Jeremiah 18

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

This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

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

Go down right away to the potter's house. I will give you my message there.

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

I went down to the potter's house and saw him working at his potter's wheel.

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make [it].

But the pot that he was making from the clay went wrong. So he made it into something different as he thought best.

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

The Lord's message came to me, saying,

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

People of Israel, declares the Lord, can't I deal with you just like this potter does with his clay? I hold you in my hand just like clay in the potter's hand, people of Israel.

7 [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it];

At one time it could happen that I announce that a nation or a kingdom is going to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.

8 If that nation against which I have pronounced, shall turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.

However, if that nation I warned gives up its evil ways, then I will change my mind regarding the disaster I was about to bring.

9 And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it];

At another time I could announce that I'm going to build up and give power to a nation or a kingdom.

10 If it shall do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, with which I said I would benefit them.

But if it does evil in my sight and refuses to listen to my voice, then I will change my mind regarding the good I had planned for it.

11 Now therefore come, 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 make your ways and your doings good.

So tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says: Watch out! I am preparing disaster for you, and working out a plan against you. All of you, give up your evil ways. Live right and act right!

12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

But they'll say, “We just can't! We'll do whatever we want. Each of us will stubbornly follow our own evil thinking.”

13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

Consequently this is what the Lord says: Ask around the nations—has anybody ever heard anything like this? Virgin Israel has acted really badly.

14 Will [a man] leave the snow of Lebanon [which cometh] from the rock of the field? [or] shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

Does the snow of Lebanon ever disappear from its rocky mountain-tops? Do its cool waters that flow from such distant sources ever dry up?

15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways [from] the ancient paths, to walk in paths, [in] a way not cast up;

But my people have rejected me! They burn incense to useless idols which trip them up, making them leave the old roads in order to walk down unmade paths instead of the highway.

16 To make their land desolate, [and] a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and wag his head.

They have turned their country into a horrific wasteland, a place that will always be treated with contempt. People passing by will be shocked, shaking their heads in disbelief.

17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

Like a strong wind from the east I will scatter them before the enemy. I will turn my back on them and not look at them when their time of trouble comes.

18 Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; 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 let us not give heed to any of his words.

Some people decided, “We need a plan to deal with Jeremiah. There'll still be priests to explain the law, there'll still be wise people to give advice, and there'll still be prophets to give prophecies. Let's organize a smear campaign against him so we don't have to listen to a word he says.”

19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.

Lord, please pay attention to what's happening to me! Listen to what my accusers are saying!

20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, [and] to turn away thy wrath from them.

Should good be paid back with evil? Yet they have dug a pit to trap me! Remember how I stood before you to plead on their behalf, to stop you being angry with them?

21 Therefore deliver their children to the famine, and pour out their [blood] by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and [be] widows; and let their men be put to death; [let] their young men [be] slain by the sword in battle.

But now may their children starve; may they be killed by the sword. May their wives lose their children and their husbands; may their husbands die from disease; may their young men be killed 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.

May cries of agony be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders to attack them, because they dug a pit to capture me and hid traps to catch me as I walk along.

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 overthrown before thee; deal [thus] with them in the time of thy anger.

But Lord, you know about all their plots to try and kill me. Don't forgive their wickedness; don't wipe away their sin. Bring them down! Deal with them when you're angry!