Jeremiah 17:20 (DBY)

Passage

and say unto them, Hear the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates;

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:18 Let them be ashamed that persecute me, but let not me be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and break them with a double breaking.

Jeremiah 17:19 Thus hath Jehovah said unto me: Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;

Jeremiah 17:20 and say unto them, Hear the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates;

Jeremiah 17:21 thus saith Jehovah: Take heed to your souls, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, and bring nothing in through the gates of Jerusalem;

Jeremiah 17:22 and carry forth no burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do any work; but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "word", "jehovah", "kings", "judah", "inhabitants", and "jerusalem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Thus hath Jehovah said unto me Go..." into verse 21's "thus saith Jehovah Take heed to your...", so "hear" and "word" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hear" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.