THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 18 ©
By the parable of the potter, God shows unto His people His power to make or save them and to break, and thereupon exhorts them to repentance, vs. 1, 2, etc. But complains of their rebellion, great ingratitude, such as not to be found among the gentiles, or elsewhere, for which He must needs punish them, 12. The prophet complains of their bloodthirsty counsels against him, and prays unto God to punish them for the same, 18.
THE word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Arise, and go down to 1the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he 2wrought a work on the 3wheels.
And the vessel that he 4made of clay was 5marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it 6again another vessel, as seemed 7good to the potter to make it.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
O house of Israel, cannota I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, asb 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 8pluck up,c and to pull down, and to destroy it;
If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will 9repent of the 10evil that I thought to do unto 11them.
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the 12good, wherewith I said I would benefit 13them.
¶Now therefore go to, speak to the 14men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I 15frame 16evil against you, and devise a 17device against you: returnd ye now every one from his evil way, and 18make your ways and your doings good.
And they said, 19Theree is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the 20imagination of his evil heart.
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Askf ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the 21virgin of Israel hath done a very 22horrible thing.
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh 23from the rock of the field? or shall the 24cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?
Because my people hath forgotteng me, they have burned incense to 25vanity, and 26they have caused them to stumble in 27their ways from the 28ancienth paths, to walk in 29paths, in a way not 30cast up;
31To makei their land 32desolate, and a perpetual 33hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his 34head.
I will scatterj them 35as with an east windk before the enemy; I will shew them the 36back, and not the face, in the day of their 37calamity.
¶Then said 38they, Come, and let us devise 39devices against Jeremiah; for thel40law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him 41with the tongue,m and let us not give heed to any of his words.
Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them 42that contend with me.
43Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my 44soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak 45good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.
Therefore 46deliver up their children to the famine,n and 47pour out their blood by the 48force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their 49children, and be widows; and let their men be put 50to death; let their young men be slain 51by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt 52bring a 53troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a 54pit to take me, and 55hid snares for my feet.
Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me 56to slay me: 57forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin 58from thy sight, but 59let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus 60with them in the time of thine anger.