Jeremiah 18

1 The word ^awhich came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

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

3 Then^c I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the ¹wheels.²

4 And^d the vessel that he made of clay was marred³ in the hand of the potter; so he made it again⁴ another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

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

6 O house of Israel, ^ecannot 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.

7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to ^gpluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it:

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

9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, ^jto build and to plant it:

10 If^k 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.

11 ¶ Now, therefore, go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, ^lI frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: ⁿreturn ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.⁵

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

13 Therefore thus saith the LORD, ^pAsk ye now among the heathen, who have heard such things: the ^qvirgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

14 Will^r a man leave ⁶the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?⁷

15 Because^s my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to ^tvanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ^uancient paths, ^vto walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

16 To make their land ^xdesolate, and a perpetual hissing: ^yevery one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.

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

18 ¶ Then said they, ^bCome, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; ^cfor the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the ⁸prophet: ^dcome, and let us smite him with⁹ the tongue,¹ and let us not ^egive heed to any of his words.

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

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

21 Therefore ^kdeliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood² 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.

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

23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me ^oto slay me:³ forgive^p 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.