Jeremiah 18
English Standard Version
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to (A)the potter's house, and there I will let you hear[a] my words.” 3 So I went down to (B)the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was (C)spoiled in the potter's hand, and (D)he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, (E)can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. (F)Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will (G)pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, (H)turns from its evil, (I)I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will (J)build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. (K)Return, every one from his evil way, and (L)amend your ways and your deeds.’
12 “But they say, (M)‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to (N)the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore thus says the Lord:
(O)Ask among the nations,
Who has heard the like of this?
The virgin Israel
has done (P)a very horrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave
the crags of Sirion?[b]
Do the mountain waters run dry,[c]
the cold flowing streams?
15 (Q)But my people have forgotten me;
they make offerings to (R)false gods;
they made them stumble in their ways,
(S)in the ancient roads,
and to walk into side roads,
(T)not the highway,
16 making their land (U)a horror,
a thing (V)to be hissed at forever.
(W)Everyone who passes by it is horrified
(X)and shakes his head.
17 (Y)Like the east wind (Z)I will scatter them
before the enemy.
(AA)I will show them my back, not my face,
in the day of their calamity.”
18 Then they said, (AB)“Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, (AC)for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. (AD)Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”
19 Hear me, O Lord,
and (AE)listen to the voice of my adversaries.
20 (AF)Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet (AG)they have dug a pit for my life.
(AH)Remember how I stood before you
to speak good for them,
to turn away your wrath from them.
21 Therefore (AI)deliver up their children to famine;
give them over to the power of the sword;
let their wives become childless (AJ)and widowed.
May their men meet death by pestilence,
their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.
22 (AK)May a cry be heard from their houses,
when you bring the plunderer suddenly upon them!
For (AL)they have dug a pit to take me
(AM)and laid snares for my feet.
23 Yet (AN)you, O Lord, know
all their plotting to kill me.
(AO)Forgive not their iniquity,
nor blot out their sin from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 18:2 Or will cause you to hear
- Jeremiah 18:14 Hebrew of the field
- Jeremiah 18:14 Hebrew Are foreign waters plucked up
耶利米书 18
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
陶匠制造陶器的比喻
18 耶和华有话临到耶利米，说： 2 “起来，下到陶匠的家里去，在那里我要使你听到我的话。” 3 我就下到陶匠的家里去，见他正在转盘旁工作。 4 陶匠用他手中的泥所做的器皿坏了，他就用这泥再做别的器皿，照着自己的意思去作。
5 于是耶和华的话临到我，说： 6 “以色列家啊！难道我不能待你们像这陶匠所作的一样吗？”这是耶和华的宣告。“看哪！泥在陶匠的手中怎样，以色列家啊！你们在我的手中也必怎样。 7 我甚么时候宣布要拔出、拆毁、毁灭一邦或一国， 8 如果我论到的那一邦转离他们的恶行，我就必回心转意，不把我原定的灾祸降给他们。 9 同样，我甚么时候宣布要建立、栽植一邦或一国， 10 如果他们行我眼中看为恶的事，不听从我的话，我就必回心转意，不把我应许的好处赐给他们。
11 “现在你要对犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民说：‘耶和华这样说：看哪！我正在制造灾祸对付你们，拟定计划惩罚你们。你们各人要回转，离开自己的恶道，改正你们的行径和作为。’ 12 他们却说：‘没用的！我们要随着自己的计划而行，各人要按着自己顽梗的恶心行事。’”
弃绝 神的必遭弃绝
13 因此耶和华这样说：
“你们问一问列国，
有谁听见过像这样的事呢？
童女以色列竟行了一件非常骇人的事。
14 黎巴嫩山上岩石的积雪融化过吗？
从远处流下清凉的溪水干涸过吗？
15 但我的子民竟忘记我，
向虚无的偶像烧香，
以致他们在自己的路上、
在古道上绊倒，
行走小路，不是修建过的大道。
16 他们的土地变为荒凉，
成为永远被人嗤笑的对象；
经过这地的，
都必惊骇摇头。
17 在他们的敌人面前，
我要像东风吹散他们；
在他们遭难的日子，
我必使他们只见我的背，不见我的面。”
耶利米求 神对付敌人
18 他们说：“来吧！我们来设计对付耶利米；因为祭司的律法、智慧人的谋略、先知的话都不会断绝。来吧！我们用舌头攻击他，不理会他的一切话。”
19 耶和华啊！求你倾听我的申诉，
听那些指控我的人的声音。
20 良善的应得恶报吗？
他们竟然挖陷坑害我。
求你记念我怎样站在你面前，
为他们说好话，
使你的烈怒离开他们。
21 因此，愿你使他们的儿女遭受饥荒，
把他们交给刀剑（“刀剑”原文作“刀剑的手”）；
愿他们的妻子丧夫失子；
愿他们的男人被杀死，
他们的壮丁在战场上被刀剑击杀。
22 你使侵略者忽然临到他们的时候，
愿人从他们的屋里听见呼救声；
因为他们挖陷坑要捉拿我，
埋藏网罗要绊我的脚。
23 耶和华啊！至于你，
你知道他们要杀我的一切计谋。
求你不要赦免他们的罪孽，
不要从你面前涂抹他们的罪！
使他们在你面前绊倒；
求你在发怒的时候，对付他们。
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.