1 T he word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

¶ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 R ise, and thou hast gone down the potter's house, and there I cause thee to hear My words;

Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

3 a nd I go down the potter's house, and lo, he is doing a work on the stones,

Then I went down to the potter’s house; and, behold, he wrought a work upon a wheel.

4 a nd marred is the vessel that he is making, as clay in the hand of the potter, and he hath turned and he maketh it another vessel, as it was right in the eyes of the potter to make.

And the vessel that he made of clay was broken in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

5 A nd there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying:

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

6 A s this potter am I not able to do to you? O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah. Lo, as clay in the hand of the potter, So ye in My hand, O house of Israel.

O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.

7 T he moment I speak concerning a nation, And concerning a kingdom, To pluck up and to break down, and to destroy,

In an instant I shall speak against Gentiles and against kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy.

8 A nd that nation hath turned from its evil, Because I have spoken against it, Then I have repented of the evil that I thought to do to it.

But if these Gentiles shall turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

9 A nd the moment I speak concerning a nation, And concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant,

And in an instant I shall speak concerning the nation and concerning the kingdom, to build and to plant it;

10 A nd it hath done the evil thing in Mine eyes, So as not to hearken to My voice, Then I have repented of the good That I have spoken of doing to it.

but if it should do evil in my sight, not hearing my voice, then I will repent of the good that I had determined to do unto them.

11 A nd now, speak, I pray thee, unto men of Judah, And against inhabitants of Jerusalem, Saying: Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am framing against you evil, And devising against you a device, Turn back, I pray you, each from his evil way And amen your ways and your doings.

¶ Now therefore, speak to every man of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus hath the LORD said: Behold, I ordain evil against you and devise plans against you; return ye now each one from his evil way, and better your ways and your doings.

12 A nd they have said, It is incurable, For after our own devices we do go, And each the stubbornness of his evil heart we do.

And they said, This is useless, for we must walk after our own devices, and we must each one do the imagination of his evil heart.

13 T herefore, thus said Jehovah: Ask, I pray you, among the nations, Who hath heard like these? A very horrible thing hath the virgin of Israel done.

Therefore thus hath the LORD said; Ask now among the Gentiles, who has heard such things: the virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.

14 D oth snow of Lebanon Cease from the rock of the field? Failed are the cold strange waters that flow?

Will anyone leave the snow of the rock of the field that flows from Lebanon? or shall they forsake the singular, cold, flowing waters?

15 B ut My people have forgotten Me, to a vain thing they make perfume, And they cause them to stumble in their ways -- paths of old, To walk in paths -- a way not raised up,

Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not trodden;

16 T o make their land become a desolation, A hissing age-during, Every passer by it is astonished, And bemoaneth with his head.

to make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passes thereby shall be astonished and wag his head.

17 A s an east wind I scatter them before an enemy, The neck, and not the face, I shew them, In the day of their calamity.'

I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their perdition.

18 A nd they say, Come, And we devise against Jeremiah devices, For law doth not perish from the priest, Nor counsel from the wise, Nor the word from the prophet, Come, and we smite him with the tongue, And we do not attend to any of his words.

¶ Then they said, 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 consider any of his words.

19 G ive attention, O Jehovah, unto me, And hearken to the voice of those contending with me.

Consider me, O LORD, and hear the voice of those that contend with me.

20 I s evil recompensed instead of good, That they have dug a pit for my soul? Remember my standing before Thee to speak good of them, To turn back Thy wrath from them.

Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have dug 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 T herefore, give up their sons to famine, And cause them to run on the sides of the sword, And their wives are bereaved and widows, And their men are slain by death, Their young men smitten by sword in battle,

Therefore deliver up their sons 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 A cry is heard from their houses, For Thou bringest against them suddenly a troop, For they dug a pit to capture me, And snares they have hidden for my feet.

Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have dug a pit to take me and hid snares for my feet.

23 A nd Thou, O Jehovah, Thou hast known, All their counsel against me for death, Thou dost not cover over their iniquity, Nor their sin from before Thee blottest out, And they are made to stumble before Thee, In the time of Thine anger work against them!

Yet, LORD, thou dost know all their counsel against me to slay me; do not forgive 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.