Jeremiah 17:5-27

5Thus says the Lord, “1Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes 2flesh his 3strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.6For he will be like a 4bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A 5land of salt 6without inhabitant.77Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose 8trust is the Lord.8For he will be like a 9tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of 10drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

9“The 11heart is more 12deceitful than all else And is desperately 13sick; Who can understand it?10I, the Lord, 14search the heart, I test the 15mind, Even 16to give to each man according to his ways, According to the 17results of his deeds.11As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is he who 18makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the midst of his days it will forsake him, And in 19the end he will be a 20fool.”

1221A glorious throne on high from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary.13O Lord, the 22hope of Israel, All who 23forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn 24away on earth will be 25written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord.1426Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; 27Save me and I will be saved, For You are my 28praise.15Look, they keep 29saying to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!”16But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You, Nor have I longed for the woeful day; 30You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips Was in Your presence.17Do not be a 31terror to me; You are my 32refuge in the day of disaster.18Let those who persecute me be 33put to shame, but as for me, 34let me not be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. 35Bring on them a day of disaster, And crush them with twofold destruction!

19Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and stand in the 36public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20and say to them, ‘37Listen to the word of the Lord, 38kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates: 21Thus says the Lord, “39Take heed for yourselves, and 40do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day 41nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I 42commanded your 43forefathers. 23Yet they 44did not listen or incline their ears, but 45stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.

24“But it will come about, if you 46listen attentively to Me,” declares the Lord, “to 47bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, 48but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 2549then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes 50sitting on 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 51city will be inhabited forever. 26They will come in from the 52cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the 53lowland, from the hill country and from the 54Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27But 55if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then 56I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will 57devour the palaces of Jerusalem and 58not be quenched.”’”