Jeremiah 18

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:

The word that came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying:

2 'Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear My words.'

Arise and go down to the house of the potter, —and, there, will I cause thee to hear my words.

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was at his work on the wheels.

So I went down, to the house of the potter, —and there he was! making a piece of work on the wheels,

4 And whensoever the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter 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 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying:

6 'O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are ye in My hand, O house of Israel.

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 At one instant I may speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it;

The moment I speak, concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, —to pull up and to break down, and to destroy;

8 but if that nation turn from their evil, because of which I have spoken against it, I repent of the evil that I thought to do unto it.

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 at one instant I may speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

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

10 but if it do evil in My sight, that it hearken not to My voice, then I repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit it.

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 Now therefore do thou speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you; return ye now every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

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 But they say: There is no hope; but we will walk after our own devices, and we will do every one after the stubbornness 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 saith the LORD: Ask ye now among the nations, who hath heard such things; the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

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 Doth the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or are the strange cold flowing waters plucked up?

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 hath forgotten Me, they offer unto vanity; and they have been made to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, in a way not cast up;

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 an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.

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 as with an east wind before the enemy; I will look upon their back, and not their face, in the day of their calamity.

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 said they: 'Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for instruction 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 let us not give heed to any of 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 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.

Give thou ear O Yahweh unto me, —And hearken unto the voice of mine accusers.

20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? For they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before Thee to speak good for them, to turn away Thy 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 deliver up their children to the famine, and hurl them to the power of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and widows; and let their men be slain of death, and their young men smitten of the sword in battle.

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 a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.

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 Yet, LORD, Thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me; forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from Thy sight; but let them be made to stumble before Thee; Deal Thou with them in the time of Thine anger.

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.