Jeremiah 19
Legacy Standard Bible
The Broken Jar
19 Thus says Yahweh, “Go and buy a (A)potter’s earthenware (B)jar, and take some of the (C)elders of the people and some of the (D)elders of the priests. 2 Then go out to the (E)valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and there (F)call out the words that I tell you 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, O (G)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring a (H)calamity upon this place, at which the (I)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Because they have (J)forsaken Me and have (K)made this a foreign place and have burned incense in it to (L)other gods, that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the (M)blood of the innocent 5 and have built the (N)high places of Baal to burn their (O)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever come upon My heart, 6 therefore, behold, (P)days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when this place will no longer be called (Q)Topheth or (R)the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. 7 I will (S)empty out the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem to the point of destruction in this place, and (T)I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their (U)carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 8 I will also make this city an (V)object of horror and of hissing; (W)everyone who passes by it will be [a]horrified and hiss because of all its [b]slaughtering. 9 I will make them (X)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’
10 “Then you are to break the (Y)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Just so will I (Z)break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will (AA)bury in Topheth [c]because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is what I will do to this place and its inhabitants,” declares Yahweh, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 And the (AB)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be (AC)defiled like the place Topheth because of all the (AD)houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to (AE)all the heavenly host and (AF)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the (AG)court of the house of Yahweh and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have spoken against it because they have (AH)stiffened their necks so (AI)as not to hear My words.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 19:8 Or desolate, cf. Lev 26:32
- Jeremiah 19:8 Lit striking
- Jeremiah 19:11 Or until there is no place left to bury
Jeremiah 19
Christian Standard Bible
The Clay Jar
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go, buy a potter’s clay(A) jar. Take[a] some of the elders of the people and some of the leading priests(B) 2 and go out to Ben Hinnom Valley(C) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you. 3 Say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.(D) This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such a disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will shudder[b](E) 4 because they have abandoned me(F) and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in it to other gods that they, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have never known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.(G) 5 They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something I have never commanded or mentioned; I never entertained the thought.[c](H)
6 “‘Therefore, look, the days are coming(I)—this is the Lord’s declaration—when this place will no longer be called Topheth and Ben Hinnom Valley, but Slaughter Valley.(J) 7 I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who intend to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.(K) 8 I will make this city desolate, an object of scorn. Everyone who passes by it will be appalled and scoff because of all its wounds.(L) 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other’s flesh in the distressing siege inflicted on them by their enemies who intend to take their life.’(M)
10 “Then you are to shatter the jar in the presence of the people going with you, 11 and you are to proclaim to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I will shatter these people and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be mended. They will bury the dead in Topheth because there is no other place for burials.(N) 12 That is what I will do to this place—this is the declaration of the Lord—and to its residents, making this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become impure like that place Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they have burned incense to all the stars in the sky(O) and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”
14 Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple,(P) and proclaimed to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring on this city—and on all its cities—every disaster that I spoke against it, for they have become obstinate, not obeying my words.’”(Q)
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