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The Potter and the Clay

18 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh saying, “Arise and (A)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the [a]wheel. 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.

Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “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. At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (C)uproot, to tear down, or to make it perish; (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. 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.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 18:3 Lit pair of stone discs
  2. Jeremiah 18:8 Or regret, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 3
  3. Jeremiah 18:10 Lit regret
  4. Jeremiah 18:13 Lit these
  5. Jeremiah 18:15 Lit to worthlessness
  6. Jeremiah 18:15 As in ancient versions; Heb caused them to
  7. Jeremiah 18:15 Or in
  8. Jeremiah 18:15 Or in
  9. Jeremiah 18:16 Or desolate, cf. Lev 26:32
  10. Jeremiah 18:17 As in ancient versions; M.T. look them in the back and not in the face

Parable of the Potter

18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down at once to the potter’s house;(A) there I will reveal my words to you.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.[a] But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.(B)

The word of the Lord came to me: “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.(C) At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it.(D) However, if that nation about which I have made the announcement turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it.(E) At another time I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it.(F) 10 However, if it does what is evil in my sight by not listening to me, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it.(G) 11 So now, say to the men of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to bring harm to you and make plans against you. Turn now, each from your evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds.’(H) 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless.(I) We will continue to follow our plans, and each of us will continue to act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

Deluded Israel

13 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:

Ask among the nations,
who has heard things like these?
Virgin Israel has done a most horrible thing.(J)
14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave the highland crags?
Or does cold water flowing from a distance ever fail?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me.(K)
They burn incense to worthless idols
that make them stumble in their ways(L)
on the ancient roads,(M)
and make them walk on new paths, not the highway.
16 They have made their land a horror,(N)
a perpetual object of scorn;[b](O)
all who pass by it will be appalled(P)
and shake their heads.(Q)
17 I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind.(R)
I will show them[c] my back and not my face(S)
on the day of their calamity.

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Footnotes

  1. 18:3 Lit pair of stones
  2. 18:16 Lit hissing
  3. 18:17 LXX, Lat, Syr, Tg; MT reads will look at them