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

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

³ Then I went down to the potter’s house; and, behold, he wrought a work upon a wheel.

⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was broken in the hand of the potter: so he made it again 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, can I not do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.

⁷ In an instant I shall speak against Gentiles and against kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy.

⁸ But if these Gentiles shall turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

⁹ And in an instant I shall speak concerning the nation and concerning the kingdom, to build and to plant it;

¹⁰ but if it should do evil in my sight, not hearing my voice, then I will repent of the good that I had determined to do unto them.

¹¹ ¶ Now therefore, speak to every man of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus hath the LORD said: Behold, I ordain evil against you and devise plans against you; return ye now each one from his evil way, and better your ways and your doings.

¹² And they said, This is useless, for we must walk after our own devices, and we must each one do the imagination of his evil heart.

¹³ Therefore thus hath the LORD said; Ask now among the Gentiles, who has heard such things: the virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.

¹⁴ Will anyone leave the snow of the rock of the field that flows from Lebanon? or shall they forsake the singular, cold, flowing waters?

¹⁵ Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not trodden;

¹⁶ to make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passes thereby shall be astonished and wag his head.

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

¹⁸ ¶ Then they said, 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 consider any of his words.

¹⁹ Consider me, O LORD, and hear the voice of those that contend with me.

²⁰ Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them and to turn away thy wrath from them.

²¹ Therefore deliver up their sons 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.

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

²³ Yet, LORD, thou dost know all their counsel against me to slay me; do not forgive 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.