will come to You
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our fathers inherited only lies,
worthless idols(BV) of no benefit at all.”
20 Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.(BW)
21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is Yahweh.”(BX)
The Persistent Sin of Judah
17 The sin of Judah is written
with an iron stylus.(BY)
With a diamond point
it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts(BZ)
and on the horns of their[i] altars,
2 while their children remember their altars
and their Asherah poles, by the green trees
on the high hills—
3 My mountains in the countryside.
I will give up your wealth
and all your treasures as plunder
because of the sin of your high places[j]
in all your borders.(CA)
4 You will, on your own, relinquish your inheritance
that I gave you.
I will make you serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,(CB)
for you have set My anger on fire;(CC)
it will burn forever.
Curse and Blessing
5 This is what the Lord says:
The man who trusts in mankind,(CD)
who makes human flesh his strength(CE)
and turns his heart from the Lord is cursed.
6 He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;(CF)
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.(CG)
7 The man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.(CH)
8 He will be like a tree planted by water:(CI)
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.
The Deceitful Heart
9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else,
and incurable—who can understand it?(CJ)
10 I, Yahweh, examine the mind,
I test the heart[k](CK)
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.(CL)
11 He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.
In the middle of his days
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.(CM)
12 A throne of glory(CN)
on high(CO) from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.(CP)
13 Lord, the hope of Israel,(CQ)
all who abandon You
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from Me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the Lord, the fountain of living water.(CR)
Jeremiah’s Plea
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me, and I will be saved,
for You are my praise.(CS)
15 Hear how they keep challenging me,(CT)
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!”
16 But I have not run away from being Your shepherd,
and I have not longed for the fatal day.
You know my words were spoken in Your presence.
17 Don’t become a terror to me.
You are my refuge(CU) in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,(CV)
but don’t let me be put to shame.
Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified.
Bring on them the day of disaster;(CW)
shatter them with total[l] destruction.
Observing the Sabbath
19 This is what the Lord said to me, “Go and stand at the People’s Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem. 20 Announce to them: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.(CX) 22 You must not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work,(CY) but you must consecrate the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors.(CZ) 23 They wouldn’t listen or pay attention but became obstinate,(DA) not listening or accepting discipline.
24 “However, if you listen to Me, says the Lord, and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day and consecrate the Sabbath day and do no work on it, 25 kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses(DB) with their officials, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem. This city will be inhabited forever. 26 Then people will come from the cities of Judah and from the area around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the Judean foothills, from the hill country and from the Negev(DC) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifice, grain offerings and frankincense, and thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 If you do not listen to Me to consecrate the Sabbath day by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set fire to its gates,(DD) and it will consume the citadels(DE) of Jerusalem(DF) and not be extinguished.”(DG)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 14:3 Lit little ones
- Jeremiah 15:3 Lit families
- Jeremiah 15:11 Lit free for good
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg; other Hb mss read you pass through
- Jeremiah 15:15 Lit In the slowness of Your anger
- Jeremiah 16:5 Lit house of mourning
- Jeremiah 16:6 This custom demonstrated pagan mourning rituals.
- Jeremiah 16:13 Or compassion
- Jeremiah 17:1 Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read your
- Jeremiah 17:3 Lit plunder, your high places because of sin
- Jeremiah 17:10 Lit kidneys
- Jeremiah 17:18 Lit double
Jeremiah 14-17
New International Version
Jeremiah 14-17
New International Version
Drought, Famine, Sword
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(A)
2 “Judah mourns,(B)
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.(C)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(D)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(E)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(F)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(G)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”(H)
7 Although our sins testify(I) against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(J)
For we have often rebelled;(K)
we have sinned(L) against you.
8 You who are the hope(M) of Israel,
its Savior(N) in times of distress,(O)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?(P)
You are among(Q) us, Lord,
and we bear your name;(R)
do not forsake(S) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(T)
So the Lord does not accept(U) them;
he will now remember(V) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”(W)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(X) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(Y) though they offer burnt offerings(Z) and grain offerings,(AA) I will not accept(AB) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(AC) famine(AD) and plague.”(AE)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(AF) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(AG) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(AH) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(AI) in my name. I have not sent(AJ) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(AK) divinations,(AL) idolatries[a] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish(AM) by sword and famine.(AN) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury(AO) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(AP) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(AQ)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(AR)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(AS) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(AT)
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.(AU)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(AV)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(AW)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(AX)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(AY)
20 We acknowledge(AZ) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(BA)
we have indeed sinned(BB) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(BC) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(BD)
Remember your covenant(BE) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(BF) of the nations bring rain?(BG)
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.(BH)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(BI) and Samuel(BJ) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(BK) Send them away from my presence!(BL) Let them go! 2 And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;(BM)
those for starvation, to starvation;(BN)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(BO)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(BP) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(BQ) to kill and the dogs(BR) to drag away and the birds(BS) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(BT) 4 I will make them abhorrent(BU) to all the kingdoms of the earth(BV) because of what Manasseh(BW) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(BX) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(BY) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(BZ) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(CA)
7 I will winnow(CB) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(CC) and destruction on my people,(CD)
for they have not changed their ways.(CE)
8 I will make their widows(CF) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(CG)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(CH)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(CI)
and breathe her last.(CJ)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(CK) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(CL)
before their enemies,”(CM)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(CN)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(CO)
I have neither lent(CP) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(CQ) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(CR) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(CS) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(CT)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(CU) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(CV) without charge,(CW)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(CX)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[b] a land you do not know,(CY)
for my anger will kindle a fire(CZ)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(DA)
You are long-suffering(DB)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(DC)
16 When your words came, I ate(DD) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(DE)
for I bear your name,(DF)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(DG) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(DH) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(DI)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(DJ)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(DK) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(DL)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(DM) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(DN) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(DO)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(DP) you from the hands of the wicked(DQ)
and deliver(DR) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(DS)
Day of Disaster
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry(DT) and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:(DU) 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried(DV) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(DW) They will perish by sword and famine,(DX) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”(DY)
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity(DZ) from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.(EA) They will not be buried or mourned,(EB) and no one will cut(EC) themselves or shave(ED) their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food(EE) to comfort those who mourn(EF) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console(EG) them.
8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.(EH) 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds(EI) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride(EJ) and bridegroom in this place.(EK)
10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’(EL) 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped(EM) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.(EN) 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.(EO) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts(EP) instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land(EQ) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,(ER) and there you will serve other gods(ES) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’(ET)
14 “However, the days are coming,”(EU) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(EV) 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north(EW) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’(EX) For I will restore(EY) them to the land I gave their ancestors.(EZ)
16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.(FA) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt(FB) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.(FC) 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden(FD) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.(FE) 18 I will repay(FF) them double(FG) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land(FH) with the lifeless forms of their vile images(FI) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.(FJ)”(FK)
19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge(FL) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(FM)
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(FN)
worthless idols(FO) that did them no good.(FP)
20 Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”(FQ)
21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name(FR) is the Lord.
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,(FS)
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts(FT)
and on the horns(FU) of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles[c](FV)
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.(FW)
3 My mountain in the land
and your[d] wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,(FX)
together with your high places,(FY)
because of sin throughout your country.(FZ)
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance(GA) I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies(GB)
in a land(GC) you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn(GD) forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(GE)
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(GF)
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places(GG) of the desert,
in a salt(GH) land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed(GI) is the one who trusts(GJ) in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.(GK)
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought(GL)
and never fails to bear fruit.”(GM)
9 The heart(GN) is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart(GO)
and examine the mind,(GP)
to reward(GQ) each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”(GR)
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.(GS)
12 A glorious throne,(GT) exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope(GU) of Israel;
all who forsake(GV) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(GW)
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.(GX)
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;(GY)
save(GZ) me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.(HA)
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”(HB)
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips(HC) is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror(HD) to me;
you are my refuge(HE) in the day of disaster.(HF)
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.(HG)
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,[e] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.(HH) 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem(HI) who come through these gates.(HJ) 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath(HK) day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 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 ancestors.(HL) 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention;(HM) they were stiff-necked(HN) and would not listen or respond to discipline.(HO) 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(HP) by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne(HQ) 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.(HR) 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,(HS) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey(HT) me to keep the Sabbath(HU) 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(HV) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”(HW)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 17:4); most Hebrew manuscripts I will cause your enemies to bring you / into
- Jeremiah 17:2 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Jeremiah 17:3 Or hills / 3 and the mountains of the land. / Your
- Jeremiah 17:19 Or Army
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.