The Sin of Judah
“The sin of Judah is written with aa pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on bthe tablet of their heart, and on cthe horns of their altars, 2 while atheir children remember their altars and their bAsherim, cbeside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 aon the mountains in the open country. bYour 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, aand I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, bfor in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”
5 Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man awho trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 aHe is like a shrub in the desert,
band shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in can uninhabited salt land.
7 a“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
bwhose trust is the Lord.
8 aHe 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 a“I the Lord search the heart
band test the mind,
cto give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
11 Like the apartridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is bhe who gets riches but not by justice;
cin the midst of his days they will leave him,
dand 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, athe hope of Israel,
ball who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you cshall be written in the earth,
for dthey have forsaken ethe Lord, the fountain of living water.
Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance
14 aHeal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for byou are my praise.
15 aBehold, 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.
aYou know awhat came out of my lips;
it was before your face.
17 Be not a terror to me;
ayou are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 aLet those be put to shame who persecute me,
but let me not be put to shame;
alet them be dismayed,
but let me not be dismayed;
bbring 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 athe 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, ayou 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 ado 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 aor do any work, but bkeep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet athey did not listen or incline their ear, bbut stiffened their neck, that they cmight not hear and receive instruction.
24 “‘But if you listen to me, declares the Lord, and abring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but bkeep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, 25 then athere 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 athe cities of Judah band the places around Jerusalem, afrom the land of Benjamin, bfrom the Shephelah, from the hill country, band from cthe Negeb, bringing dburnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and dbringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to me, to akeep the Sabbath day holy, band not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will ckindle a fire in its gates, and it shall ddevour the palaces of Jerusalem and eshall not be quenched.’”