חַטַּאת יְהוּדָה כְּתוּבָה בְּעֵט בַּרְזֶל בְּצִפֹּרֶן שָׁמִיר חֲרוּשָׁה עַל־לוּחַ לִבָּם וּלְקַרְנוֹת מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶם

The sin of Judah is as though written in stone with an iron pen, with the sharp point of a crystal stylus, a strong substance that can cut and even break stones; it, their sin, is engraved on the tablet of their heart and on the horns of your idolatrous altars.

כִּזְכֹּר בְּנֵיהֶם מִזְבְּחוֹתָם וַאֲשֵׁרֵיהֶם עצי הפולחן שלהם עַל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן עַל גְּבָעוֹת הַגְּבֹהוֹת

Like the remembrance of their children, so too are their memories of their altars and their idolatrous sacred trees by the flourishing trees, on the lofty hills. They think of their heathen practices with the same frequency and fondness that they contemplate their own children. Alternatively, Judah’s sin becomes engraved on their hearts when the children recall their parents’ idolatrous practices. These behaviors are deeply entrenched in the people’s culture and are not merely a superficial adoption of contemporary trends.

הֲרָרִי בַּשָּׂדֶה! חֵילְךָ כָל־אוֹצְרוֹתֶיךָ – לָבַז אֶתֵּן בָּמֹתֶיךָ בְּחַטָּאת בְּכָל־גְּבוּלֶיךָ

An address to Jerusalem, or to the entire territory of Judah, which is a mountainous region bordered by plains: Mountains in the field, your wealth, all your treasures, I will deliver as loot; your shrines are soaked with sin throughout your borders.

וְשָׁמַטְתָּה – וּבְךָ מִנַּחֲלָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָךְ וְהַעֲבַדְתִּיךָ אֶת־אֹיְבֶיךָ בּארֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדָעְתָּ כִּי־אֵשׁ קְדַחְתֶּם בְּאַפִּי עַד־עוֹלָם תּוּקָד

You will be expelled, because of you, your actions, from your inheritance that I gave to you; and I will cause you to serve your enemies in the distant land that you have not known, for you have ignited a furious fire in My nostrils; it will burn for many years, seemingly forever.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אָרוּר הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בָּאָדָם וְשָׂם בָּשָׂר זְרֹעוֹ וּמִן־ה' יָסוּר לִבּוֹ

After depicting the nation’s grievous sin of idolatry and its severe punishment, the prophet addresses the individual. So said the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts only in people and makes flesh and blood his only source of strength and whose heart strays from the Lord. Such a person devises elaborate plans, such as business deals, based exclusively on human behavior, without paying any attention to God’s ultimate control over human affairs.

וְהָיָה כְּעַרְעָר בָּעֲרָבָה וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי־יָבוֹא טוֹב וְשָׁכַן חֲרֵרִים בַּמִּדְבָּר אֶרֶץ מְלֵחָה וְלֹא תֵשֵׁב

He will be like a solitary tree that barely survives and does not produce fruit, which grows among the low shrubs in the flat lands of the desert, and he will not merit to see when good comes; rather, he will inhabit the dry and parched places in the wilderness, in a salty land and uninhabited abode.

בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּה' וְהָיָה ה' מִבְטַחוֹ

Conversely, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord; the Lord will be his haven.

וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל־מַיִם וְעַל־יוּבַל יְשַׁלַּח שָׁרָשָׁיו ולֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי־יָבֹא חֹם וְהָיָה עָלֵהוּ רַעֲנָן ובִשְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת לֹא יִדְאָג וְלֹא יָמִישׁ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פֶּרִי

He will be like a tree planted by water, that spreads its roots near a small stream; as a result, it does not see, or, alternatively, it does not worry about drying up, when heat comes, and its leaves flourish. Even during a year of drought, it is not concerned, and it does not cease from producing fruit.

עָקֹב הַלֵּב מִכֹּל וְאָנֻשׁ הוּא – מִי יֵדָעֶנּוּ!

Indeed, the human heart is deceitful above all, and it is sick and mortally ill; who can know it? It is impossible to know whose lives are built on the pursuit of transitory material pleasures, and who genuinely relies on God and follows His directives. The human heart is so devious and weak that at times one fails to recognize one’s own true nature.

אֲנִי ה' חֹקֵר לֵב בֹּחֵן כְּלָיוֹת וְלָתֵת לְאִישׁ כִּדְרָכָיו כִּפְרִי מַעֲלָלָיו

I, the Lord, alone can probe the heart, and examine the kidneys, which represent the seat of practical reason and judgment. Only I can determine a person’s true thoughts and motivations, and thus I am the only one able to give to each man in accordance with his ways, in accordance with the fruit of his actions.

קֹרֵא דָגַר וְלֹא יָלָד עֹשֶׂה עשֶׁר וְלֹא בְמִשְׁפָּט בַּחֲצִי יָמָו יַעַזְבֶנּוּ וּבְאַחֲרִיתוֹ יִהְיֶה נָבָל

A partridge, a small wild bird from the pheasant family, collects and tries to incubate eggs that it did not lay. When several of these birds share a nest, there is often a struggle between them, with each trying to expel the others and gather all of their eggs under its own wings. Since the partridge’s wings are fairly short, it cannot protect and properly incubate the stolen eggs, many of which are ultimately ruined or abandoned. This is a metaphor for a dishonest person, one who amasses wealth unjustly. Just as the partridge does not benefit from the eggs it stole from others, so too such an individual will not profit from his wealth. In the middle of his days he will leave it, and at his end he will be reviled, disgraced, and wretched, or, alternatively, he will be revealed and recognized as a wicked criminal.

כִּסֵּא כָבוֹד מָרוֹם מֵרִאשׁוֹן – מְקוֹם מִקְדָּשֵׁנוּ

Conversely, a throne of glory, which has been exalted from the first, from the earliest times, is the place of our Temple.

מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל – ה'כָּל־עֹזְבֶיךָ יֵבשׁוּ וְסוּרַי בָּאָרֶץ יִכָּתֵבוּ כִּי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם־חַיִּים אֶת־ה'

The hope of Israel is the Lord, who dwells in that Sanctuary. Therefore, all who forsake You will be ashamed. And those who stray from Me, from the correct path, and who distance themselves from the exalted Sanctuary, will be written in the bowels of the earth. Their names will be unknown in the world, because in their greed they forsook the fount of flowing water, the Lord. Consequently, the wealth they amass will not remain in their possession for long, and they themselves will be abandoned, neglected, and humiliated.

רְפָאֵנִי ה' וְאֵרָפֵא הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה כִּי תְהִלָּתִי אָתָּה

At this point, Jeremiah utters a personal prayer for relief from his own suffering: Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for You are my praise.

הִנֵּה־הֵמָּה אֹמְרִים אֵלָי אַיֵּה דְבַר־ה' יָבוֹא־נָא

Behold, they scorn me and mockingly say to me: Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now, and we will see your prophecies fulfilled.

וַאֲנִי לֹא־אַצְתִּי מֵרֹעֶה אַחֲרֶיךָ ויוֹם אָנוּשׁ לֹא הִתְאַוֵּיתִי אַתָּה יָדָעְתָּ מוֹצָא שְׂפָתַי – נֹכַח פָּנֶיךָ הָיָה

For my part, I did not hasten and push myself forward to be a shepherd and attempt to guide the people to follow after You. Alternatively, this means that I did not hasten to abandon my profession as a shepherd in order to become a prophet, or that I did not run after You as a prophet with any more enthusiasm than a shepherd slowly following his sheep. And furthermore, the harsh day of retribution and mortality I did not desire. Paradoxically, I do not hope for the day when all will admit that I was right; rather, I fervently wish that they will repent and the furious predictions for which I am ridiculed will never come to pass. You know this; that which emerges from my lips was formulated according to Your will and before Your presence. I did not alter Your words and did not add anything of my own.

אַל־תִּהְיֵה־לִי לִמְחִתָּה מַחֲסִי־אַתָּה בְּיוֹם רָעָה

Do not be a cause of a crisis or dismay for me, as You are my refuge on the day of misfortune.

יֵבֹשׁוּ רֹדְפַי וְאַל־אֵבֹשָׁה אָנִי יֵחַתּוּ הֵמָּה וְאַל־אֵחַתָּה אָנִי הָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹם רָעָה וּמִשְׁנֶה שִׁבָּרוֹן שָׁבְרֵם

Since I am constantly being harassed, I ask of You: Let my persecutors be shamed, and let me not be shamed; let them be dismayed, or broken, and let me not be dismayed; bring upon them a day of misfortune, and shatter them with twofold ruin.

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֵלַי הָלֹךְ וְעָמַדְתָּ בְּשַׁעַר בְּנֵי־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ בוֹ מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וַאֲשֶׁר יֵצְאוּ בוֹ ובְכֹל שַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם

So said the Lord to me: Go and stand in the main gate of Jerusalem, which was called the gate of the children of the people, through which the kings of Judah enter and through which they exit, and afterward stand in all the other gates of Jerusalemas well.

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר־ה' מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וְכָל־יְהוּדָה וְכֹל יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם הַבָּאִים בַּשְּׁעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה

Say to them: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and all Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter through these gates.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' הִשָּׁמְרוּ בְּנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְאַל־תִּשְׂאוּ מַשָּׂא בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַהֲבֵאתֶם בְּשַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם

So said the Lord: Beware for your lives, and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day, and do not bring it within the gates of Jerusalem.

וְלֹא־תוֹצִיאוּ מַשָּׂא מִבָּתֵּיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וְכָל־מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם

Do not take a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, and do not perform any labor. You shall sanctify the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹא הִטּוּ אֶת־אָזְנָם וַיַּקְשׁוּ אֶת־עָרְפָּם לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמוֹעַ וּלְבִלְתִּי קַחַת מוּסָר

But they did not heed, and they did not incline their ear; they stiffened their neck, a metaphor for stubbornness, so as not to hear and so as not to accept chastisement.

וְהָיָה אִם־שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵלַי נְאֻם־ה' לְבִלְתִּי הָבִיא מַשָּׂא בְּשַׁעֲרֵי הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וּלְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת־בֹּה כָּל־מְלָאכָה

It shall be if you heed Me – the utterance of the Lord – not to bring a burden into the gates of this city on the Sabbath day and to sanctify the Sabbath day, not to perform any labor on it,

וּבָאוּ בְשַׁעֲרֵי הָעִיר הַזֹּאת מְלָכִים וְשָׂרִים יֹשְׁבִים עַל־כִּסֵּא דָוִד רֹכְבִים בָּרֶכֶב וּבַסּוּסִים הֵמָּה וְשָׂרֵיהֶם אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְיָשְׁבָה הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְעוֹלָם

there will come through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, and they will be riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. You might erroneously think that by observing the Sabbath and thereby forfeiting opportunities to earn profit, you will depress the city economically, which will cause a decline in its population. However, the opposite is in fact the case: If you protect the sanctity of the Sabbath, it will protect you and bring you wealth and honor.

וּבָאוּ מֵעָרֵי־יְהוּדָה וּמִסְּבִיבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם וּמֵאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן וּמִן־הַשְּׁפֵלָה וּמִן־הָהָר וּמִן־הַנֶּגֶב מְבִאִים עוֹלָה וְזֶבַח וּמִנְחָה וּלְבוֹנָה וּמְבִאֵי תוֹדָה בֵּית ה'

Furthermore, if you observe the Sabbath, many people will visit the city. They will come from the cities of Judah, and from the outskirts of Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowland, and from the highland, and from the south. All these will arrive bringing burnt offerings, peace offerings, meal offerings, and frankincense, and they will be bringing thanks offerings to the House of the Lord. Even when the Temple was standing in Jerusalem, not all the people ascended for the pilgrimage festivals. But if you honor the city and observe the Sabbath there, it will grow and thrive, and it will become a focal point for spiritual pilgrimages.

וְאִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֵלַי לְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וּלְבִלְתִּי שְׂאֵת מַשָּׂא וּבֹא בְּשַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת – וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בִּשְׁעָרֶיהָ וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְלֹא תִכְבֶּה

But if you do not heed Me to sanctify the Sabbath day and not to carry a burden and come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will ignite a fire in its gates, and it will consume the palaces of Jerusalem, and it will not be extinguished.