Jeremiah 18
1 The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,
This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 Rise, and thou hast gone down [to] the potter's house, and there I cause thee to hear My words;
Go down right away to the potter's house. I will give you my message there.
3 and I go down [to] the potter's house, and lo, he is doing a work on the stones,
I went down to the potter's house and saw him working at his potter's wheel.
4 and marred is the vessel that he is making, as clay in the hand of the potter, and he hath turned and he maketh it another vessel, as it was right in the eyes of the potter to make.
But the pot that he was making from the clay went wrong. So he made it into something different as he thought best.
5 And there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying:
The Lord's message came to me, saying,
6 As this potter am I not able to do to you? O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah. Lo, as clay in the hand of the potter, 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 The moment I speak concerning a nation, And concerning a kingdom, To pluck up and to break down, and to destroy,
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 And that nation hath turned from its evil, Because I have spoken against it, Then I have repented of the evil that I thought to do to it.
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 the moment I speak concerning a nation, And concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant,
At another time I could announce that I'm going to build up and give power to a nation or a kingdom.
10 And it hath done the evil thing in Mine eyes, So as not to hearken to My voice, Then I have repented of the good That I have spoken of doing to it.
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 And now, speak, I pray thee, unto men of Judah, And against inhabitants of Jerusalem, Saying: Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am framing against you evil, And devising against you a device, Turn back, I pray you, each from his evil way And amen your ways and your doings.
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 have said, It is incurable, For after our own devices we do go, And each the stubbornness of his evil heart we do.
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 said Jehovah: Ask, I pray you, among the nations, Who hath heard like these? A very horrible thing hath the virgin of Israel done.
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 Doth snow of Lebanon Cease from the rock of the field? Failed are the cold strange waters that flow?
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 But My people have forgotten Me, to a vain thing they make perfume, And they cause them to stumble in their ways — paths of old, To walk in paths — a way not raised 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 become a desolation, A hissing age-during, Every passer by it is astonished, And bemoaneth with 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 As an east wind I scatter them before an enemy, The neck, and not the face, I shew them, 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 And they say, Come, And we devise against Jeremiah devices, For law doth not perish from the priest, Nor counsel from the wise, Nor the word from the prophet, Come, and we smite him with the tongue, And we do not attend 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 attention, O Jehovah, unto me, And hearken to the voice of those contending with me.
Lord, please pay attention to what's happening to me! Listen to what my accusers are saying!
20 Is evil recompensed instead of good, That they have dug a pit for my soul? Remember my standing before Thee to speak good of them, To turn back 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, give up their sons to famine, And cause them to run on the sides of the sword, And their wives are bereaved and widows, And their men are slain by death, Their young men smitten by 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 A cry is heard from their houses, For Thou bringest against them suddenly a troop, For they dug a pit to capture me, And snares they have hidden 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 And Thou, O Jehovah, Thou hast known, All their counsel against me [is] for death, Thou dost not cover over their iniquity, Nor their sin from before Thee blottest out, And they are made to stumble before Thee, In the time of Thine anger work against them!
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!
