Jeremiah 18
18
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:
2 "Rise up and descend into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words."
3 And I descended into the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel.
4 And the vessel, which he was making with his hands out of clay, broke. And turning away, he made another vessel, for it had been pleasing in his eyes to make it.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
6 "Am I not able to do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done, says the Lord? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
7 Suddenly, I will speak against a nation and against a kingdom, so that I may uproot, and destroy, and scatter it.
8 If that nation, against which I have spoken, will repent from their evil, I too will repent from the evil that I have decided I would do to them.
9 And soon, I will speak about a nation and about a kingdom, so that I may build and plant it.
10 If it does evil in my sight, so as not to listen to my voice, I will repent of the good that I have said I would do to it.
11 Now, therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am forming an evil against you, and I am considering a plan against you. Let each one of you return from his evil way, and direct your ways and your intentions well."
12 And they said: "We have lost hope. And so we will follow our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the depravity of his own evil heart."
13 For this reason, thus says the Lord: "Inquire among the Gentiles. Who has heard of such horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done to excess?
14 Do the snows of Lebanon fail to fall on the rocks of the field? Or are the cold waters, which burst forth and flow down, able to be rooted out?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me, offering useless libations, and stumbling in their ways, in the paths of the world, so that they walk by these on an unmarked route.
16 And so their land has been given over to desolation and to perpetual hissing. Each one who passes by will be astonished and will shake his head.
17 Like a burning wind, I will disperse them in the sight the enemy. I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their perdition."
18 And they said: "Come, and let us devise a plan against Jeremiah. For the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor a sermon from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words."
19 Attend to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.
20 Should evil be rendered for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul! Remember that I have stood in your sight, so as to speak on their behalf for good, and to avert your indignation from them.
21 Because of this, give their sons over to famine, and bring them to the hand of the sword. Let their wives be widows without children. And let their husbands be slain by death. Let their youths be stabbed with the sword in battle.
22 Let an outcry be heard from their houses. For you will lead the robber upon them suddenly. For they have dug a pit, so that they may seize me, and they have hidden snares for my feet.
23 But you, O Lord, know all their plans against me unto death. May you not forgive their iniquity, and do not allow their sin be taken away from your face. Let them be thrown down in your sight, in the time of your fury, so that you may destroy them.
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Jeremiah 18
18
The Potter and the Clay
1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2“Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
5Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6“O house of Israel, #Is. 45:9; Rom. 9:20, 21can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, #Is. 64:8as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 7The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to #Jer. 1:10pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8#Jer. 7:3–7; 12:16; (Ezek. 18:21; 33:11)if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, #(Ps. 106:45); Jer. 26:3; (Hos. 11:8; Joel 2:13); Jon. 3:10I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.
11“Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. #2 Kin. 17:13; Is. 1:16–19; Jer. 4:1; Acts 26:20Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings #Jer. 7:3–7good.” ’ ”
God’s Warning Rejected
12And they said, #Is. 57:10; Jer. 2:25“That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the #Jer. 3:17; 23:17dictates of his evil heart.”
13Therefore thus says the Lord:
#Is. 66:8; Jer. 2:10, 11; 1 Cor. 5:1“Ask now among the Gentiles,
Who has heard such things?
The virgin of Israel has done #Jer. 5:30; Hos. 6:10a very horrible thing.
14Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon,
Which comes from the rock of the field?
Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters?
15“Because My people have forgotten #Jer. 2:13, 32Me,
They have burned incense to worthless idols.
And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways,
From the #Jer. 6:16ancient paths,
To walk in pathways and not on a highway,
16To make their land #Jer. 19:8desolate and a perpetual #1 Kin. 9:8; Lam. 2:15; Mic. 6:16hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And shake his head.
17#Jer. 13:24I will scatter them #Ps. 48:7as with an east wind before the enemy;
#Jer. 2:27I will show them the back and not the face
In the day of their calamity.”
Jeremiah Persecuted
18Then they said, #Jer. 11:19“Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; #Lev. 10:11; Mal. 2:7; (John 7:48)for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.”
19Give heed to me, O Lord,
And listen to the voice of those who contend with me!
20#Ps. 109:4Shall evil be repaid for good?
For they have #Ps. 35:7; 57:6; Jer. 5:26dug a pit for my life.
Remember that I #Jer. 14:7—15:1stood before You
To speak good for them,
To turn away Your wrath from them.
21Therefore #Ps. 109:9–20; Jer. 11:22; 14:16deliver up their children to the famine,
And pour out their blood
By the force of the sword;
Let their wives become widows
And #Jer. 15:7, 8; Ezek. 22:25bereaved of their children.
Let their men be put to death,
Their young men be slain
By the sword in battle.
22Let a cry be heard from their houses,
When You bring a troop suddenly upon them;
For they have dug a pit to take me,
And hidden snares for my feet.
23Yet, Lord, You know all their counsel
Which is against me, to slay me.
#Neh. 4:5; Ps. 35:14; 109:14; Is. 2:9; Jer. 11:20Provide no atonement for their iniquity,
Nor blot out their sin from Your sight;
But let them be overthrown before You.
Deal thus with them
In the time of Your #Jer. 7:20anger.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.