18 The Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: 2 ‘Go down to the potter's house. I will tell you my message there.’ 3 So I went down to the potter's house. He was working at his wheel. 4 He was using clay to make pots with his hands. But, as he worked, sometimes a pot had the wrong shape. So he used the clay to make it into another pot. He made it in the shape that he wanted.
5 Then the Lord told me his message. 6 He said, ‘I tell you this: I can do to you, nation of Israel, the same thing that this potter does with his clay. I hold you in my hands, as the potter holds the clay in his hands. 7 Sometimes I may warn a nation or a kingdom that I will knock it down and destroy it. 8 But when I warn them, those people might stop doing wicked things. Then I would not punish them as I had promised to do. 9 Sometimes I may promise to build up a nation or a kingdom and make it strong. 10 But those people might start to do evil things. They might stop obeying me. Then I would not help them as I had promised to do.
11 So now you must speak to the people who live in Jerusalem and in all of Judah. Tell them that the Lord says this: “Listen to me! I will cause great trouble for you. I have decided to punish you. So you must all stop doing the evil things that you have been doing. Change the way that you live and do things that are right.” 12 But they will say, “Do not try to stop us! We will do whatever we want to do. We will continue to do wicked things.” ’
13 So the Lord says this:
‘Go and ask the people of other nations!
Have they ever heard about anything as terrible as this?
My people, Israel, should have been pure.
But they have done a disgusting thing!
14 There is always snow on Lebanon's mountains.
Cold streams of water always pour down from those high rocks.
15 Those things never change,
but my people have forgotten me.
They offer sacrifices to useless idols.
Because of that, they live in a wrong way.
They have left the good paths that their ancestors knew.
Instead, they walk along narrow paths
that nobody takes care of.
16 So I will cause their land to become a terrible place.
People will always see how disgusting my people are.
Everybody who goes near there
will be very surprised.
They will shake their heads and they will insult my people.
17 I will send enemies to attack them.
They will chase my people away,
like an east wind that blows away dust.
I will turn away from them
when that day of great trouble arrives.
I will refuse to help them.’
18 Then some people said, ‘We must find a way to stop Jeremiah. We do not need him. The priests will still be here to teach us. Wise men will still be here to give us advice. The prophets will still be here to give us God's messages. We should speak bad things against Jeremiah. Then we will not have to listen to him any more.’
19 ‘Please listen to me, Lord !
Hear what my enemies are saying against me.
20 I have done good things for them,
but they are paying me back with evil things.
They have already dug a grave for me!
Remember that I stood in front of you
and I asked you to forgive them.
I asked you not to be angry with them.
21 So now I ask you to punish them!
Yes, may famine kill their children.
May they die in war.
May wives no longer have husbands or children.
May disease kill the old men.
May the young men die in battle.
22 Send people to attack them suddenly
and rob them in their homes.
Then they will shout aloud in great fear.
They have dug a hole for me to fall into.
They have prepared traps to catch me.
23 But Lord , you know how they want to kill me.
They are guilty, so do not forgive them.
Do not forget to punish them for their sins.
Put them under your power!
Punish them while you are still angry!’
18 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord : 2 “Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.”
3 So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working with clay at the wheel. 4 He was making a pot from clay. But there was something wrong with the pot. So the potter used that clay to make another pot. With his hands he shaped the pot the way he wanted it to be.
5 Then this message from the Lord came to me: 6 “Family of Israel, you know that I can do the same thing with you. You are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord . 7 “There may come a time when I will speak about a nation or a kingdom that I will pull up by its roots or tear down and destroy it. 8 But if the people of that nation change their hearts and lives and stop doing evil things, I will change my mind and not bring on them the disaster I planned. 9 There may come another time when I speak about a nation that I will build up or plant. 10 But if I see that nation doing evil things and not obeying me, I will think again about the good I had planned to do for them.
11 “So, Jeremiah, say to the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am the potter preparing troubles for you and making plans against you. So stop doing the evil things you are doing. Each person must change and start doing good.’ 12 But the people of Judah will answer, ‘We don’t care what you say. We will continue to do what we want. We will do the evil our stubborn hearts want.’”
13 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Ask the other nations this question:
‘Have you ever heard of anything so bad?’
Israel, who is as dear to me as a young daughter,
has done this terrible thing!
14 It is as strange as not finding snow on Lebanon’s mountains
or seeing the cool streams that come from there stop flowing.
That just does not happen!
15 But my people have forgotten me.
They burn offerings to worthless idols.
They have left the right way that their ancestors followed,
and they stumble on the path they have chosen.
Instead of staying on the good road I showed them,
they prefer to walk on bumpy paths.
16 So their land will become an empty desert,
a place for people from now on to make fun of.
All who pass by there will be shocked by what has happened.
They will just shake their heads at what they see.
17 Like a strong east wind, I will scatter my people.
I will use their enemies to scatter them like dust.
When disaster comes upon them,
they will see me leaving, not coming to help.”
18 Then the enemies of Jeremiah said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah. We will always have a priest to tell us what the law says. We will still have wise men to advise us and prophets to tell us a message from God. So who needs Jeremiah? Let’s tell lies to ruin him and stop listening to what he says.”
19 Lord , listen to me!
Listen to what my enemies are saying.
20 I have done only good to them.
It is not right for them to pay me back with evil.
But they are preparing a death trap for me!
Remember that I prayed to you for them.
I asked only good for them.
I tried to keep you from punishing them in anger.
21 So now make their children starve to death!
Let their enemies kill them with swords.
Let their wives lose their children and husbands.
Let their men die from disease,
and let their young men be killed in battle.
22 Let them cry out in their houses,
when you suddenly bring an enemy against them.
Let it happen because they prepared a death trap for me.
They hid traps for me to step in.
23 Lord , you know about their plans to kill me.
So don’t forgive their crimes or erase their sins.
Make them fall down in defeat.
Punish them in your anger!
18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord . Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?
15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;
16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
18 Then said they, Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
19 Give heed to me, O Lord , and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.
21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
23 Yet, Lord , thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying, 2 “Arise and ( A ) go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does ?” declares the Lord . “Behold, like the ( B ) clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ( C ) uproot it , to tear it down, or to destroy it ; 8 ( D ) if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will ( E ) relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ( F ) build up or to plant it ; 10 if it does ( G ) evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will ( H ) relent of the good with which I said [ a ] that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am ( I ) forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now ( J ) turn back, each of you from his evil way, and [ b ] correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But ( K ) they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will [ c ] persist in the ( L ) stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘ ( M ) Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like [ d ] this?
The ( N ) virgin of Israel
Has done a most ( O ) appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For ( P ) My people have forgotten Me,
( Q ) They burn incense [ e ] to worthless gods .
And they [ f ] have stumbled in their ways,
In the ( R ) ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a ( S ) highway,
16 To make their land a ( T ) desolation,
An object of perpetual ( U ) hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And ( V ) shake his head.
17 Like an ( W ) east wind I will ( X ) scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [ g ] show them ( Y ) My back and not My face
( Z ) In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s ( AA ) devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the ( AB ) Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor ( AC ) advice by the wise, nor the divine ( AD ) word by the prophet! Come, and let’s ( AE ) strike at him with our tongue, and let’s ( AF ) pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord ,
And listen to [ h ] what my opponents are saying!
20 ( AG ) Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have ( AH ) dug a pit for [ i ] me.
Remember how I ( AI ) stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, ( AJ ) give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the [ j ] power of the sword;
And let their wives become ( AK ) childless and ( AL ) widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their ( AM ) young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a ( AN ) cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
( AO ) For they have dug a pit to capture me
And ( AP ) hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord , know
All their [ k ] deadly schemes against me;
( AQ ) Do not [ l ] forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be [ m ] ( AR ) overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the ( AS ) time of Your anger!
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord : 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord . “Like clay ( A ) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, ( B ) Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, ( C ) torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent ( D ) and not inflict on it the disaster ( E ) I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built ( F ) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil ( G ) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider ( H ) the good I had intended to do for it. ( I )
11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster ( J ) for you and devising a plan ( K ) against you. So turn ( L ) from your evil ways, ( M ) each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ ( N ) 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. ( O ) We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts. ( P ) ’”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Inquire among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this? ( Q )
A most horrible ( R ) thing has been done
by Virgin ( S ) Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters from distant sources
ever stop flowing? [ a ]
15 Yet my people have forgotten ( T ) me;
they burn incense ( U ) to worthless idols, ( V )
which made them stumble ( W ) in their ways,
in the ancient paths. ( X )
They made them walk in byways,
on roads not built up. ( Y )
16 Their land will be an object of horror ( Z )
and of lasting scorn; ( AA )
all who pass by will be appalled ( AB )
and will shake their heads. ( AC )
17 Like a wind ( AD ) from the east,
I will scatter them before their enemies;
I will show them my back and not my face ( AE )
in the day of their disaster.”
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans ( AF ) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest ( AG ) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, ( AH ) nor the word from the prophets. ( AI ) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues ( AJ ) and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord ;
hear what my accusers ( AK ) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil? ( AL )
Yet they have dug a pit ( AM ) for me.
Remember that I stood ( AN ) before you
and spoke in their behalf ( AO )
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine; ( AP )
hand them over to the power of the sword. ( AQ )
Let their wives be made childless and widows; ( AR )
let their men be put to death,
their young men ( AS ) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry ( AT ) be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit ( AU ) to capture me
and have hidden snares ( AV ) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord , know
all their plots to kill ( AW ) me.
Do not forgive ( AX ) their crimes
or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger. ( AY )
