Jeremiah 17

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;

1God says: Judah's sin is written down deep. It is like writing with an iron pen. It is carved with a hard diamond point. It is cut into their hearts. It is cut into the horn-shaped corners of their altars.

2Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.

2Even their children remember those altars. They remember the wooden poles set up for a false god. Those poles stand by green trees and on the high hills.

NoteThe KJV word "groves" does not mean groups of trees here. It means tall wooden poles that people set up to worship a goddess named Asherah.

3O 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.

3God says: My mountain out in the open country, listen. I will let enemies take your riches and all your treasures. This is because of the sin at your worship places. It will happen everywhere inside your land.

4And 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.

4You yourself will lose the land I gave you to keep. I will make you serve your enemies. You will live in a land you do not know. You made me angry, and my anger will burn forever.

5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

5The LORD says this. Cursed is the man who trusts in people. He leans on human strength to help him. His heart turns away from the LORD.

6For 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.

6He will be like a small bush in the desert. He will not see good times when they come. He will live in dry, burned-up places. He will live in salty ground where no one lives.

7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

7But the man who trusts in the LORD is blessed. He puts all his hope in the LORD.

8For 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.

8He is like a tree planted beside water. Its roots grow out toward the stream. It is not afraid when hot weather comes. Its leaves stay green. It does not worry in a year with no rain. It keeps on making fruit.

9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

9The heart fools us more than anything else. It is deeply sick and cannot be cured. Who can really understand it?

10I 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.

10The LORD says: I look inside the heart. I test what a person thinks deep inside. I give each person what his ways deserve. I pay him back for the things he does.

11As 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.

11A partridge is a bird that sits on eggs she did not lay. They never hatch for her. That is like a man who gets rich in unfair ways. His money will leave him in the middle of his life. In the end everyone will see he was a fool.

12A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

12A glorious high throne has stood since the beginning. That is the place of our temple, God's holy house.

13O 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.

13LORD, you are the hope of Israel. Everyone who leaves you will be ashamed. Those who turn away will have their names written in the dust. They have left the LORD, the spring of living water.

14Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

14Heal me, LORD, and I will be well. Save me, and I will be safe. You are the one I praise.

15Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.

15Look, people keep saying to me, "Where is the LORD's message? Let it come now!"

16As 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.

16But I have not run away from being your shepherd. I never wanted the terrible day to come. You know this is true. Every word from my mouth was spoken right in front of you.

NoteThe KJV word "pastor" here means shepherd, someone who takes care of sheep. Jeremiah means he kept caring for God's people as God told him to.

17Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.

17Do not become something that frightens me. You are my safe place when trouble comes.

18Let 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.

18Let the people who chase and hurt me be ashamed. Do not let me be ashamed. Let them be filled with fear, not me. Bring the day of trouble on them. Break them twice over.

19Thus 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;

19The LORD said this to me. Go and stand at the gate where the people go in. The kings of Judah go in and out through it. Then stand at all the other gates of Jerusalem.

20And 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:

20Say to them: Listen to what the LORD says. This is for the kings of Judah. It is for all the people of Judah and Jerusalem. It is for everyone who comes in through these gates.

21Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;

21The LORD says: Be careful. Do not carry loads on the Sabbath, the day God set apart for rest. Do not bring loads in through the gates of Jerusalem.

22Neither 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.

22Do not carry a load out of your houses on that day. Do not do any work on the Sabbath. Keep the Sabbath day holy and set apart for God. I told the people who lived before you to do this.

23But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

23But they would not listen or pay attention. They were stubborn, like people with stiff necks. They would not hear me or take my correction.

24And 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;

24The LORD says: But listen to me carefully. Bring no loads through this city's gates on the Sabbath. Keep the Sabbath day holy. Do no work on that day.

25Then 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.

25Then kings and princes will come in through these gates. They will sit on David's throne, the seat of Judah's kings. They will ride in chariots and on horses. Their leaders will come with them. The men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will come too. And people will live in this city forever.

26And 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.

26People will come from the towns of Judah. They will come from the places around Jerusalem. They will come from the land of Benjamin. They will come from the low hills, the high hills, and the dry south. They will bring burnt offerings and other sacrifices. They will bring grain offerings and sweet-smelling incense. They will bring thank-you offerings to the LORD's house.

NoteA "meat offering" in the KJV is not meat. In old English "meat" meant any food. This offering was made of flour and grain.

27But 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.

27But you may refuse to listen to me. You may refuse to keep the Sabbath holy. You may carry loads through Jerusalem's gates on that day. Then I will start a fire in those gates. It will burn up the strong houses of Jerusalem. No one will be able to put it out.