Jeremiah 18

1 The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

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

“Arise and go out to the potter's house, for I will have you hear my word there.”

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

So I went out to the potter's house, and behold! The potter was working on the potter's wheel.

4 and 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.

But the object of clay that he was molding was ruined in his hand, so he changed his mind and made another object that seemed good in his eyes to do.

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

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

6 As 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 [are] ye in My hand, O house of Israel.

“Should I not be able to act like this potter with you, house of Israel?—this is Yahweh's declaration. Behold! Like clay in a potter's hand—that is how you are in my hand, house of Israel.

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

At one moment, I may proclaim something about a nation or a kingdom, that I will drive it out, tear it down, or destroy it.

8 And 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 the nation about which I have made that proclamation turns from its evil, then I will relent from the disaster that I was planning to bring upon it.

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

At another moment, I may proclaim something about a nation or a kingdom, that I will build it up or plant it.

10 And 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 does evil in my eyes by not listening to my voice, then I will stop the good that I had said I would do for them.

11 And 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.

So now, speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and say, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to form disaster against you. I am about to devise a plan against you. Repent, each person from his wicked way, so your ways and your practices will bring good to you.'

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

But they will say, 'This is no use. We will act according to our own plans. Each one of us will do what his evil, stubborn heart desires.'

13 Therefore, 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 Yahweh says this, 'Ask the nations, who has ever heard of such a thing as this? The virgin Israel has committed a horrible act.

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

Does the snow in Lebanon ever leave the rocky hills on its sides? Are the mountain streams coming from far away ever destroyed, those cold streams?

15 But 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,

Yet my people have forgotten me. They have made offerings to useless idols and been made to stumble in their paths; they have left the ancient paths to walk lesser paths.

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

Their land will become a horror, an object of everlasting hissing. Everyone who passes by her will shudder and shake his head.

17 As 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 before their enemies like an eastern wind. I will show them my back, and not my face, on the day of their disaster.'”

18 And 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.

So the people said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, since the law will never perish from the priests, or advice from the wise men, or words from the prophets. Come, let us attack him with our words and no longer pay attention to anything he proclaims.”

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

Pay attention to me, Yahweh, and listen to the voice of my enemies.

20 Is 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.

Will disaster from them really be my reward for being good to them? For they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before you to speak for their welfare, to cause your fury to turn away from them.

21 Therefore, 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 give their children over to famine, and give them to the hands of those who use the sword. So let their women become bereaved and widows, and their men be killed, and their young men killed 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 distressed shout be heard from their houses, as you suddenly bring raiders against them. For they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden traps for my feet.

23 And Thou, O Jehovah, Thou hast known, All their counsel against me [is] 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!

But you, Yahweh, you know all of their plans against me to kill me. Do not forgive their iniquities and sins. Do not wipe their sins away from you. Instead, let them be overthrown before you. Act against them in the time of your wrath.