Then the  Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

then the  Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Now the  Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

And the  Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Now the  Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

Now out of the ground the  Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils,

brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils

‘“Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.

“Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should turn fortified cities
into heaps of ruins,

They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there and worked for the king.

These were the potters who were inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the king’s service.

You will break them with a rod of iron ;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’

You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.

he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.

Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?

He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?

Can a corrupt throne be allied with you –
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?

Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?

The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

You built a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the Old Pool,
but you did not look to the One who made it,
or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.

You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.

When its twigs are dry, they are broken off
and women come and make fires with them.
For this is a people without understanding;
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator shows them no favour.

When its boughs are dry, they are broken;
women come and make a fire of them.
For this is a people without discernment;
therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;
he who formed them will show them no favor.

You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
‘You did not make me’?
Can the pot say to the potter,
‘You know nothing’?

You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?

It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.’

and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel
that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a shard is found
with which to take fire from the hearth,
or to dip up water out of the cistern.”

‘Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.

“‘Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins,

‘I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes –
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.

I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name;
he shall trample on rulers as on mortar,
as the potter treads clay.

But now, this is what the  Lord says –
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

But now thus says the  Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’

everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the  Lord,
‘and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.

“You are my witnesses,” declares the  Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.

the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.

This is what the  Lord says –
he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you:
do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Thus says the  Lord who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

All who make idols are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to their own shame.

All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.

Who shapes a god and casts an idol,
which can profit nothing?

Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?

The blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.

The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.

‘Remember these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.

Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

‘This is what the  Lord says –
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the  Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,
who spreads out the earth by myself,

Thus says the  Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb:
“I am the  Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,

I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the  Lord, do all these things.

I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the  Lord, who does all these things.

‘Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
“What are you making?”
Does your work say,
“The potter has no hands”?

“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no handles’?

‘This is what the  Lord says –
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?

Thus says the  Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
“Ask me of things to come;
will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?

For this is what the  Lord says –
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited –
he says:
‘I am the  Lord,
and there is no other.

For thus says the  Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it empty,
he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the  Lord, and there is no other.

From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfil my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.

calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.

And now the  Lord says –
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honoured in the eyes of the  Lord
and my God has been my strength –

And now the  Lord says,
he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for I am honored in the eyes of the  Lord,
and my God has become my strength—

no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the  Lord,
and this is their vindication from me,’
declares the  Lord.

no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the  Lord
and their vindication from me, declares the  Lord.”

Yet you,  Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

But now, O  Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including Israel, the people of his inheritance –
the  Lord Almighty is his name.

Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the  Lord of hosts is his name.

‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’

“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.”

So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.

So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel.

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the  Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

“O house of Israel can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the  Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

‘Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, “This is what the  Lord says: look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.”

Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the  Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’

This is what the  Lord says: ‘Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests

Thus says the  Lord, “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests,

and say to them, “This is what the  Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.

and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the  Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury.

‘This is what the  Lord says, he who made the earth, the  Lord who formed it and established it – the  Lord is his name:

“Thus says the  Lord who made the earth, the  Lord who formed it to establish it— the  Lord is his name:

He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance –
the  Lord Almighty is his name.

Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the  Lord of hosts is his name.

How the precious children of Zion,
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!

The precious sons of Zion,
worth their weight in fine gold,
how they are regarded as earthen pots,
the work of a potter’s hands!

and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple – its arrangement, its exits and entrances – its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.

And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out.

He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth –
the  Lord God Almighty is his name.

For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the  Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

This is what the Sovereign  Lord showed me: he was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up.

This is what the Lord  God showed me: behold he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
the wealth from all its treasures!

Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of the treasure
or of the wealth of all precious things.

‘Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.

“What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes speechless idols!

And the  Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ – the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the  Lord.

Then the  Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”— the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the  Lord, to the potter.

A prophecy: the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

The  Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares:

The oracle of the word of the  Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the  Lord who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: