1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,2Arise, and go down to the potter' house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.3Then I went down to the potter' house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.4And 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 .5Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,6O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter' hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.7At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it ;8If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.9And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it ;10If 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.11Now 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.12And 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.13Therefore 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.14Will 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?15Because 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;16To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.17I 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.18Then 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.19Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.20Shall 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.21Therefore 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.22Let 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.23Yet, 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.
Jeremiah 18
English Standard Version
The Potter and the Clay
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:2“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear[1] my words.” (1Ch 4:23; Jer 19:1; Zec 11:13)3So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. (1Ch 4:23; Jer 19:1; Zec 11:13)4And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Jer 13:7; Ro 9:21)5Then the word of the Lord came to me:6“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. (Job 10:9; Isa 45:9; Isa 64:8; Ro 9:20)7If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, (Jer 1:10; Jer 42:10)8and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. (Jud 2:18; Jer 26:3; Jer 26:13; Jer 26:19; Eze 18:21; Jon 3:10)9And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, (Jer 18:7)10and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.11Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ (2Ki 17:13; Jer 7:3; Jer 25:5; Jer 35:15; Jon 3:8)12“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’ (Jer 2:25; Jer 3:17)13“Therefore thus says the Lord: Ask among the nations, Who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing. (Jer 2:10; Jer 5:30)14Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion?[2] Do the mountain waters run dry,[3] the cold flowing streams?15But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway, (Isa 57:14; Jer 2:5; Jer 2:13; Jer 2:32; Jer 6:16; Jer 10:15; Jer 16:19; Jer 17:13)16making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at forever. Everyone who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head. (2Ch 29:8; Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Jer 19:8; Jer 25:9; Jer 25:11; Jer 25:18; Jer 49:13; Jer 49:17; Jer 50:13; Jer 51:37; La 2:15; Mt 27:39)17Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.” (Ge 41:6; Ge 41:23; Ge 41:27; Ex 10:13; Job 27:21; Ps 48:7; Jer 2:27; Jer 13:24; Eze 27:26; Ho 13:15; Jon 4:8)18Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.” (Job 5:21; Ps 31:20; Jer 2:8; Jer 5:13; Jer 5:31; Jer 6:13; Jer 9:3; Jer 9:8; Jer 11:19)19Hear me, O Lord, and listen to the voice of my adversaries. (Ps 35:1; Isa 49:25)20Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them. (Ne 13:14; Ps 35:7; Ps 35:12; Ps 57:6; Ps 119:85)21Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be struck down by the sword in battle. (Ps 109:9; Ps 109:10)22May a cry be heard from their houses, when you bring the plunderer suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to take me and laid snares for my feet. (Ps 140:5; Jer 18:20; Jer 20:16)23Yet you, O Lord, know all their plotting to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger. (Ne 4:5; Ps 35:22)