Jeremiah 18

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

The word that came from the Lord to

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there will I let thee hear my words.

Jeremias, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there you shall hear my words.

3 Then went I down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was doing work on the wheels.

So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making a vessel on the stones.

4 And the vessel that he was making became spoiled as [happeneth] with the clay in the hand of the potter; and he made again thereof another vessel, as it seemed good in the eyes of the potter to make it.

And the vessel which he was making with his hands fell: so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to him to make [it].

5 Then came the word of the Lord to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

6 Shall I not be able to do unto you as this potter, O house of Israel? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.

Shall I not be able, O house of Israel, to do to you as this potter? behold, as the clay of the potter are you in my hands.

7 At one instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

[If] I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation, or upon a kingdom, to cut them off, and to destroy [them];

8 But should that nation, against whom I have spoken, return from their wrong-doing: then will I bethink me of the evil that I had thought to do unto them.

and that nation turn from all their sins, then will I repent of the evils which I purposed to do to them.

9 And at one instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

And [if] I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation and kingdom, to rebuild and to plant [it];

10 But should it do what is evil in my eyes, so as not to hearken to my voice: then will I bethink me of the good, wherewith I had thought to benefit the same.

and they do evil before me, so as not to listen to my voice, then will I repent of the good which I spoke of, to do it to them.

11 And now do say to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as followeth, Thus hath said the Lord, Behold, I form against you evil, and devise against you a device: do but return now every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.

And now say to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Behold, I prepare evils against you, and devise a device against you: let every one turn now from his evil way, and amend your practices.

12 And they said, It is useless: for after our own thoughts will we walk, and we will every one do after the stubbornness of his evil heart.

And they said, We will quit ourselves like men, for we will pursue our perverse ways, and we will perform each the lusts of his evil heart.

13 Therefore thus hath said the Lord, Only ask among the nations, Who hath heard the like things? a very horrible act hath the virgin of Israel committed.

Therefore thus says the Lord; Enquire now among the nations, who has heard such very horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done?

14 Doth the snow of Lebanon ever quit the rock of the field? or do the far-coming, cold, flowing waters ever fail?

Will fertilising streams fail [to flow] from a rock, or snow [fail] from Libanus? will water violently impelled by the wind turn aside?

15 That my people have forgotten me, that they have burnt incense to false gods, and are made to stumble on their ways, the ancient beaten tracks, to walk in paths, on a road which is not leveled?

For my people have forgotten me, they have offered incense in vain, and they fail in their ways, [leaving] the ancient tracks, to enter upon impassable paths;

16 To make their land desolate, a perpetual derision: every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.

to make their land a desolation, and a perpetual hissing; all that go through it shall be amazed, and shall shake their heads.

17 Like an east wind will I scatter them before the enemy; with the back, and not the face, will I regard them on the day of their calamity.

I will scatter them before their enemies like an east wind; I will show them the day of their destruction.

18 And they said, Come, and let us contrive devices against Jeremiah; for the law will not be lost 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 listen to any of his words.

Then they said, Come, and let us devise a device against Jeremias; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and we will hear all his words.

19 Listen to me, O Lord, and hearken to the voice of those that contend with me.

Hear me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my pleading.

20 Shall evil be recompensed instead of good, that they have dug a pit for my life? Remember my standing before thee to speak good concerning them, to cause thy wrath to turn away from them.

Forasmuch as evil is rewarded for good; for they have spoken words against my soul, and they have hidden the punishment they [meant] for me; remember that I stood before your face, to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.

21 Therefore give up their children to the famine, and let their life ebb out by means of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and widows; and let their men be slain by death; their young men smitten by the sword in the battle.

Therefore do you deliver their sons to famine, and gather them to the power of the sword: let their women be childless and widows; and let their men be cut off by death, and their young men fall by the sword in war.

22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou bringest a troop over them suddenly; for they have dug a pit to catch me, and laid concealed snares for my feet.

Let there be a cry in their houses: you shall bring upon them robbers suddenly: for they have formed a plan to take me, and have hidden snares for me.

23 Yet thou, Lord, knowest well all their counsel against me to [procure my] death: forgive not their iniquity, and let their sin not be blotted out from before thee; but let them be brought to stumbling before thee; in the time of thy anger deal thus with them.

And you, Lord, know all their deadly counsel against me: account not their iniquities guiltless, and blot not out their sins from before you: let their weakness come before you; deal with them in the time of your wrath.