< Jeremiah 18 >
1 The word that came from Jeremias to the Lord, saying:
The word that came from the Lord to
2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there thou shalt hear my words.
Jeremias, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there thou shalt hear my words.
3 And I went down into the potter’s house, and behold he was doing a work on the wheel.
So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making a vessel on the stones.
4 And the vessel was broken which he was making with clay with his hands: and turning he made another vessel, as it seemed good in his eyes 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 the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
6 Cannot I do with you as this potter, saith the Lord? behold as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you 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 ye in my hands.
7 I will suddenly speak against a nation, and against 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 If that nation against which I have spoken, shall repent of their evil, I also will repent of the evil that I have thought to do to 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 I will suddenly speak of a nation and of a kingdom, to build up and plant it.
And [if] I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation and kingdom, to rebuild and to plant [it];
10 If it shall do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice: I will repent of the good that I have spoken to do unto it.
and they do evil before me, so as not to hearken to my voice, then will I repent of the good which I spoke of, to do it to them.
11 Now therefore tell the men of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: let every man of you return from his evil way, and make ye your ways and your doings good.
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: We have no hopes: for we will go after our own thoughts, and we will do every one according to the perverseness 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 saith the Lord: Ask among the nations: Who hath heard such horrible things, as the virgin of Israel hath done to excess?
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Enquire now among the nations, who has heard such very horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done?
14 Shall now the snow of Libanus fail from the rock of the field? or can the cold waters that gush out and run down, be taken away?
Will fertilising streams fail [to flow] from a rock, or snow [fail] from Libanus? will water violently impelled by the wind turn aside?
15 Because my people have forgotten me, sacrificing in vain, and stumbling in their ways, in ancient paths, to walk by them in a way not trodden:
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 That their land might be given up to desolation, and to a perpetual hissing: every one that shall pass by it, shall be astonished, and wag 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 As a burning will I scatter them before the enemy: I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their destruction.
I will scatter them before their enemies like an east wind; I will shew them the day of their destruction.
18 And they said: Come, and let us invent devices 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 let us give no heed to all 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 smite him with the tongue, and we will hear all his words.
19 Give heed to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.
Hear me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my pleading.
20 Shall evil be rendered for good, because they have digged a pit for my soul? Remember that I have stood in thy sight, so speak good for them, and turn away thy indignation 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 thy face, to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them.
21 Therefore deliver up their children to famine, and bring them into the hands of the sword: let their wives be bereaved of children and widows: and let their husbands be slain by death: let their young men be stabbed with the sword in battle.
Therefore do thou 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 out of their houses: for thou shalt bring the robber upon them suddenly: because they have digged a pit to take me, and have hid snares for my feet.
Let there be a cry in their houses: thou shalt bring upon them robbers suddenly: for they have formed a plan to take me, and have hidden snares for me.
23 But thou, O Lord, knowest all their counsel against me unto death: forgive not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from thy sight: let them be overthrown before thy eyes, in the time of thy wrath do thou destroy them.
And thou, Lord, knowest all their deadly counsel against me: account not their iniquities guiltless, and blot not out their sins from before thee: let their weakness come before thee; deal with them in the time of thy wrath.