The Broken Flask

19 Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy ^(A)a potter's earthenware ^(B)flask, and take some of ^(C)the elders of the people and some of ^(D)the elders of the priests, ² and go out ^(E)to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. ³ You shall say, ^(F)‘Hear the word of the Lord, ^(G)O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that ^(H)the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. ^4 (I)Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; ^(J)and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, ^5 (K)and have built the high places of Baal ^(L)to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, ^(M)which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— ⁶ therefore, ^(N)behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or ^(O)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. ⁷ And in this place ^(P)I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, ^(Q)and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. ^(R)I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. ⁸ And I will make this city ^(S)a horror, ^(T)a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. ^9 (U)And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor ^(V)in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.’

¹⁰ “Then ^(W)you shall break ^(X)the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, ¹¹ and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, ^(Y)as one breaks a potter's vessel, ^(Z)so that it can never be mended. ^(AA)Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. ¹² Thus will I do to this place, declares the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city ^(AB)like Topheth. ¹³ The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—^(AC)all the houses on whose ^(AD)roofs offerings have been offered ^(AE)to all the host of heaven, and ^(AF)drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled ^(AG)like the place of Topheth.’”

¹⁴ Then Jeremiah came from ^(AH)Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, ^(AI)and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people: ¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, ^(AJ)because they have stiffened their neck, ^(AK)refusing to hear my words.”

Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur

20 Now ^(AL)Pashhur the priest, the son of ^(AM)Immer, who was ^(AN)chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. ² Then ^(AO)Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him ^(AP)in the stocks that were in the upper ^(AQ)Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. ³ The next day, when ^(AR)Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name ^(AS)Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. ⁴ For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you ^(AT)a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. ⁵ Moreover, ^(AU)I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its ^(AV)prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. ⁶ And you, ^(AW)Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, ^(AX)to whom you have prophesied falsely.”

O Lord, Be Gracious to Me

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

The Supremacy of God's Son

1 Long ago, at many times and ^(A)in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but ^(B)in these last days ^(C)he has spoken to us by ^(D)his Son, whom he appointed ^(E)the heir of all things, ^(F)through whom also he created ^(G)the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and ^(H)the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. ^(I)After making purification for sins, ^(J)he sat down ^(K)at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name ^(L)he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say,

Or again,

⁶ And again, when he brings ^(O)the firstborn into the world, he says,

⁷ Of the angels he says,

⁸ But of the Son he says,

¹⁰ And,

¹³ And to which of the angels has he ever said,

¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits ^(Y)sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to ^(Z)inherit salvation?

Warning Against Neglecting Salvation

2 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. ² For since ^(AA)the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and ^(AB)every transgression or disobedience received a just ^(AC)retribution, ^3 (AD)how shall we escape if we ^(AE)neglect such a great salvation? It was ^(AF)declared at first by the Lord, and it was ^(AG)attested to us ^(AH)by those who heard, ^4 (AI)while God also bore witness ^(AJ)by signs and wonders and various miracles and by ^(AK)gifts of the Holy Spirit ^(AL)distributed according to his will.

The Founder of Salvation

⁵ For it was not to angels that God subjected the world ^(AM)to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶ It has been testified somewhere,

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, ^(AO)we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. ⁹ But we see him ^(AP)who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, ^(AQ)crowned with glory and honor ^(AR)because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might ^(AS)taste death ^(AT)for everyone.

¹⁰ For it ^(AU)was fitting that he, ^(AV)for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons ^(AW)to glory, should make the ^(AX)founder of their salvation ^(AY)perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For ^(AZ)he who sanctifies and ^(BA)those who are sanctified ^(BB)all have one source.^[c] That is why he is not ashamed to call them ^(BC)brothers,^{[d] 12} saying,

¹³ And again,

And again,

¹⁴ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise ^(BI)partook of the same things, that ^(BJ)through death he might ^(BK)destroy ^(BL)the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who ^(BM)through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he ^(BN)helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had ^(BO)to be made like his brothers in every respect, ^(BP)so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest ^(BQ)in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered ^(BR)when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers,^[e] you who share in ^(BS)a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, ^(BT)the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² who was faithful to him who appointed him, ^(BU)just as Moses also was faithful in all God's^[f] house. ³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. ⁴ (For every house is built by someone, but ^(BV)the builder of all things is God.) ^5 (BW)Now Moses was faithful in all God's house ^(BX)as a servant, ^(BY)to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, ⁶ but Christ is faithful over God's house as ^(BZ)a son. And ^(CA)we are his house, if indeed we ^(CB)hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.^[g]

A Rest for the People of God

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from ^(CF)the living God. ¹³ But ^(CG)exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by ^(CH)the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have come to share in Christ, ^(CI)if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵ As it is said,

¹⁶ For ^(CK)who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not ^(CL)all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, ^(CM)whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that ^(CN)they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that ^(CO)they were unable to enter because of unbelief.