Jeremias 18

1 The word that came from the Lord to

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

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

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

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

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

4 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].

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.

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

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

6 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

10 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.

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.

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

15 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;

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,

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

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

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

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.'

18 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.

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.

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

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

20 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.

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.

21 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.

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,

22 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.

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.

23 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.

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!