1Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter' earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;2And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,3And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.4Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;5They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it , neither came it into my mind:6Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.7And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.8And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.9And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.10Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,11And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter' vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.12Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:13And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods.14Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD' house; and said to all the people,15Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
Jeremiah 19
English Standard Version
The Broken Flask
1Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, (2Ki 19:2; 2Ki 23:1; Jer 18:2; Jer 19:10; Eze 8:1)2and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. (Jos 15:8)3You shall say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. (1Sa 3:11; 2Ki 21:12; Jer 13:13; Jer 17:20)4Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, (2Ki 21:16; Jer 1:16; Jer 2:34)5and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— (Le 18:21; De 17:3; Jer 7:31; Jer 32:35)6therefore, behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. (Jer 7:32; Jer 19:2)7And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. (Le 26:17; Isa 19:3; Jer 7:33)8And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. (Jer 18:16)9And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.’ (Le 26:29; De 28:53; De 28:55; De 28:57; Isa 9:20; La 2:20; La 4:10; Eze 5:10)10“Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, (Jer 19:1; Jer 51:63)11and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. (Ps 2:9; Pr 6:15; Isa 30:14; Jer 7:32; La 4:2)12Thus will I do to this place, declares the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth. (2Ki 23:10)13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—all the houses on whose roofs offerings have been offered to all the host of heaven, and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled like the place of Topheth.’” (De 4:19; 2Sa 11:2; 2Ki 23:12; Jer 7:18; Jer 19:12; Jer 32:29; Jer 44:18; Zep 1:5; Ac 7:42)14Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: (2Ch 20:5; Jer 19:2; Jer 26:2)15“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.” (2Ch 30:8; Jer 7:26; Jer 25:3)