^17:19The Lord told me, “Go and stand in the People’s Gate³⁶ through which the kings of Judah enter and leave the city. Then go and stand in all the other gates of the city of Jerusalem.³⁷^17:20As you stand in those places³⁸ announce, ‘Listen, all you people who pass through these gates. Listen, all you kings of Judah, all you people of Judah and all you citizens of Jerusalem. Listen to what the Lord says.³⁹^17:21The Lord says, ‘Be very careful if you value your lives!⁴⁰ Do not carry any loads⁴¹ in through⁴² the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. ^17:22Do not carry any loads out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day.⁴³ But observe the Sabbath day as a day set apart to the Lord,⁴⁴ as I commanded your ancestors.⁴⁵^17:23Your ancestors,⁴⁶ however, did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They stubbornly refused⁴⁷ to pay attention or to respond to any discipline.’

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Footnotes

35 Observance of the Sabbath day (and the Sabbatical year) appears to have been a litmus test of the nation’s spirituality since it is mentioned in a number of passages besides this one (cf., e.g., Isa 56:2, 6; 58:13; Neh 13:15–18). Perhaps this is because the Sabbath day was the sign of the Mosaic covenant (Exod 31:13–17) just as the rainbow was the sign of the Noahic covenant (Gen 9:12, 13, 17) and circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:11). This was not the only command they failed to obey, nor was their failure to obey this one the sole determining factor in the Lord’s decision to destroy Judah (cf. 7:23–24; 11:7–8 in their contexts).
36 The identity and location of the People’s Gate is uncertain since it is mentioned nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Some identify it with the Benjamin Gate mentioned in Jer 37:13; 38:7 (cf. ), but there is no textual support for this in the Hebrew Bible or in any of the ancient versions.
37 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
38 The words “As you stand there” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
39 Heb “Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah … Jerusalem who enter through these gates.” This sentence has been restructured to avoid a long complex English sentence and to put “Listen to what the Lord says” closer to the content of what he says.
40 Heb “Be careful at the risk of your lives.” The expression with the preposition בְּ (bet) is unique. Elsewhere the verb “be careful” is used with the preposition לְ (lamed) in the sense of the reflexive. Hence the word “soul” cannot be simply reflexive here. 1037 שָׁמַר Niph.1 understands this as a case where the preposition בְּ introduces the cost or price (cf. 90 בּ III.3.a).
41 Comparison with Neh 13:15–18 suggests that these loads were merchandise or agricultural produce which were being brought in for sale. The loads that were carried out of the houses in the next verse were probably goods for barter.
42 Heb “carry loads on the Sabbath and bring [them] in through.” The two verbs “carry” and “bring in” are an example of hendiadys (see the note on “Be careful … by carrying”). This is supported by the next line where only “carry out” of the houses is mentioned.
43 Heb “Do not carry any loads out of your houses on the Sabbath day and do not do any work.” Translating literally might give the wrong impression that they were not to work at all. The phrase “on the Sabbath day” is, of course, intended to qualify both prohibitions.
44 Heb “But sanctify [or set apart as sacred] the Sabbath day.” The idea of setting it apart as something sacred to the Lord is implicit in the command. See the explicit statements of this in Exod 20:10; 31:5; 35:2; Lev 24:8. For some readers the idea of treating the Sabbath day as something sacred won’t mean much without spelling the qualification out specifically. Sabbath observance was not just a matter of not working.
45 Heb “fathers.”
46 Heb “They.” The antecedent is spelled out to avoid any possible confusion.
47 Heb “They hardened [or made stiff] their neck so as not to.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Thus said the Lord to me: “Go and stand in the People’s Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, and say: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

This is what the Lord said to me, “Go and stand at the People’s Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem. Announce to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. This is what the Lord says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day. Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your ancestors. They wouldn’t listen or pay attention but became obstinate, not listening or accepting discipline.

NLTNew Living Translation

This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gates of Jerusalem, first in the gate where the king goes in and out, and then in each of the other gates. Say to all the people, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day. Do not do your work on the Sabbath, but make it a holy day. I gave this command to your ancestors, but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Thus said Yahweh to me, “Go, and you must stand in the People’s Gate through which the kings of Judah enter, and through which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. And you must say to them, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. Thus says Yahweh, “Be on your guard for the sake of yourselves, that you must not carry a burden on the day of the Sabbath, and you must not bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. And you must not carry a burden from your houses on the day of the Sabbath, and you must not do any work. But you must declare holy the day of Sabbath, just as I commanded your ancestors. Yet they did not listen, and they did not incline their ear, and they hardened their neck so as to not hear, nor to receive discipline.

KJV 1900King James Version

Thus 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; And 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: Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither 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. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

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Jeremiah 17:19–23

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Observance of the Sabbath Day Is a Key to the Future35