Jer 18 | NASB1995 | STEP | The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying ,

Jeremiah 18

The Potter and the Clay

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and ^ago down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the ^{▼▼ Lit pair of stone discs}wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the ^cclay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7 “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ^duproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8 ^eif that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will ^{▼▼ Lit repent of
,} ^grelent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9 “Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ^hbuild up or to plant it; 10 if it does ⁱevil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will ^{▼▼ Lit repent
,} ^kthink better of the good with which I had promised to ^{▼▼ Lit do it good}bless it. 11 “So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am ^mfashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh ⁿturn back, each of you from his evil way, and ^{▼▼ Lit make good}reform your ways and your deeds.”’ 12 “But ^pthey will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the ^qstubbornness of his evil heart.’ 13 “Therefore thus says the Lord,
‘ ^rAsk now among the nations,
Who ever heard the like of ^{▼▼ Lit these}this?
The ^tvirgin of Israel
Has done a most ^uappalling thing.
14 ‘Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever snatched away?
15 ‘For ^vMy people have forgotten Me,
^wThey burn incense ^{▼▼ Lit to worthlessness}to worthless gods
And they ^{▼▼ So ancient versions; Heb caused them to}have stumbled ^{▼▼ Or in}from their ways,
^{▼▼ Or in}From the ^abancient paths,
To walk in bypaths,
Not on a ^achighway,
16 To make their land a ^addesolation,
An object of perpetual ^aehissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And ^afshake his head.
17 ‘Like an ^ageast wind I will ^ahscatter them
Before the enemy;
I will ^{▼▼ So ancient versions; M.T. reads look them in the back and not in the face}show them ^ajMy back and not My face
^akIn the day of their calamity.’”

18 Then they said, “Come and let us ^aldevise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the ^amlaw is not going to be lost to the priest, nor ^ancounsel to the sage, nor the divine ^aoword to the prophet! Come on and let us ^apstrike at him with our tongue, and let us ^aqgive no heed to any of his words.” 19 Do give heed to me, O Lord,
And listen to ^{▼▼ Lit the voice of my opponents}what my opponents are saying!
20 ^asShould good be repaid with evil?
For they have ^atdug a pit for ^{▼▼ Lit my soul}me.
Remember how I ^avstood before You
To speak good on their behalf,
So as to turn away Your wrath from them.
21 Therefore, ^awgive their children over to famine
And deliver them up to the ^{▼▼ Lit hands of}power of the sword;
And let their wives become ^aychildless and ^azwidowed.
Let their men also be smitten to death,
Their ^bayoung men struck down by the sword in battle.
22 May an ^bboutcry be heard from their houses,
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
^bcFor they have dug a pit to capture me
And ^bdhidden snares for my feet.
23 Yet You, O Lord, know
All their ^{▼▼ Lit unto death}deadly designs against me;
^bfDo not ^{▼▼ Lit cover over, atone for}forgive their iniquity
Or blot out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be ^{▼▼ Lit ones made to stumble
,} ^bioverthrown before You;
Deal with them in the ^bjtime of Your anger!