JEREMIAH 16-17

¹ The word of Jehovah again came to me, saying:

² “You must not take a wife for yourself, and you must not have sons and daughters in this place.

³ For this is what Jehovah says concerning the sons and daughters who are born here and concerning their mothers who give birth to them and concerning their fathers who cause their birth in this land:

⁴ ‘They will die of deadly diseases, but no one will mourn them or bury them; they will become like manure on the surface of the ground. They will perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.’

⁵ ‘As well as my loyal love and mercy.

⁶ Nor will anyone cut himself or make himself bald for them.

⁷ To drink over the loss of their father or mother.

⁸ To sit down with them to eat and drink.’

⁹ “For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Here in this place, in your days and before your very eyes, I will put an end to the sounds of exultation and rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.’

¹⁰ “When you tell this people all these words, they will ask you, ‘Why has Jehovah spoken of all this great calamity against us? What error and what sin have we committed against Jehovah our God?’

¹¹ You must reply to them, ‘“Because your forefathers abandoned me,” declares Jehovah, “and they kept following other gods and serving them and bowing down to them. But me they abandoned, and my law they did not keep.

¹² And you have behaved far worse than your forefathers, and each one of you follows the stubbornness of his wicked heart instead of obeying me.

¹³ So I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your forefathers have known, and there you will have to serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no favor.”’

¹⁴ “‘However, the days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘when they will no longer say: “As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt!”

¹⁵ but rather: “As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought the people of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands to which he had dispersed them!” and I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their forefathers.’

¹⁶ And out of the clefts of the crags.

¹⁷ Nor has their error been hidden from my eyes.

¹⁸ And have filled my inheritance with their detestable things.’”

¹⁹ Futility and useless things of no benefit.”

²⁰ When they are not really gods?

²¹ And they will have to know that my name is Jehovah.”

¹ And on the horns of their altars,

² Beside a luxuriant tree, on the high hills,

³ —Yes, your high places because of sin throughout your territories.

⁴ It will burn for all time.”

⁵ And whose heart turns away from Jehovah.

⁶ In a salt land where no one can live.

⁷ Whose confidence is in Jehovah.

⁸ Nor will he quit producing fruit.

⁹ Who can know it?

¹⁰ According to the fruitage of his works.

¹¹ And in the end he will prove senseless.”

¹² Is the place of our sanctuary.

¹³ Because they have abandoned Jehovah, the source of living water.

¹⁴ For you are the object of my praise.

¹⁵ Let it come, please!”

¹⁶ It all took place before your face!

¹⁷ You are my refuge in the day of calamity.

¹⁸ And crush them and destroy them completely.

¹⁹ This is what Jehovah told me: “Go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people by which the kings of Judah go in and out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.

²⁰ You must say to them, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah, you kings of Judah, all people of Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates.

²¹ This is what Jehovah says: “Watch yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem.

²² You must not bring any load out of your homes on the Sabbath day; and you must do no work at all. Keep the Sabbath day sacred, just as I commanded your forefathers.

²³ But they did not listen or incline their ear, and they stubbornly refused to obey or to accept discipline.”’

²⁴ “‘“However, if you strictly obey me,” declares Jehovah, “and you bring in no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and you keep the Sabbath day sacred by not doing any work on it,

²⁵ then kings and princes who sit on the throne of David will also enter in through the gates of this city, riding in the chariot and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited for all time.

²⁶ And people will come from the cities of Judah, from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the mountainous region, and from the Negʹeb, bringing whole burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, frankincense, and thanksgiving sacrifices into the house of Jehovah.

²⁷ “‘“But if you do not obey me by keeping the Sabbath day sacred and by not carrying loads and bringing them through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set her gates on fire, and it will certainly consume the fortified towers of Jerusalem and will not be extinguished.”’”