Jeremiah 18
Legacy Standard Bible
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh saying, 2 “Arise and (A)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the [a]wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter, so he turned around and made it into another vessel, according to what was right in the eyes of the potter to make.
5 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares Yahweh. “Behold, like the (B)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (C)uproot, to tear down, or to make it perish; 8 (D)but if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will [b](E)relent concerning the calamity I planned to do against it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (F)build up or to plant it; 10 but if it does (G)evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, then I will [c](H)relent concerning the good which I promised, to do good to it. 11 So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am (I)forming calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh (J)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and do good in your ways and your deeds.”’ 12 But (K)they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the (L)stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore thus says Yahweh,
‘(M)Ask now among the nations,
Who ever heard the like of [d]this?
The (N)virgin of Israel
Has done a most (O)appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country?
Or is the cold flowing water from a strange land ever uprooted?
15 For (P)My people have forgotten Me;
(Q)They burn incense [e]to worthless gods,
And they [f]have stumbled [g]from their ways,
[h]From the (R)ancient paths,
To walk in bypaths,
Not on a (S)highway,
16 To make their land an (T)object of horror,
An object of perpetual (U)hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be [i]horrified
And (V)shake his head.
17 Like an (W)east wind I will (X)scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will [j]show them (Y)My back and not My face
(Z)In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let us (AA)devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the (AB)law is not going to perish from the priest, nor (AC)counsel to the wise man, nor the divine (AD)word to the prophet! Come on and let us (AE)strike at him with our tongue, and let us (AF)give no heed to any of his words.”
19 Do give heed to me, O Yahweh,
And listen to the voice of those who contend against me!
20 (AG)Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have (AH)dug a pit for [k]me.
Remember how I (AI)stood before You
To speak good on their behalf,
So as to turn away Your wrath from them.
21 Therefore, (AJ)give their children over to famine
And deliver them up to the [l]power of the sword;
And let their wives become (AK)childless and (AL)widowed.
Let their men also be [m]smitten to death,
Their (AM)young men struck down by the sword in battle.
22 May an (AN)outcry be heard from their houses,
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
(AO)For they have dug a pit to capture me
And (AP)hidden snares for my feet.
23 Yet You, O Yahweh, know
All their [n]deadly counsel against me;
(AQ)Do not atone for their iniquity
Or blot out their sin from before You.
But may they be [o](AR)overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the (AS)time of Your anger!
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 18:3 Lit pair of stone discs
- Jeremiah 18:8 Or regret, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 3
- Jeremiah 18:10 Lit regret
- Jeremiah 18:13 Lit these
- Jeremiah 18:15 Lit to worthlessness
- Jeremiah 18:15 As in ancient versions; Heb caused them to
- Jeremiah 18:15 Or in
- Jeremiah 18:15 Or in
- Jeremiah 18:16 Or desolate, cf. Lev 26:32
- Jeremiah 18:17 As in ancient versions; M.T. look them in the back and not in the face
- Jeremiah 18:20 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 18:21 Lit hands of
- Jeremiah 18:21 Lit killed
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit unto death
- Jeremiah 18:23 Lit ones made to stumble
Jeremiah 18
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Potter’s House
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Get up, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal my words to you.”
3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and he was making something on the wheel. 4 But the pot he was forming out of the clay was ruined as he shaped it with his hands, so the potter formed it into a different pot, whatever he saw fit to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me.
6 House of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? declares the Lord. See, like clay in the potter’s hands, that is what you are in my hands, house of Israel. 7 One time I may say that a nation or a kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8 but if that nation I spoke about repents of its evil, then I will relent and not bring the disaster I had planned to bring against it. 9 Another time I may say that a nation or a kingdom is to be built and planted, 10 but if they do what is evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, then I will not bring about the good I said I would do for them.
11 Now therefore say this to the men of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says. Look! I am forming a disaster against you. I am devising a plan against you. Turn from your evil ways, each of you, and reform your ways and your actions.
12 But they will say, “It is hopeless! Each of us will always walk in the stubbornness of his own evil heart.”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says.
Ask among the nations,
“Who has ever heard anything like this?”
Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever disappear from its rocky slopes?
Does cold water flowing from a long distance ever run dry?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me.
They burn incense to false gods,
that make them stumble in their ways,
in the ancient paths.
They walk on side roads,
on roads not built up.
16 They make their land something horrible,
a target of lasting contempt.[a]
Everyone who passes by will be horrified and shake his head.
17 Like the east wind I will scatter them in front of their enemies.
I will show them my back and not my face on the day of their calamity.
A Plot Against Jeremiah
18 Some people said, “Come on! Let’s make plans against Jeremiah, because the law will not vanish from the priest, nor guidance from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come on, let’s attack him with words and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord.
Listen to what my opponents are saying.
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before you to speak on their behalf,
to turn your anger from them.
21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine,
and hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives become childless widows.
Let their men be put to death,
and their young men be struck in battle by the sword.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring marauders against them,
because they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, are aware of all their plots to kill me.
Do not forgive their guilt.
Do not blot out their sin from your sight.
Let them be overthrown in your presence.
Deal with them in the time of your anger.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 18:16 Literally hissing
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