The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah

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- Chapter 18 -

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

“Rise up and descend into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words.”

And I descended into the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel.

And the vessel, which he was making with his hands out of clay, broke. And turning away, he made another vessel, for it had been pleasing in his eyes to make it.

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

“Am I not able to do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done, says the Lord? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

Suddenly, I will speak against a nation and against a kingdom, so that I may uproot, and destroy, and scatter it.

If that nation, against which I have spoken, will repent from their evil, I too will repent from the evil that I have decided I would do to them.

And soon, I will speak about a nation and about a kingdom, so that I may build and plant it.

If it does evil in my sight, so as not to listen to my voice, I will repent of the good that I have said I would do to it.

Now, therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am forming an evil against you, and I am considering a plan against you. Let each one of you return from his evil way, and direct your ways and your intentions well.”(a)

And they said: “We have lost hope. And so we will follow our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the depravity of his own evil heart.”

For this reason, thus says the Lord: “Inquire among the Gentiles. Who has heard of such horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done to excess?

Do the snows of Lebanon fail to fall on the rocks of the field? Or are the cold waters, which burst forth and flow down, able to be rooted out?

Yet my people have forgotten me, offering useless libations, and stumbling in their ways, in the paths of the world, so that they walk by these on an unmarked route.

And so their land has been given over to desolation and to perpetual hissing. Each one who passes by will be astonished and will shake his head.

Like a burning wind, I will disperse them in the sight the enemy. I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their perdition.”

Another Plot against Jeremiah

(Jeremiah 11:18–23)

And they said: “Come, and let us devise a plan against Jeremiah. For the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor a sermon from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words.”

Attend to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.

Should evil be rendered for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul! Remember that I have stood in your sight, so as to speak on their behalf for good, and to avert your indignation from them.(b)

Because of this, give their sons over to famine, and bring them to the hand of the sword. Let their wives be widows without children. And let their husbands be slain by death. Let their youths be stabbed with the sword in battle.

Let an outcry be heard from their houses. For you will lead the robber upon them suddenly. For they have dug a pit, so that they may seize me, and they have hidden snares for my feet.

But you, O Lord, know all their plans against me unto death. May you not forgive their iniquity, and do not allow their sin be taken away from your face. Let them be thrown down in your sight, in the time of your fury, so that you may destroy them.

Footnotes

(a)18:11 The word malum can refer to moral evil, or it can refer to disaster, calamity, harm, and the like. Thus God is not planning to do moral evil, but to punish the unrepentant with afflictions.(Conte)

(b)18:20 Remember, etc:This is spoken in the person of Christ, persecuted by the Jews, and prophetically denouncing the evils that should fall upon them in punishment of their crimes.(Challoner)

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

“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear my words.”

Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the wheels.

When the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Then the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“House of Israel, can’t I do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

At the instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it,

if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.

At the instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it,

if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good with which I said I would benefit them.

“Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘The LORD says: “Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a plan against you. Everyone return from his evil way now, and amend your ways and your doings.”’

But they say, ‘It is in vain; for we will walk after our own plans, and we will each follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

Therefore the LORD says: “Ask now among the nations, ‘Who has heard such things?’ The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.

Will the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? Will the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?

For my people have forgotten me. They have burned incense to false gods. They have been made to stumble in their ways in the ancient paths, to walk in byways, in a way not built up,

to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished, and shake his head.

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 calamity.

Another Plot against Jeremiah

(Jeremiah 11:18–23)

Then they said, “Come! Let’s devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law won’t perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let’s strike him with the tongue, and let’s not give heed to any of his words.”

Give heed to me, LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me.

Should evil be recompensed for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.

Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and give them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widows. Let their men be killed and their young men struck by the sword in battle.

Let a cry be heard from their houses when you bring a troop suddenly on them; for they have dug a pit to take me and hidden snares for my feet.

Yet, LORD, you know all their counsel against me to kill me. Don’t forgive their iniquity. Don’t blot out their sin from your sight, Let them be overthrown before you. Deal with them in the time of your anger.