1Jehovah says: Judah's sin is written with an iron pen. It is engraved with a diamond point on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns strengthauthority of their altars. 2Even their children remember their altars and their poles images dedicated to the goddess Asherah beside large trees on high hills 3and on mountains in the open country. I will turn your wealth and all your treasures into loot. I will do this because of your worship sites and your sin throughout all your territory. 4You will lose the inheritance that I gave you. I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you have not heard of. I will do this because you have stirred up the fire of my anger. It will burn for a very long time. 5This is what Jehovah says: »Cursed is the person who trusts humans, who makes flesh and blood his strength and whose heart turns away from Jehovah. 6»He will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes. He will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant. 7»Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah, whose refuge and security confidence and hope is Jehovah. 8»For he will be like a tree planted by the water. It extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes. Its leaves will be green. It will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. 9»The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately corrupt. Who can understand it? 10»I, Jehovah, search the heart and examine the mind inner man. I give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. 11»A person who gets rich dishonestly is like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay. During his lifetime, he will lose his wealth. In the end, he will be a wicked fool.« 12From the very beginning our sanctuary was a glorious throne on high. 13You will put to shame all that forsake you, O Jehovah, the hope of Israel. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, for they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living water. 14Heal me, O Jehovah, and I will be healed! Save me and I will be saved! For you are my song of praise. 15Look, they keep saying to me: Where is the word of Jehovah? Let it come now! 16I have not hurried away from being your shepherd. I have not longed for the day of destruction. You know what I used to say. 17Do not cause me fear and anxiety. For you are my refuge in the day of disaster. 18Let those who persecute me be put to shame. Do not let me be put to shame. Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. Bring on them a day of disaster. Crush them with twofold destruction! 19Jehovah said to me: »Go and stand in the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem. 20Say to them: »Listen to the word of Jehovah, kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates: 21»Jehovah says: ‘Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22»You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work. You should keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. 23»Yet they did not listen or incline their ears. They stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction. 24»But it will come about, if you listen attentively to me, declares Jehovah, to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David. They will ride in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This city will be inhabited for a very long time. 26»They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the Negev. They will bring burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense. They will also bring sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of Jehovah. 27»If 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 I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem. And it will not be quenched.« ’«