Jer 18 | NASB2020 | STEP | The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying ,

Jeremiah 18

The Potter and the Clay

1 The word that 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 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the 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 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the ^bclay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ^cuproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 ^dif that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will ^erelent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to ^fbuild up or to plant it; 10 if it does ^gevil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will ^hrelent of the good with which I said ^{▼▼Lit to do it good}that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am ^jforming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now ^kturn back, each of you from his evil way, and ^{▼▼Lit make good}correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But ^mthey will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will ^{▼▼Lit do the}persist in the ^ostubbornness of his evil heart.’

13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘ ^pJust ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like ^{▼▼Lit these}this?
The ^rvirgin of Israel
Has done a most ^sappalling thing.
14 ‘Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 ‘For ^tMy people have forgotten Me,
^uThey burn incense ^{▼▼Lit to worthlessness}to worthless gods.
And they ^{▼▼As in ancient versions; MT caused them to}have stumbled in their ways,
In the ^xancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a ^yhighway,
16 To make their land a ^zdesolation,
An object of perpetual ^aahissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And ^abshake his head.
17 ‘Like an ^aceast wind I will ^adscatter them
Before the enemy;
I will ^{▼▼As in ancient versions; MT look them in the back and not in the face}show them ^afMy back and not My face
^agIn the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s ^ahdevise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the ^aiLaw is not going to be lost by the priest, nor ^ajadvice by the wise, nor the divine ^akword by the prophet! Come, and let’s ^alstrike at him with our tongue, and let’s ^ampay no attention to any of his words.”

19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to ^{▼▼Lit the voice of my opponents}what my opponents are saying!
20 ^aoShould good be repaid with evil?
For they have ^apdug a pit for ^{▼▼Lit my soul}me.
Remember how I ^arstood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, ^asgive their children over to famine
And turn them over to the ^{▼▼Lit hands of}power of the sword;
And let their wives become ^auchildless and ^avwidowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their ^awyoung men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a ^axcry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
^ayFor they have dug a pit to capture me
And ^azhidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their ^{▼▼Lit unto death}deadly schemes against me;
^bbDo not ^{▼▼Lit cover over, atone for}forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be ^{▼▼Lit ones made to stumble
,} ^beoverthrown before You;
Deal with them in the ^bftime of Your anger!