²⁶ Then God said, ^(A)“Let us make man^[a] in our image, ^(B)after our likeness. And ^(C)let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, ^(E)“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. ^(F)You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And ^(G)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ^31 (H)And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

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.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^(A)who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, ^(B)to answer back to God? ^(C)Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ^21 (D)Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^(E)one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(A)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(B)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁶ For ^(F)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(G)To him be glory forever. Amen.