Jeremiah 17
The LORD declared that the sin of Judah was written with a pen of iron and engraved on the tablet of their heart. Cursed is the man who trusts in man, but blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked -- who can know it? The LORD searches the heart and tests the mind.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; | "The sin of Judah is engraved with an iron tool — inscribed with a flint point on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. |
| 2 | Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. | Even their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. |
| 3 | O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. | My mountain in the open country — I will give away Your wealth and all Your treasures as plunder, along with Your high places, because of sin throughout Your land. |
| 4 | And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. | You will lose the inheritance I gave You. I will enslave You to Your enemies in a land You do not know, for You have kindled My anger, and it will burn forever." |
| 5 | Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. | This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man — who depends on human strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. |
| 6 | For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. | That person will be like a bush in the desert. They will not see prosperity when it comes. They will live in the parched wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives. |
| 7 | Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. | But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is in the LORD. |
| 8 | For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. | That person is like a tree planted by the water. It sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes. Its leaves stay green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. |
| 9 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? | The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately wicked. Who can understand it? |
| 10 | I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. | I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct — according to what their deeds deserve. |
| 11 | As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. | Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the person who gains riches by unjust means. When their life is half gone, their riches will desert them. In the end they will be shown to be a fool. |
| 12 | A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. | A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning — that is the place of our sanctuary. |
| 13 | O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. | LORD, You are the hope of Israel. All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust, for they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. |
| 14 | Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. | Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed. Save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise. |
| 15 | Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now. | They keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!" |
| 16 | As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. | I have not run away from being Your shepherd. I have not desired the day of disaster. You know what passed my lips was said in Your presence. |
| 17 | Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. | Do not be a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of disaster. |
| 18 | Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction. | Let those who persecute me 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. |
| 19 | Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; | This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and stand at the Gate of the People, through which the kings of Judah come and go. Then stand at all the other gates of Jerusalem. |
| 20 | And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: | Say to them: 'Hear the word of the LORD, You kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone who comes through these gates. |
| 21 | Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; | This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. |
| 22 | Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. | Do not carry a load out of Your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded Your ancestors. |
| 23 | But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. | Yet they did not listen or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and would not listen or accept correction. |
| 24 | And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; | But if You are careful to obey Me," says the LORD, "and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it — |
| 25 | Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. | then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials — in chariots and on horses. The people of Judah and Jerusalem will come, and this city will be inhabited forever. |
| 26 | And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD. | People will come from the cities of Judah and from the places about Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, meat offerings and incense, and sacrifices of praise to the house of the LORD. |
| 27 | But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. | But if You do not listen to Me and keep the Sabbath day holy — if You carry loads through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath — then I will set fire to its gates. It will consume the palaces of Jerusalem and will not be quenched.'" |