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

Arise, and go¹ down to the potter's house, and there I will cause² thee to hear my words.

Then I went³ down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels⁴.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in⁵ the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

⁶Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁷O 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 what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck⁸ up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

If that nation⁹, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will¹⁰ repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build¹¹ and to plant it;

¶ If it do¹² evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then¹³ I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

¶ Now therefore go to,¹⁴ speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise¹⁵ a device against you: return¹⁶ ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

And they said, There¹⁷ is no hope: but we will walk¹⁸ after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask¹⁹ ye now among the heathen, who²⁰ hath heard such things: the virgin²¹ of Israel hath done a very²² horrible thing.

Will²³ a man leave the snow²⁴ of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

Because my people²⁵ hath forgotten me, they have burned²⁶ incense to vanity, and they have caused²⁷ them to stumble in their ways from the ancient²⁸ paths, to walk²⁹ in paths, in a way not cast up;

To make³⁰ their land desolate, and a perpetual³¹ hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be³² astonished, and wag his head.

I will scatter³³ them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew³⁴ them the back, and not the face, in the day³⁵ of their calamity.

¶ Then said they, Come³⁶, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the³⁷ law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel³⁸ from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite³⁹ him with⁴⁰ the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

Give⁴¹ heed to me, O LORD, and hearken⁴² to the voice of them that contend with me.

¶ Shall evil⁴³ be recompensed for good? for they have digged⁴⁴ a pit for my soul. Remember⁴⁵ that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.

Therefore deliver⁴⁶ up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood⁴⁷ 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 young⁴⁸ men be slain by the sword in battle.

Let a cry⁴⁹ be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for⁵⁰ they have digged a pit to take me, and hid⁵¹ snares for my feet.

Yet, LORD, thou⁵² knowest all their counsel against me to slay me:⁵³ forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the⁵⁴ time of thine anger.