Jeremiah 18

1 The word that was maad of the Lord to Jeremye,

2 and seide, Rise thou, and go doun in to the hous of a pottere, and there thou schalt here my wordis.

3 And Y yede doun in to the hous of a pottere, and lo! he made a werk on a wheel.

4 And the vessel was distried, which he made of clei with hise hondis; and he turnede it, and made it another vessel, as it pleside in hise iyen to make.

5 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

6 and he seide, Whether as this pottere doith, Y mai not do to you, the hous of Israel? seith the Lord. Lo! as cley is in the hond of a pottere, so ye, the hous of Israel, ben in myn hond.

7 Sudenli Y schal speke ayens a folk, and ayens a rewme, that Y drawe out, and distrie, and leese it.

8 If thilke folk doith penaunce of his yuel, which Y spak ayens it, also Y schal do penaunce on the yuel, which Y thouyte to do to it.

9 And Y schal speke sudenli of a folk, and of a rewme, that Y bilde, and plaunte it.

10 If it doith yuel bifore myn iyen, that it here not my vois, Y schal do penaunce on the good which Y spak, that Y schulde do to it.

11 Now therfor seie thou to a man of Juda, and to the dwellere of Jerusalem, and seie, The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y make yuel ayens you, and Y thenke a thouyte ayens you; ech man turne ayen fro his yuel weie, and dresse ye youre weies and youre studies.

12 Whiche seiden, We han dispeirid, for we schulen go after oure thouytis, and we schulen do ech man the schrewidnesse of his yuel herte.

13 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Axe ye hethene men, who herde siche orible thingis, whiche the virgyn of Israel hath do greetli?

14 Whether snow of the Liban schal fail fro the stoon of the feeld? ether coolde watris brekynge out, and fletynge doun moun be takun awei?

15 For my puple hath foryete me, and offriden sacrifices in veyn, and snaperiden in her weies, and in the pathis of the world, that thei yeden bi tho in a weie not trodun;

16 that the lond of hem schulde be in to desolacioun, and in to an hissyng euerlastinge; for whi ech that passith bi it, schal be astonyed, and schal moue his heed.

17 As a brennynge wynd Y schal scatere hem bifor the enemy; Y schal schewe to hem the bak and not the face, in the dai of the perdicioun of hem.

18 And thei seiden, Come ye, and thenke we thouytis ayens Jeremye; for whi the lawe schal not perische fro a preest, nether councel schal perische fro a wijs man, nether word schal perische fro a profete; come ye, and smyte we hym with tunge, and take we noon heede to alle the wordis of hym.

19 Lord, yyue thou tent to me, and here thou the vois of myn aduersaries.

20 Whether yuel is yoldun for good, for thei han diggid a pit to my soule; haue thou mynde, that Y stoode in thi siyt, to speke good for hem, and to turne awei thin indignacioun fro hem.

21 Therfor yyue thou the sones of hem in to hungur, and lede forth hem in to the hondis of swerd; the wyues of hem be maad with out children, and be maad widewis, and the hosebondis of hem be slayn bi deth; the yonge men of hem be persid togidere bi swerd in batel.

22 Cry be herd of the housis of hem, for thou schalt bringe sudenli a theef on hem; for thei diggiden a pit to take me, and hidden snaris to my feet.

23 But thou, Lord, knowist al the councel of hem ayens me in to deth; do thou not merci to the wickidnesse of hem, and the synne of hem be not doon awei fro thi face; be thei maad fallynge doun in thi siyt, in the tyme of thi stronge veniaunce; vse thou hem to othir thing than thei weren ordeyned.