Jeremias 18
1 The word that came from the Lord to
The word that came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying:
2 Jeremias, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there you shall hear my words.
Arise and go down to the house of the potter, —and, there, will 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.
So I went down, to the house of the potter, —and there he was! making a piece of work on the wheels,
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].
Then was marred, the vessel that he was making, while yet it was clay in the hand of the potter, —so he turned and made of it another vessel, as seemed right in the eyes of the potter to make it.
5 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Then came the word of Yahweh unto 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.
Like this potter, can I not deal with you O house of Israel? Demandeth Yahweh: 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 or concerning a kingdom, —to pull 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 return from its wickedness against whom I have spoken, then will I repent concerning the calamity which I had devised to bring upon 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 or 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 commit wickedness in mine eyes, in not hearkening unto my voice, then will I repent concerning the good wherewith I had said I would do it good.
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.
Now, therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the men of Judah and concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, Thus, saith Yahweh, —Lo! I am fashioning against you calamity, and devising against you, a device, —Return I pray you every man from his wicked way, And amend 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, since they will say, Hopeless! For after our own devices, will we walk, And, every one, the stubbornness of his own wicked heart, will we do!
13 Therefore thus says the Lord; Enquire now amongst the nations, who has heard such very horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done?
Therefore, Thus saith Yahweh, Ask I pray you among the nations, —Who hath heard such things as these? A very horrible thing, hath, the virgin, 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?
Shall the snow of Lebanon, fail from the rock of the field? Or shall waters from afar, deep, overflowing, be dried up?
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;
Yet my people have forgotten me, Unto vanity, have they been burning incense; And it hath caused them to stumble In their ways The roads of age-past times, To walk in by-paths—A way not cast 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 a desolation The hissings of age-abiding times, —Every one that passeth by her, shall be astonished and wag his head.
17 I will scatter them before their enemies like an east wind; I will show them the day of their destruction.
Like an east wind, will I scatter them before the enemy, —The back and not the face, will I let them see in the day of their distress.
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.
Then said they, —Come ye and let us devise against Jeremiah devices, For the law shall not perish from the priest, Nor, counsel, from the wise, Nor, the word from the prophet: Come and let as smite him with the tongue, And let us not give ear to any of his words!
19 Hear me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my pleading.
Give thou ear O Yahweh unto me, —And hearken unto the voice of mine accusers.
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.
Shall, evil, be recompensed for good? For they have digged a pit for my life, —Remember how I stood before thee To speak in their behalf what was good! To turn back thine indignation 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 thou up their sons to the famine And deliver them into the hands of the sword, And let their, wives, become, childless and widows, And let, their men, be slain by death, Their young men be smitten by the 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.
Let there be heard a cry out of their houses, When thou shalt bring in upon them a troop, suddenly, —Because they digged a pit to capture me, And snares, did they hide 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.
But, thou, O Yahweh, knowest all their counsels against me to put me to death, Put thou no propitiatory-covering over their iniquity, And their sin from before thee, do not thou blot out, —But let them be overthrown before thee, In the time of thine anger, deal thou effectively with them.
