12. From the very beginning, our Temple has been a glorious throne for God. It is a very important place.
13. Lord, you are the hope of Israel. You are like a spring of living water. Those who stop following the Lord will have a very short life.
14. Lord, if you heal me, I surely will be healed. Save me, and I surely will be saved. Lord, I praise you!
15. The people of Judah continue to ask me questions. They say, “Jeremiah, what about the message from the Lord? Let’s see that message come true.”
16. Lord, I did not run away from you. I followed you. I became the shepherd you wanted. I did not want the terrible day to come. You know what I said. You see all that is happening.
17. Please don’t make me afraid of you. I depend on you in times of trouble.
18. People are hurting me. Make them ashamed, but don’t disappoint me. Let them be filled with fear, but don’t give me any reason to fear. Bring the terrible day of disaster to my enemies. Break them, and break them again.
19. This is what the Lord said to me: “Jeremiah, go and stand at the People’s Gate, where the kings of Judah go in and out. Tell the people my message, and then go to all the other gates of Jerusalem and do the same.”
20. Say to the people, “Listen to this message from the Lord. Listen, kings of Judah. Listen, all you people of Judah. All you who come through these gates into Jerusalem, listen to me!
21. This is what the Lord says: ‘Be careful that you don’t carry a load on the Sabbath day. And don’t bring a load through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
22. Don’t bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day. Don’t do any work on that day. You must make the Sabbath day a holy day. I gave this same command to your ancestors,
23. but they did not obey me. They did not pay attention to me. Your ancestors were very stubborn. I punished them, but it did not do any good. They did not listen to me.
24. But you must be careful to obey me, says the Lord. You must not bring a load through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath. You must make the Sabbath day a holy day. You will do this by not doing any work on that day.