Jeremiah 19

The Broken Jar

1Thus says the Lord, “Go and buy a apotter’s earthenware bjar, and take some of the celders of the people and some of the
Or elders of
,
esenior priests.
2Then go out to the fvalley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and gproclaim there the words that I tell you, 3and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O hkings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a icalamity upon this place, at which the jears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4Because they have kforsaken Me and have lmade this an alien place and have burned
Or incense
sacrifices in it to nother gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the oblood of the innocent
5and have built the phigh places of Baal to burn their qsons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My
Lit heart
mind;
6therefore, behold, sdays are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called tTopheth or uthe valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. 7“I will vmake void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and wI 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 xcarcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 8I will also make this city a ydesolation and an object of hissing; zeveryone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its
Lit blows
disasters.
9“I will make them abeat 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.”’

10Then you are to break the acjar in the sight of the men who accompany you 11and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Just so will I adbreak this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will aebury in Topheth
Or until there is no place left to bury
because there is no other place for burial.
12This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13“The aghouses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be ahdefiled like the place Topheth, because of all the aihouses on whose rooftops they burned
Or incense
sacrifices to akall the heavenly host and alpoured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

14Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the amcourt of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: 15Thus 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 anstiffened their necks so aoas not to heed My words.’”
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