Beginning
The Potter’s House and the Ruined Vessel
18 The message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I’ll allow you to hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was doing work at the potter’s wheel. 4 But the vessel he was working on with the clay was ruined in the potter’s hand. So he remade it into another vessel that seemed appropriate to him.
5 Then this message from the Lord came to me: 6 “Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter?” declares the Lord. “Look, Israel, like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 7 At one moment I may speak about a nation or a kingdom to uproot it, pull it down, or destroy it. 8 But if that nation about which I spoke turns from its evil way, I’ll change my mind about the disaster that I had planned for it. 9 At another moment I may speak about a nation or kingdom to build it or plant it. 10 But if that nation does evil in my eyes by not obeying me, I’ll change my mind about the good that I said I would bring on it.
11 “Now say to the people of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Look, I’m designing a disaster just for you, and I’m making plans against you. Each one of you must repent from his evil way. Make your ways and deeds right.”’ 12 But they’ll say, ‘It’s useless! We will follow our plans and each of us will pursue his own evil desires.’[a]
13 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
‘Ask the nations.
Who has ever heard of anything like this?
You have done a most horrible thing,
virgin Israel.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever vanish from its rocky slopes?[b]
Or does the cold water from a foreign land
ever cease to flow?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me,
and they burn incense to worthless idols
that make them stumble in their journey
on the ancient paths.
They walk on trails,
on a way that is not built up.
16 They make their land into a desolate place,
an object of lasting scorn.[c]
All who pass by will be appalled
and will shake their heads.[d]
17 ‘Like the east wind, I’ll scatter them
before the enemy.
I’ll show them my back and not my face,
on the day of their downfall.’”
Jeremiah Reacts to the Plot against Him
18 Then they said, “Come, let’s make up a plot against Jeremiah. After all, the priest’s instruction, the wise man’s counsel, and the prophet’s message won’t be destroyed.[e] So let’s verbally attack him. Pay no attention to anything he says!”
19 Lord, pay attention to me.
Listen to the voice of my accusers!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit to take my life.[f]
Remember! I stood before you
and spoke good on their behalf
in order to turn your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, make their children undergo famine,
and deliver them over to death in time of war.[g]
May their women be childless widows!
May their men be slaughtered![h]
May their young men be slain
by the sword in battle!
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses because you
have brought a raiding party against them suddenly.
For they have dug a pit to capture me
and have set[i] traps for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know all their plots to kill me.
Don’t forgive their iniquity,
and don’t erase their sin from your sight.
Let them stumble before you.
When it’s time for you to be angry, act against them!
The Lesson of the Broken Jug
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a potter’s clay jug. Take along[j] some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests. 2 Go out to the Valley of Hinnom[k] at the entrance to the Potsherd Gate, and there proclaim the words that I’m telling you.
3 “You are to say, ‘Hear this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem!
“‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I’m about to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of all who hear about it tingle. 4 For they have forsaken me and have treated this place as foreign. In it they have burned incense to other gods that neither they, their ancestors, nor the kings of Judah knew. They have also filled this place with the blood of innocent people. 5 They built the high places[l] for Baal to burn their children in the fire as a burnt offering to Baal—something I didn’t command, didn’t say, nor did it ever enter my mind!
6 “‘“Therefore, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 I’ll shatter[m] the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I’ll make them fall by the sword before their enemies and at the hands of those seeking their lives. I’ll give their dead bodies as food to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the land. 8 I’ll make this city into a desolate place and an object of scorn.[n] All who pass by it will be astonished and will scoff[o] because of all its wounds. 9 I’ll cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and daughters,[p] and people will eat the flesh of their neighbors in the siege and in the distress to which their enemies and those seeking their lives will subject them.”’”
10 “Then you are to break the jug in front of the men who have come with you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “In this same way I’ll break this people and this city, just as someone breaks a potter’s vessel which he then cannot put back together again. They’ll bury corpses[q] in Topheth until there is no more room to bury anyone.[r] 12 This is what I’ll do to this place and its residents,” declares the Lord, “making this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be polluted like Topheth, as will be all the houses on whose roofs people[s] burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out liquid offerings to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah went from Topheth where the Lord had sent him to prophesy. He stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple, saying to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I’m about to bring on this city and all its towns all the disaster that I declared against it because they were determined[t] not to obey my message.’”
Jeremiah Denounced
20 When the priest Pashhur, Immer’s son, who was the officer in charge[u] of the Lord’s Temple heard Jeremiah prophesying these words, 2 Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate of the Temple. 3 The next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, and Jeremiah told him, “The Lord has not named you Pashhur, but rather Magor-missabib.[v] 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Look, I’m going to make you a terror to yourself and to all your loved ones. They’ll fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. I’ll give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will take them into exile to Babylon, and he will execute them with swords. 5 I’ll turn over all the wealth of this city, all its possessions, all its valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah right into the hands of their enemies, and they’ll plunder them, capture them, and take them to Babylon. 6 You, Pashhur, and all those living in your house will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon and there you will die. There you and all your loved ones[w] to whom you have falsely prophesied will be buried.’”
Jeremiah’s Complaint to the Lord
7 You deceived me, Lord,
and I’ve been deceived.
You overpowered me,
and you prevailed.
I’ve become a laughing stock all day long,
and everyone mocks me.
8 Indeed, as often as I speak, I cry out,
and shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For this message from the Lord has caused me
constant[x] reproach and derision.
9 When I say, “I won’t remember the Lord[y],
nor will I speak in his name anymore,
then there is this burning fire in my heart.
It is bound up in my bones,
I grow weary of trying to hold it in,
and I cannot do it!
10 Indeed, I hear many people whispering,
“Terror on every side.[z]
Denounce him, let’s denounce him!”
All my close friends watch my steps and say,
“Perhaps he will be deceived,
and we can prevail against him
and take vengeance on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a fearsome warrior.
Therefore, those who pursue me will stumble
and won’t prevail.
They’ll be put to great shame,
when they don’t succeed.
Their everlasting disgrace won’t be forgotten.
12 Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
who tests the righteous,
who sees the inner motives[aa] and the heart,
let me see you take vengeance on them,
for I’ve committed my case to you.
13 Sing to the Lord,
give praise to the Lord!
For he saves the life of the poor
from the hand of the wicked.
Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth
14 Let the day on which I was born be cursed.
Don’t let the day on which my mother gave birth to me be blessed.
15 Cursed is the person who brought
the good news to my father,
“A baby boy has been born to you,”
making him very happy.
16 May that man be like the cities that
the Lord overthrew without compassion.
Let him hear a cry in the morning,
and a battle cry at noon,
17 because he didn’t kill me in the womb,
so that my mother would have been my grave
and her womb forever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow,
and to finish my life living in shame?
Zedekiah’s Request for a Miracle
21 The message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Malchijah’s son Pashhur and Maaseiah’s son Zephaniah the priest: 2 “Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is fighting against us. Perhaps the Lord will do some of his miraculous acts[ab] for us, and Nebuchadnezzar[ac] will depart from us.”
3 Jeremiah told them, “This is what you are to say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I’m about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. I’ll gather them into the center of this city. 5 Because of my anger, wrath, and great fury, I’ll fight against you myself with an outstretched hand and a strong arm. 6 I’ll strike down the residents of this city, both people and animals, and they’ll die from a terrible plague. 7 Afterwards,” declares the Lord, “I’ll give King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials,[ad] and the people—those who are left in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine—into the control of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, right into the hand of their enemies and the hand of those who want to kill them. He’ll execute them with swords and won’t pity them. He won’t spare them, nor will he have compassion on them.”’
8 “You are to say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I’m about to set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live. He will save his life as a spoil of war.[ae] 10 Indeed, I’m firmly decided—I’m sending calamity to this city, not good,” declares the Lord. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will set it on fire.”’
The Guilt of Judah’s King
11 “To the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear this message from the Lord.
12 This is what the Lord says, house of David:
“Judge appropriately every morning,
and deliver those who have been robbed
from the oppressor,
so my anger does not break out like fire
and burn with no one to put it out
because of your evil deeds.
13 “Look, I’m against you,
city dwelling in the valley,
rock of the plain,”
declares the Lord,
“those of you who say, ‘Who can come down against us
and who can enter our habitations?’
14 But I’ll punish you according to
what you have done,”[af]
declares the Lord.
“I’ll start a fire in her forest,
and it will consume everything around her.”’”
Instructions for the Kings of Judah
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and tell him this: 2 ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officials,[ag] and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don’t mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place. 4 Rather, carefully obey this message,[ah] and then kings sitting for David on his throne and riding in chariots and on horses will enter the gates of this house. The king will enter along with his officials[ai] and his people. 5 But if you don’t listen to these words, I swear,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a ruin.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says about the house of the king of Judah,
“You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of Lebanon.
Yet I’ll surely make you a desert,
towns where no one lives.
7 I’ll appoint people to destroy you—
men with their weapons.
They’ll cut down some of your choice cedars[aj]
and incinerate them.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city and say to one another, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this great city?’ 9 Then people[ak] will respond, ‘It is[al] because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have bowed down to other gods and served them.’
10 “Don’t cry for the dead
or grieve for them.
Weep bitterly for the one going away,
because he won’t return again
nor see the land of his birth.
11 “For this is what the Lord says about Josiah’s son Shallum,[am] king of Judah, who reigned in place of his father Josiah: ‘He went out from this place and won’t return to it again. 12 He will die in the place where they exiled him, and he won’t ever[an] see this land again.’”
An Oracle against Jehoiakim
13 “How terrible for him who builds his house
without righteousness,
and its upper rooms without justice,
who makes his neighbor work for nothing,
and does not pay him his wage.
14 How terrible for[ao] him who says, ‘I’ll build a large
house for myself with spacious upper rooms,
who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar and painting it red.’
15 Are you a king because you try to outdo
everyone with cedar?
Your father ate and drank and upheld
justice and righteousness, did he not?
And then it went well for him.
16 He judged the case of the poor and needy.
And then it went well for him.
Isn’t this what it means to know me?
17 But your eyes and heart are on nothing but
your dishonest gain,
shedding the blood of innocent people,
and practicing oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
“They won’t lament for him with these words:[ap]
‘How terrible, my brother,
How terrible, my sister!’
They won’t lament for him with these words:[aq]
‘How terrible, lord,
How terrible, your[ar] majesty!’
19 He will receive[as] a donkey’s burial,
dragged out and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
An Oracle against Jerusalem
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
to Bashan and lift up your voice.
Cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers[at]
have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you when you were secure,[au]
but you said, “I won’t listen!”
This has been your way since your youth,
for you haven’t obeyed me.
22 The wind will shepherd[av] all your shepherds,[aw]
and your lovers[ax] will go into exile.
Indeed, you will then be ashamed and humiliated
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon,
who build your nest in the cedars,
how you will groan when pains come upon you,
pain like that of a woman giving birth.
An Oracle against Jehoiachin
24 “As certainly as I’m alive and living,” declares the Lord, “even if Jehoiakim’s son King Jehoiachin[ay] of Judah were a signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off 25 and give you to those who are trying to kill you, whom you fear—that is, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I’ll hurl you and the mother who gave birth to you into another land where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 As for the land to which you[az] want to return, you[ba] won’t return there!
28 “Is this man Jehoiachin[bb] a despised and shattered jar,
a vessel no one wants?
Why were he and his descendants hurled away,
thrown into a land that they didn’t know?
29 Land, land, land,
listen to this message from the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
‘Write this man off as childless,
a man who does not prosper in his lifetime.[bc]
None of his descendants will succeed
in sitting on the throne of David,
or ever ruling in Judah again.’”
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