Jeremiah 17:5-27

5This is what the Lord says: “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 that is not inhabited.76Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose 7trust is the Lord.8For he will be like a 8tree planted by the water That extends its roots by a stream, And does not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of 9drought, Nor cease to yield fruit.

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

1220A glorious throne on high from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary.13Lord, the 21hope of Israel, All who 22abandon You will be put to shame. Those who turn 23away on earth will be 24written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.1425Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; 26Save me and I will be saved, For You are my 27praise.15Look, they keep 28saying 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 following after You, Nor have I longed for the disastrous day; 29You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips Was in Your presence.17Do not be a 30terror to me; You are my 31refuge in a day of disaster.18Let those who persecute me be 32put to shame, but as for me, 33let me not be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. 34Bring on them a day of disaster, And crush them with double destruction!

19This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the 35public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20and say to them, ‘36Listen to the word of the Lord, you 37kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21This is what the Lord says: “38Take care for yourselves, and 39do not carry any 40load 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, just as I 42commanded your 43forefathers. 23Yet they 44did not listen or incline their ears, but 45stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.

24“But it will come about, if you 46give your attention 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 officials 50sitting 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 51city will be inhabited forever. 26They will come in from the 52cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the 53lowland, from the hill country, and from the 54Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, 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 set fire to its gates, and it will 57devour the palaces of Jerusalem and 58not go out.”’”