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

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

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

Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

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

Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

But the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, so he remade it into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

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

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

At any moment I might speak concerning a nation or a kingdom, to uproot it, tear it down, or destroy it.

At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

But if that nation I have warned repents of its evil, then I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to bring upon it.

If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

And at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or kingdom, to build it up or to plant it.

And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

But if it does evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, then I will relent concerning the good I had promised to bless it with.

If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

And now, 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. Turn now, each one from his evil way, and reform your ways and deeds.’

Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

But they will say, ‘It’s no use. We will continue to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart.’

And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

Therefore, thus says the Lord: Ask now among the nations, ‘Who has ever heard things like these? The virgin Israel has done something utterly appalling.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

Does snow vanish from Lebanon’s rocky slopes? Do cool, flowing waters from afar dry up?

Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

Yet My people have forgotten Me; they burn incense to worthless idols. They have stumbled in their ways, on ancient paths, and have strayed onto byways, roads not built up.

Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

They have made their land a desolation, a perpetual object of scorn. All who pass by it are appalled and shake their heads.

To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.

Like an east wind, I will scatter them before their enemies. I will show them My back and not My face on the day of their calamity.

I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

Then they said, 'Come, let's devise plans against Jeremiah, for instruction won't vanish from the priest, counsel from the wise, or a word from the prophet. Come, let's attack him with our words, and let's not pay attention to anything he says.'

Then said they, Come, and let us devise 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 smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

Listen to me, Lord! Hear what my accusers are saying!

Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.

Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak on their behalf, to turn Your wrath away from them.

Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.

So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widowed, and let their men die by deadly disease; let their young men be struck down in battle.

Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.

Let a cry be heard from their houses when You suddenly bring a raiding party upon them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and hidden snares for my feet.

Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.

But You, Lord, know all their plans to kill me. Do not forgive their wrongdoing, do not blot out their sin from Your sight. Let them collapse before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.

Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.