Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Judah Is like a Broken Jar

19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a clay ·jar [jug] from a potter. ² Take some of the elders of the people and the ·priests [^Lelders of the priests], and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the front of the Potsherd Gate. There speak [proclaim] the words I tell you. ³ Say, ‘Kings of Judah and ·people [^Linhabitants] of Jerusalem, listen to this ·message [^Lword] from the Lord. This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts], the God of Israel, says: I will soon bring ·a disaster [evil; trouble] on this place [^CJudah and Jerusalem] that will ·amaze and frighten [^Ltingle the ears of] everyone who hears about it. ⁴ They [^Cthe people of Judah] have ·quit following [abandoned; forsaken] me. They have made this a place for foreign gods. They have burned sacrifices to other gods that neither they, nor their ·ancestors [fathers], nor the kings of Judah had ever known before. They filled this place with the blood of innocent people. ⁵ They have built ·places on hilltops to worship [^Lhigh places to; ^Csites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God] Baal [^CGod of the Canaanites], where they burn their children in the fire to Baal. That is something I did not command or speak about; it never even ·entered my mind [^Lcame up in my heart; Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31; 18:10]. ⁶ Now people call this place the Valley of Ben Hinnom [2 Kin. 23:10–11] or Topheth [^C“Spit”], but the days are coming, says the Lord, when people will call it the Valley of Killing [Slaughter; 7:30–34].

⁷ “‘At this place I will ·ruin [make void] the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The enemy will chase them, and I will ·have them killed with swords [^Lmake them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life]. I will make their ·dead bodies [corpses] food for the birds of the ·sky [heavens] and ·wild animals [^Lbeasts of the land/country]. ⁸ I will ·completely destroy this city [make this city a desolation]. People will ·make fun of [hiss at] it and shake their heads when they pass by. They will ·be shocked [hiss] when they see how the city was destroyed. ⁹ An enemy army will ·surround [besiege] the city and will not let anyone go out to get food. I will make the people so hungry that they will eat the ·bodies [flesh] of their own sons and daughters, and then they will begin to eat ·each other [their neighbors].’

¹⁰ “While the people with you are watching, break that ·jar [jug]. ¹¹ Then say this: ‘The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] says: I will break this ·nation [people] and this city just as someone breaks a clay ·jar [jug] that cannot be ·put back together [mended; repaired] again. The dead people will be buried here in Topheth [^C“Spit”; v. 6; 7:32], because there is no other place for them. ¹² This is what I will do to these ·people [inhabitants] and to this place, says the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The houses in Jerusalem and the king’s palaces will become as unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] as this place, Topheth, because the people worshiped gods on the roofs of their houses [^Cflat roofs were living space]. They ·worshiped the stars and burned incense to honor them [^Lburned incense to the whole host of heaven] and gave drink offerings to gods.’”

¹⁴ When Jeremiah left Topheth [v. 11] where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, he went to the Lord’s ·Temple [^Lhouse], stood in the courtyard, and said to all the people: ¹⁵ “This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts], the God of Israel, says: ‘I will soon bring ·disaster [evil; trouble] to ·Jerusalem [^Lthis city] and the villages around it, as I said I would. This will happen because ·the people are very stubborn [^Lthey stiffened their necks] and do not listen at all to ·what I say [^Lmy words].’”

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth will ·cry [weep] and be sad about her, because now there is no one to buy their cargoes— ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, ·jewels [precious stones], pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, ·red [scarlet] cloth; all kinds of citron wood and all kinds of things made from ivory, expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³ [and cargoes of] cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, carriages [wagons], ·slaves, and human lives [^Lbodies and human souls].

¹⁴ The merchants will say [^Cimplied by the context],

¹⁵ The merchants [^Lof these things] who became rich ·from selling to her [^Lfrom her] will be afraid of her ·suffering [torment; torture] and will stand far away. They will ·cry [weep] and ·be sad [mourn] ¹⁶ and say:

Every sea captain, every passenger, the sailors, and all those who ·earn their living from [trade; work on] the sea stood far away from Babylon. ¹⁸ As they saw the smoke from her burning, they cried out loudly, “·There was never a city [What city was…?] like this great city!” ¹⁹ And they threw dust on their heads [^Ca ritual of mourning] and cried out, weeping and ·being sad [mourning]. They said: