Jeremiah 18
18
The Potter’s House
1The word came to Jeremiah from Adonai, saying:
2“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.”
3So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was making a work on the wheels.
4Whenever the pot that he was making from the clay became flawed in the hand of the potter, he remade it into another pot, as it pleased the potter to make.
5Then the word of Adonai came to me, saying:
6“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares Adonai. “Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
7At one moment I may speak about a nation or about a kingdom, to uproot, to pull down or to destroy it.
8But if that nation turns from their evil, because of what I have spoken against it, I will relent concerning the calamity that I planned to do to it.
9Or at another time I may speak about a nation or about a kingdom, to build up or to plant it.
10But if it does evil in My sight, not listening to My voice, then I will relent of the good that I had said I would do to it.”
11So now, speak to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, thus says Adonai: “I am about to bring calamity against you, and devise disaster against you. Turn back now—everyone from his evil way—and amend your ways and your doings.
12But they say: ‘It’s hopeless! So we will walk after our own plans, and each of us will act in the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”
13Therefore thus says Adonai: “Ask now among the nations, whoever has heard such things? The virgin of Israel has done a most terrible thing.
14Does the snow of Lebanon abandon the rock of the field? Or is the cold water flowing from afar pulled back?
15Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to a delusion and stumble in their ways— off the ancient paths— to walk on side-tracks, rather than a built-up highway.
16Their land will become a horror, a perpetual hissing— every one passing by will be stunned and shake his head.
17Like an east wind, I will scatter them before the enemy. I will see their back, not their face, in the day of their calamity.”
Plots Against Jeremiah
18Then they said: “Come, let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely Torah from the kohen will not be lost, nor will counsel from the wise, nor will the word from the prophet. Come, let’s strike at him with the tongue, and pay no attention to any of his words.”
19Be attentive to me, Adonai! Listen to the voice of my opponents.
20Will good be repaid for evil? For they dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.
21Therefore give their children to famine and pour out the power of the sword. Let their wives be bereaved of children, and widows, and let their men be slain to death, and their young men struck down by the sword in battle.
22Let a cry be heard from their houses when suddenly You bring a troop on them. For they dug a pit to capture me, and hid snares for my feet.
23Yet You know their whole plot, Adonai, against me to slay me. Do not forgive their iniquity or blot out their sin before You. But make them stumble before You. Act against them in the time of Your anger.
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Jeremiah 18: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Jeremiah 18
18
Jeremiah goes to the pottery shop
1The LORD told me, 2“Go to the pottery shop, and when you get there, I will tell you what to say to the people.”
3I went there and saw the potter making clay pots on his pottery wheel. 4And whenever the clay would not take the shape he wanted, he would change his mind and form it into some other shape.
5Then the LORD told me to say:
6People of Israel, I, the LORD, have power over you, just as a potter has power over clay. 7If I threaten to uproot and shatter an evil nation 8and that nation turns from its evil, I will change my mind.
9If I promise to make a nation strong, 10but its people start disobeying me and doing evil, then I will change my mind and not help them at all.
11So listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem! I have decided to strike you with disaster, and I won't change my mind unless you stop sinning and start living right.
12But I know you won't listen. You might as well answer, “We don't care what you say. We have made plans to sin, and we are going to be stubborn and do what we want!”
13So I, the LORD, command you to ask the nations, and find out if they have ever heard of such a horrible sin as what you have done.
14The snow
on Lebanon's mountains
never melts away,
and the streams there
never run dry.#18.14 dry: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.
15But you, my people,
have turned from me
to burn incense
to worthless idols.
You have left the ancient road
to follow an unknown path
where you stumble over idols.
16Your land will be ruined,
and every passer-by
will look at it with horror
and make insulting remarks.
17When your enemies attack,
I will scatter you like dust
blown by an eastern wind.
Then, on that day of disaster,
I will turn my back on you.
The plot against Jeremiah
18Some of the people said, “Let's get rid of Jeremiah! We will always have priests to teach us God's laws, as well as wise people to give us advice, and prophets to speak the LORD's messages. So, instead of listening to Jeremiah any longer, let's accuse him of a crime.”
Jeremiah prays about his enemies
19Please, LORD, answer my prayer.
Make my enemies stop
accusing me of evil.
20I tried to help them,
but they are paying me back
by digging a pit to trap me.
I even begged you
not to punish them.
21But now I am asking you
to let their children starve
or be killed in war.
Let women lose
their husbands and sons
to disease and violence.
22These people have dug pits
and set traps for me, LORD.
Make them scream in fear
when you send enemy troops
to attack their homes.
23You know they plan to kill me.
So get angry and punish them!
Don't ever forgive
their terrible crimes.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012