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19 Thus said Yahweh, “Go, and buy a potter’s earthen container, and take some of the elders of the people, and of the elders of the priests; and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I will tell you. Say, ‘Hear Yahweh’s word, kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will bring evil on this place, which whoever hears, his ears will tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have defiled this place, and have burned incense in it to other gods that they didn’t know, they, their fathers, and the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents, and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their children in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I didn’t command, nor speak, which didn’t even enter into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that this place will no more be called ‘Topheth’, nor ‘The Valley of the son of Hinnom’, but ‘The valley of Slaughter’.

“‘“I will make the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem void in this place. I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies to be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth. I will make this city an astonishment and a hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues. I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. They will each eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies, and those who seek their life, will distress them.”’

10 “Then you shall break the container in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall tell them, ‘Yahweh of Armies says: “Even so I will break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, that can’t be made whole again. They will bury in Topheth, until there is no place to bury. 12 This is what I will do to this place,” says Yahweh, “and to its inhabitants, even making this city as Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, will be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the army of the sky and have 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 court of Yahweh’s house, and said to all the people: 15 “Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.’”

The Broken Jar

19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a (A)potter’s earthenware (B)jar, and take some of the (C)elders of the people and some of the [a](D)senior priests. Then go out to the (E)Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the [b]Potsherd Gate, and (F)proclaim there the words that I tell you, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you (G)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a (H)disaster upon this place, at which the (I)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. Since they have (J)abandoned Me and have (K)made this place foreign, and have burned [c]sacrifices in it to (L)other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the (M)blood of the innocent 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 did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My [d]mind; therefore, behold, (P)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called (Q)Topheth or (R)the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. And I will (S)frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and (T)I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their (U)carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. I will also turn this city into an object of (V)horror and [e]hissing; (W)everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [f]hiss because of all its [g]disasters. And 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 during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’

10 “Then you are to break the (Y)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will (Z)break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will (AA)bury their dead in Topheth, [h]because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 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 [i]sacrifices to (AE)all the heavenly [j]lights and (AF)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the (AG)courtyard of the Lords house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have (AH)stiffened their necks so (AI)as not to listen to My words.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 19:1 Or elders of the
  2. Jeremiah 19:2 I.e., pottery fragment
  3. Jeremiah 19:4 Or incense
  4. Jeremiah 19:5 Lit heart
  5. Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistling
  6. Jeremiah 19:8 Or whistle
  7. Jeremiah 19:8 Lit wounds
  8. Jeremiah 19:11 Or until there is no place left to bury
  9. Jeremiah 19:13 Or incense
  10. Jeremiah 19:13 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.