Jeremiah 19
19
The Clay Jar
1This is what the Lord says: “Go, buy a potter’s clay#Jr 18:2 jar. Take#19:1 Syr, Tg; MT omits Take some of the elders of the people and some of the leading priests#2Kg 19:2 2and go out to Ben Hinnom Valley#2Kg 23:10; 2Ch 28:3; Jr 7:31–32 near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you. 3Say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.#Jr 17:20 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such a disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will shudder#19:3 Lit about it, his ears will tingle; Hb obscure#1Sm 3:11; 2Kg 21:12 4because they have abandoned me#Dt 28:20; 31:16; 1Sm 8:8; 1Kg 11:33; 2Kg 22:17; 2Ch 34:25; Jr 1:16; 5:7 and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in it to other gods that they, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have never known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.#Dt 19:10; 27:25; 2Kg 21:6,16; 24:4; Is 59:7; Jr 2:34 5They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something I have never commanded or mentioned; I never entertained the thought.#19:5 Lit mentioned, and it did not arise on my heart#Jr 7:31; 32:35
6“‘Therefore, look, the days are coming#Jr 7:32; 16:14; 23:5; 48:12; 49:2; 51:47,52 — this is the Lord’s declaration — when this place will no longer be called Topheth and Ben Hinnom Valley, but Slaughter Valley.#Jr 25:34 7I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who intend to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.#Dt 28:26; Ps 79:2; Jr 7:33; 15:3; 16:4 8I will make this city desolate, an object of scorn. Everyone who passes by it will be appalled and scoff because of all its wounds.#Dt 28:37; 2Ch 29:8; 30:7; Jr 5:30; 25:9,18; 29:18; 42:18; 44:12,22; 49:17; 50:13; Mc 1:9; 6:16; Nah 3:19; Zph 2:15 9I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other’s flesh in the distressing siege inflicted on them by their enemies who intend to take their life.’#Dt 28:53–57; Lm 4:10; Ezk 5:10
10“Then you are to shatter the jar in the presence of the people going with you, 11and you are to proclaim to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I will shatter these people and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be mended. They will bury the dead in Topheth because there is no other place for burials.#Jr 7:32 12That is what I will do to this place — this is the declaration of the Lord — and to its residents, making this city like Topheth. 13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become impure like that place Topheth — all the houses on whose rooftops they have burned incense to all the stars in the sky#Dt 4:19; 2Kg 17:16; 23:4–5; Zph 1:5 and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”
14Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple,#2Ch 20:5; Jr 26:2 and proclaimed to all the people, 15“This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring on this city — and on all its cities — every disaster that I spoke against it, for they have become obstinate, not obeying my words.’”#Jr 7:26
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Jeremiah 19: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Jeremiah 19
19
1The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people. Also tell some of the priests to go with you. 2Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Stand near the entrance of the gate where broken pieces of pottery are thrown away. There announce the message I give you. 3Tell the people, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Listen! I am going to bring trouble on Jerusalem. It will be so horrible that it will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring. 4My people have deserted me. They have made this city a place where other gods are worshiped. They have burned incense to them here. They, their people of long ago and the kings of Judah had never known these gods. My people have also filled this place with the blood of those who aren’t guilty. 5They have built the high places where they worship Baal. There they sacrifice their children in the fire as offerings to Baal. That is something I did not command or talk about. It did not even enter my mind. 6So watch out!” announces the Lord. “The days are coming when people will not call this place Topheth anymore. And they will not call it the Valley of Ben Hinnom either. Instead, they will call it the Valley of Death.
7“ ‘ “In this place I will make the plans of Judah and Jerusalem as useless as a broken jar. I will use their enemies to kill my people by swords. They will die at the hands of those who want to take their lives. I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds and the wild animals. 8I will completely destroy this city. I will make it a horrible thing. People will make fun of it. All those who pass by it will be shocked. They will laugh at its people because of all their wounds. 9I will make the people of this city eat their sons and daughters. And they will eat one another. They will do this because things will be so bad during the attack. The enemies who want to take their lives will bring all this trouble on them.” ’
10“Jeremiah, break the jar while those who go with you are watching. 11Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord who rules over all says. “This potter’s jar is smashed and can’t be repaired. And I will smash this nation and this city. People will bury their dead in Topheth. But they will run out of room. 12Here is what I will do to Jerusalem and those who live here,” ’ announces the Lord. ‘ “I will make this city like Topheth. 13The houses in Jerusalem will be made ‘unclean’ like Topheth. So will the houses of the kings of Judah. All these people burned incense on their roofs to all the stars. They poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’ ”
14Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth. That’s where the Lord had sent him to prophesy. Jeremiah stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. He spoke to all the people. He said, 15“The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Listen! I am going to punish this city and all the villages around it. I am going to bring against them all the trouble I have announced. That’s because my people were stubborn. They would not listen to what I said.’ ”
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