Jeremiah 17:8-10

The Voice

⁸    He is like a tree planted by water,
        sending out its roots beside the stream.
    It does not fear the heat or even drought.
        Its leaves stay green and its fruit is dependable, no matter what it faces.

The choices and consequences are clear. Rely on people alone, and life will be tough and brutish. Rely on the one True God, and life will be rich and productive.

⁹    The heart is most devious and incurably sick.
        Who can understand it?
¹⁰    It is I, the Eternal One, who probes the innermost heart
        and examines the innermost thoughts.
    I will compensate each person justly,
        according to his ways and by what his actions deserve.