Jeremiah 18

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

²“Rise up and descend into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words.”

³And I descended into the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel.

⁴And the vessel, which he was making with his hands out of clay, broke. And turning away, he made another vessel, for it had been pleasing in his eyes to make it.

⁵Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁶“Am I not able to do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done, says the Lord? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

⁷Suddenly, I will speak against a nation and against a kingdom, so that I may uproot, and destroy, and scatter it.

⁸If that nation, against which I have spoken, will repent from their evil, I too will repent from the evil that I have decided I would do to them.

⁹And soon, I will speak about a nation and about a kingdom, so that I may build and plant it.

¹⁰If it does evil in my sight, so as not to listen to my voice, I will repent of the good that I have said I would do to it.

¹¹Now, therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am forming an evil against you, and I am considering a plan against you. Let each one of you return from his evil way, and direct your ways and your intentions well.”

¹²And they said: “We have lost hope. And so we will follow our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the depravity of his own evil heart.”

¹³For this reason, thus says the Lord: “Inquire among the Gentiles. Who has heard of such horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done to excess?

¹⁴Do the snows of Lebanon fail to fall on the rocks of the field? Or are the cold waters, which burst forth and flow down, able to be rooted out?

¹⁵Yet my people have forgotten me, offering useless libations, and stumbling in their ways, in the paths of the world, so that they walk by these on an unmarked route.

¹⁶And so their land has been given over to desolation and to perpetual hissing. Each one who passes by will be astonished and will shake his head.

¹⁷Like a burning wind, I will disperse them in the sight the enemy. I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their perdition.”

¹⁸And they said: “Come, and let us devise a plan against Jeremiah. For the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor a sermon from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words.”

¹⁹Attend to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.

²⁰Should evil be rendered for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul! Remember that I have stood in your sight, so as to speak on their behalf for good, and to avert your indignation from them.

²¹Because of this, give their sons over to famine, and bring them to the hand of the sword. Let their wives be widows without children. And let their husbands be slain by death. Let their youths be stabbed with the sword in battle.

²²Let an outcry be heard from their houses. For you will lead the robber upon them suddenly. For they have dug a pit, so that they may seize me, and they have hidden snares for my feet.

²³But you, O Lord, know all their plans against me unto death. May you not forgive their iniquity, and do not allow their sin be taken away from your face. Let them be thrown down in your sight, in the time of your fury, so that you may destroy them.

Jeremiah 18

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

²Arise, and go down into the potter's house, and there thou shalt hear my words.

³And I went down into the potter's house, and behold he was doing a work on the wheel.

⁴And the vessel was broken which he was making of clay with his hands: and turning he made another vessel, as it seemed good in his eyes to make it.

⁵Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁶Cannot I do with you, as this potter, O house of Israel, saith the Lord? behold as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

⁷I will suddenly speak against a nation, and against a kingdom, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy it.

⁸If that nation against which I have spoken, shall repent of their evil, I also will repent of the evil that I have thought to do to them.

⁹And I will suddenly speak of a nation and of a kingdom, to build up and plant it.

¹⁰If it shall do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice: I will repent of the good that I have spoken to do unto it.

¹¹Now therefore tell the men of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: let every man of you return from his evil way, and make ye your ways and your doings good.

¹²And they said; We have no hopes: for we will go after our own thoughts, and we will do every one according to the perverseness of his evil heart.

¹³Therefore thus saith the Lord: Ask among the nations: Who hath heard such horrible things, as the virgin of Israel hath done to excess?

¹⁴Shall the snow of Libanus fail from the rock of the field? or can the cold waters that gush out and run down, be taken away?

¹⁵Because my people have forgotten me, sacrificing in vain, and stumbling in their ways, in ancient paths, to walk by them in a way not trodden:

¹⁶That their land might be given up to desolation, and to a perpetual hissing: every one that shall pass by it, shall be astonished, and wag his head.

¹⁷As a burning wind will I scatter them before the enemy: I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their destruction.

¹⁸And they said: Come, and let us invent devices against Jeremiah: for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet: come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us give no heed to all his words.

¹⁹Give heed to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.

²⁰Shall evil be rendered for good, because they have digged a pit for my soul? Remember that I have stood in thy sight, to speak good for them, and to turn away thy indignation from them.

²¹Therefore deliver up their children to famine, and bring them into the hands of the sword: let their wives be bereaved of children and widows: and let their husbands be slain by death: let their young men be stabbed with the sword in battle.

²²Let a cry be heard out of their houses: for thou shalt bring the robber upon them suddenly: because they have digged a pit to take me, and have hid snares for my feet.

²³But thou, O Lord, knowest all their counsel against me unto death: not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from thy sight: let them be overthrown before thy eyes, in the time of thy wrath do thou destroy them.