Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Broken Jar

19 Thus says the Lord, “Go and buy a ^(A)potter’s earthenware ^(B)jar, and take some of the ^(C)elders of the people and some of the ^[a](D)senior priests. ² Then go out to the ^(E)valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and ^(F)proclaim there the words that I tell you, ³ and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O ^(G)kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a ^(H)calamity upon this place, at which the ^(I)ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. ⁴ Because they have ^(J)forsaken Me and have ^(K)made this an alien place and have burned ^[b]sacrifices in it to ^(L)other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the ^(M)blood of the innocent ⁵ and have built the ^(N)high places of Baal to burn their ^(O)sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My ^[c]mind; ⁶ therefore, behold, ^(P)days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called ^(Q)Topheth or ^(R)the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. ⁷ I will ^(S)make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and ^(T)I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their ^(U)carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. ⁸ I will also make this city a ^(V)desolation and an object of hissing; ^(W)everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its ^[d]disasters. ⁹ I will make them ^(X)eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’

¹⁰ “Then you are to break the ^(Y)jar in the sight of the men who accompany you ¹¹ and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Just so will I ^(Z)break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will ^(AA)bury in Topheth ^[e]because there is no other place for burial. ¹² This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The ^(AB)houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be ^(AC)defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the ^(AD)houses on whose rooftops they burned ^[f]sacrifices to ^(AE)all the heavenly host and ^(AF)poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

¹⁴ Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the ^(AG)court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: ¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have ^(AH)stiffened their necks so ^(AI)as not to heed My words.’”

¹¹ “And the ^(A)merchants of the earth ^(B)weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more— ¹² cargoes of ^(C)gold and silver and precious ^[a]stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and ^[b]bronze and iron and marble, ¹³ and cinnamon and ^[c]spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and ^[d]slaves and ^[e](D)human lives. ¹⁴ The fruit ^[f]you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. ¹⁵ The ^(E)merchants of ^(F)these things, who became rich from her, will ^(G)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, ¹⁶ saying, ‘^(H)Woe, woe, ^(I)the great city, she who ^(J)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and ^[g]adorned with gold and precious ^[h]stones and pearls; ¹⁷ for in ^(K)one hour such great wealth has been laid ^(L)waste!’ And ^(M)every shipmaster and every ^[i]passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, ^(N)stood at a distance, ¹⁸ and were ^(O)crying out as they ^(P)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘^(Q)What city is like ^(R)the great city?’ ¹⁹ And they threw ^(S)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘^(T)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea ^(U)became rich by her ^[j]wealth, for in ^(V)one hour she has been laid ^(W)waste!’ ^20 (X)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[k]saints and ^(Y)apostles and prophets, because ^(Z)God has ^[l]pronounced judgment for you against her.”