Jeremiah

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

1This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD.

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

2"Get up and go down to the potter's house. There I will let you hear what I have to say."

3Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

3So I went down to the potter's house. There he was, working at his wheel.

4And 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.

4The pot he was shaping from the clay came out wrong in his hands. So he made it over into a different pot, whatever shape seemed best to him.

NoteA potter shapes wet clay into pots on a spinning wheel. If a pot goes wrong, the clay can be squashed down and started again.

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

5Then the message of the LORD came to me. He said:

6O 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.

6"People of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does with his clay? says the LORD. Clay sits in the potter's hand. You sit in mine.

7At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

7At any moment I may say that a nation or kingdom will be pulled up, torn down, and destroyed.

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

8But if that nation I warned turns away from its evil, I will change my mind. I will not send the trouble I planned.

Note"I will repent of the evil" in the older wording does not mean God did wrong. "Repent" here means change one's mind, and "evil" means the trouble or disaster He planned to send.

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

9And at any moment I may say that a nation or kingdom will be built up and planted.

10If 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.

10But if it does evil in my sight and will not listen to me, I will change my mind about the good I promised it.

11Now 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.

11So now, say this to the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem. The LORD says: I am shaping trouble for you and making a plan against you. Turn back, each of you, from your evil way. Make your ways and your actions good."

12And 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.

12But they said, "It is no use. We will follow our own plans. Each of us will do what his stubborn, evil heart wants."

13Therefore 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.

13So the LORD says: Ask around among the nations. Who has ever heard anything like this? Israel, my young bride, has done a horrible thing.

Note"The virgin of Israel" is a way of speaking about the nation as a young unmarried woman, someone expected to be faithful.

14Will 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?

14Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave its rocky slopes? Do those cold streams from far away ever dry up?

15Because 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;

15But my people have forgotten me. They burn incense to worthless idols. Those idols made them trip on their way. They left the old roads and walk on rough side paths instead of the main highway.

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

16So their land will be left empty, a place people always laugh at. Everyone passing by will be shocked and shake his head.

17I 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.

17I will blow them away in front of their enemy, like a hot east wind. On the day trouble comes, I will turn my back on them, not my face.

18Then 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.

18Then the people said, "Come on, let's make plans against Jeremiah. We will always have priests to teach the law, wise men to advise us, and prophets to speak. Let's attack him with our words and ignore everything he says."

Note"Smite him with the tongue" means attack him with words: accusing him, spreading things about him, ruining his name.

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

19Listen to me, LORD! Hear what the people arguing against me are saying.

20Shall 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.

20Should good be paid back with evil? Yet they have dug a pit to trap me. Remember how I stood before you and spoke up for them, to turn your anger away from them.

21Therefore 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.

21So hand their children over to hunger. Let the sword strike them down. Let their wives lose their children and their husbands. Let their men die, and their young men be killed in battle.

22Let 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.

22Let crying be heard from their houses when you suddenly send raiders against them. For they dug a pit to catch me and hid traps for my feet.

23Yet, 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.

23But you, LORD, know every plan they have made to kill me. Do not forgive their guilt or wipe their sin from your sight. Let them fall down in front of you. Deal with them when your anger comes.