Jeremiah 18
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
| הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהוָה לֵאמֹֽר׃ |
2 “Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal My message to you.”
| קוּם וְיָרַדְתָּ בֵּית הַיּוֹצֵר וְשָׁמָּה אַשְׁמִֽיעֲךָ אֶת־דְּבָרָֽי׃ |
3 So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel.
| וָאֵרֵד בֵּית הַיּוֹצֵר והנהו וְהִנֵּה־הוּא עֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה עַל־הָאָבְנָֽיִם׃ |
4 But the vessel that he was shaping from the clay became flawed in his hand; so he formed it into another vessel, as it seemed best for him to do.
| וְנִשְׁחַת הַכְּלִי אֲשֶׁר הוּא עֹשֶׂה בַּחֹמֶר בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר וְשָׁב וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂהוּ כְּלִי אַחֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר בְּעֵינֵי הַיּוֹצֵר לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ |
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
| וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֽוֹר׃ |
6 “O house of Israel, declares the LORD, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
| הֲכַיּוֹצֵר הַזֶּה לֹא־אוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת לָכֶם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהוָה הִנֵּה כַחֹמֶר בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר כֵּן־אַתֶּם בְּיָדִי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
7 At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.
| רֶגַע אֲדַבֵּר עַל־גּוֹי וְעַל־מַמְלָכָה לִנְתוֹשׁ וְלִנְתוֹץ וּֽלְהַאֲבִֽיד׃ |
8 But if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to bring.
| וְשָׁב הַגּוֹי הַהוּא מֵרָעָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי עָלָיו וְנִֽחַמְתִּי עַל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁבְתִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לֽוֹ׃ |
9 And if at another time I announce that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom,
| וְרֶגַע אֲדַבֵּר עַל־גּוֹי וְעַל־מַמְלָכָה לִבְנֹת וְלִנְטֹֽעַ׃ |
10 and if it does evil in My sight and does not listen to My voice, then I will relent of the good I had intended for it.
| וְעָשָׂה הרעה הָרַע בְּעֵינַי לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹלִי וְנִֽחַמְתִּי עַל־הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי לְהֵיטִיב אוֹתֽוֹ׃ |
11 Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.’
| וְעַתָּה אֱמָר־נָא אֶל־אִישׁ־יְהוּדָה וְעַל־יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי יוֹצֵר עֲלֵיכֶם רָעָה וְחֹשֵׁב עֲלֵיכֶם מַֽחֲשָׁבָה שׁוּבוּ נָא אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָֽרָעָה וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶֽם׃ |
12 But they will reply, ‘It is hopeless. We will follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”
| וְאָמְרוּ נוֹאָשׁ כִּֽי־אַחֲרֵי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵינוּ נֵלֵךְ וְאִישׁ שְׁרִרוּת לִבּֽוֹ־הָרָע נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ |
13 Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard things like these? Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.
| לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה שַֽׁאֲלוּ־נָא בַּגּוֹיִם מִי שָׁמַע כָּאֵלֶּה שַֽׁעֲרֻרִת עָשְׂתָה מְאֹד בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave its rocky slopes? Or do its cool waters flowing from a distance ever run dry?
| הֲיַעֲזֹב מִצּוּר שָׂדַי שֶׁלֶג לְבָנוֹן אִם־יִנָּתְשׁוּ מַיִם זָרִים קָרִים נוֹזְלִֽים׃ |
15 Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their ways, leaving the ancient roads to walk on rutted bypaths instead of on the highway.
| כִּֽי־שְׁכֵחֻנִי עַמִּי לַשָּׁוְא יְקַטֵּרוּ וַיַּכְשִׁלוּם בְּדַרְכֵיהֶם שְׁבִילֵי עוֹלָם לָלֶכֶת נְתִיבוֹת דֶּרֶךְ לֹא סְלוּלָֽה׃ |
16 They have made their land a desolation, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and shake their heads.
| לָשׂוּם אַרְצָם לְשַׁמָּה שרוקת שְׁרִיקוֹת עוֹלָם כֹּל עוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ יִשֹּׁם וְיָנִיד בְּרֹאשֽׁוֹ׃ |
17 I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity.”
| כְּרֽוּחַ־קָדִים אֲפִיצֵם לִפְנֵי אוֹיֵב עֹרֶף וְלֹֽא־פָנִים אֶרְאֵם בְּיוֹם אֵידָֽם׃ |
18 Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”
| וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַחְשְׁבָה עַֽל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת כִּי לֹא־תֹאבַד תּוֹרָה מִכֹּהֵן וְעֵצָה מֵֽחָכָם וְדָבָר מִנָּבִיא לְכוּ וְנַכֵּהוּ בַלָּשׁוֹן וְאַל־נַקְשִׁיבָה אֶל־כָּל־דְּבָרָֽיו׃ |
19 Attend to me, O LORD. Hear what my accusers are saying!
| הַקְשִׁיבָה יְהוָה אֵלָי וּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל יְרִיבָֽי׃ |
20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.
| הַיְשֻׁלַּם תַּֽחַת־טוֹבָה רָעָה כִּֽי־כָרוּ שׁוּחָה לְנַפְשִׁי זְכֹר ׀ עָמְדִי לְפָנֶיךָ לְדַבֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם טוֹבָה לְהָשִׁיב אֶת־חֲמָתְךָ מֵהֶֽם׃ |
21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine; pour out the power of the sword upon them. Let their wives become childless and widowed; let their husbands be slain by disease, their young men struck down by the sword in battle.
| לָכֵן תֵּן אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם לָרָעָב וְהַגִּרֵם עַל־יְדֵי־חֶרֶב וְתִֽהְיֶנָה נְשֵׁיהֶם שַׁכֻּלוֹת וְאַלְמָנוֹת וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם יִֽהְיוּ הֲרֻגֵי מָוֶת בַּחוּרֵיהֶם מֻכֵּי־חֶרֶב בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃ |
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses when You suddenly bring raiders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet.
| תִּשָּׁמַע זְעָקָה מִבָּתֵּיהֶם כִּֽי־תָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם גְּדוּד פִּתְאֹם כִּֽי־כָרוּ שיחה שׁוּחָה לְלָכְדֵנִי וּפַחִים טָמְנוּ לְרַגְלָֽי׃ |
23 But You, O LORD, know all their deadly plots against me. Do not wipe out their guilt or blot out their sin from Your sight. Let them be overthrown before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.
| וְאַתָּה יְהוָה יָדַעְתָּ אֶֽת־כָּל־עֲצָתָם עָלַי לַמָּוֶת אַל־תְּכַפֵּר עַל־עֲוֺנָם וְחַטָּאתָם מִלְּפָנֶיךָ אַל־תֶּמְחִי והיו וְיִהְיוּ מֻכְשָׁלִים לְפָנֶיךָ בְּעֵת אַפְּךָ עֲשֵׂה בָהֶֽם׃ |
