Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

SHIN

Jeremiah at the potter's house^[a]

18 The Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: ² ‘Go down to the potter's house. I will tell you my message there.’ ³ So I went down to the potter's house. He was working at his wheel. ⁴ He was using clay to make pots with his hands. But, as he worked, sometimes a pot had the wrong shape. So he used the clay to make it into another pot. He made it in the shape that he wanted.

⁵ Then the Lord told me his message. ⁶ He said, ‘I tell you this: I can do to you, nation of Israel, the same thing that this potter does with his clay. I hold you in my hands, as the potter holds the clay in his hands. ⁷ Sometimes I may warn a nation or a kingdom that I will knock it down and destroy it. ⁸ But when I warn them, those people might stop doing wicked things. Then I would not punish them as I had promised to do. ⁹ Sometimes I may promise to build up a nation or a kingdom and make it strong. ¹⁰ But those people might start to do evil things. They might stop obeying me. Then I would not help them as I had promised to do.

¹¹ So now you must speak to the people who live in Jerusalem and in all of Judah. Tell them that the Lord says this: “Listen to me! I will cause great trouble for you. I have decided to punish you. So you must all stop doing the evil things that you have been doing. Change the way that you live and do things that are right.”

²⁰ In some of the cities Jesus had done many powerful things. But some people in those cities did not want to stop doing wrong things. They did not want to change how they lived. So Jesus spoke against those people. ²¹ He said to them, ‘You people in Chorazin, it will be very bad for you! And it will be very bad for you, people in Bethsaida. I have done great and powerful things in your cities. If I had done such great things in Tyre and in Sidon, the people there would have changed how they lived. They would have shown they were sorry for their sins. They would have put on clothes made from goat's hair. They would also have put ashes on their heads. ²² Yes, when God judges everyone, he will punish the people from Tyre and Sidon. But he will punish much more you people from Chorazin and Bethsaida. ²³ And what will happen to you people in Capernaum? You think that God will lift you up to heaven, do you? No! He will throw you down to Hades, the place for dead people. I did powerful things in your town. If I had done these powerful things in Sodom, it would still be there today. ²⁴ I tell you this. When God judges everyone, he will punish the people from Sodom. But he will punish you people much more!’^[a]