1 The Word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,2 Arise and go down to the potters house, and there I will cause you to hear My Words.3 Then I went down to the potters house, and, behold, he was fashioning an object on the wheel.4 And the vessel that he made of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.5 Then the Word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,6 O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? says Jehovah. Behold, as the clay is in the potters hands, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.7 The instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck it up; or to pull it down, and to destroy it;8 if that nation, against whom I have spoken, will turn from their evil, I will be moved with compassion regarding the evil that I thought to do to them.9 And the instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and plant it;10 if it does evil in My eyes, so that it does not obey My voice, then I will regret the good by which I said I would do good to them.11 Now then, go speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am forming evil against you, and devising a plan against you. Return now, each one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.12 And they said, There is no hope; but we will walk after our own thoughts, and we will each one do according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.13 Therefore thus says Jehovah, Ask now among the nations; who has heard the likes of this? The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.14 Does the snow of Lebanon avoid the rock of the field? Or shall the cold flowing waters be forsaken for that which comes from another place?15 Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in byways, and not in the highway,16 to make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing. Everyone who passes by will be appalled, and will 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 calamity.18 Then they said, Come and let us devise schemes against Jeremiah. For the Law shall not perish from the priest, nor wisdom from the wise, nor the Word from the prophet. Come and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.19 Give attention to me; O Jehovah, and hear the voice of those who contend with me.20 Should evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, to turn away Your wrath from them.21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the hand of the sword. Let their wives be bereaved, and become widows. Let their men be slain to death, and their young men struck by the sword in battle.22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when You suddenly bring a troop upon them. For they have dug a pit to take me, and have hidden snares for my feet.23 Yet, Jehovah, You know all their counsel against me to kill me. Do not forgive their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight, but let them be overthrown before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.
1 The word that was maad of the Lord to Jeremye,2 and seide, Rise thou, and go doun in to the hous of a pottere, and there thou schalt here my wordis.3 And Y yede doun in to the hous of a pottere, and lo! he made a werk on a wheel.4 And the vessel was distried, which he made of clei with hise hondis; and he turnede it, and made it another vessel, as it pleside in hise iyen to make.5 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,6 and he seide, Whether as this pottere doith, Y mai not do to you, the hous of Israel? seith the Lord. Lo! as cley is in the hond of a pottere, so ye, the hous of Israel, ben in myn hond.7 Sudenli Y schal speke ayens a folk, and ayens a rewme, that Y drawe out, and distrie, and leese it.8 If thilke folk doith penaunce of his yuel, which Y spak ayens it, also Y schal do penaunce on the yuel, which Y thouyte to do to it.9 And Y schal speke sudenli of a folk, and of a rewme, that Y bilde, and plaunte it.10 If it doith yuel bifore myn iyen, that it here not my vois, Y schal do penaunce on the good which Y spak, that Y schulde do to it.11 Now therfor seie thou to a man of Juda, and to the dwellere of Jerusalem, and seie, The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y make yuel ayens you, and Y thenke a thouyte ayens you; ech man turne ayen fro his yuel weie, and dresse ye youre weies and youre studies.12 Whiche seiden, We han dispeirid, for we schulen go after oure thouytis, and we schulen do ech man the schrewidnesse of his yuel herte.13 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Axe ye hethene men, who herde siche orible thingis, whiche the virgyn of Israel hath do greetli?14 Whether snow of the Liban schal fail fro the stoon of the feeld? ether coolde watris brekynge out, and fletynge doun moun be takun awei?15 For my puple hath foryete me, and offriden sacrifices in veyn, and snaperiden in her weies, and in the pathis of the world, that thei yeden bi tho in a weie not trodun;16 that the lond of hem schulde be in to desolacioun, and in to an hissyng euerlastinge; for whi ech that passith bi it, schal be astonyed, and schal moue his heed.17 As a brennynge wynd Y schal scatere hem bifor the enemy; Y schal schewe to hem the bak and not the face, in the dai of the perdicioun of hem.18 And thei seiden, Come ye, and thenke we thouytis ayens Jeremye; for whi the lawe schal not perische fro a preest, nether councel schal perische fro a wijs man, nether word schal perische fro a profete; come ye, and smyte we hym with tunge, and take we noon heede to alle the wordis of hym.19 Lord, yyue thou tent to me, and here thou the vois of myn aduersaries.20 Whether yuel is yoldun for good, for thei han diggid a pit to my soule; haue thou mynde, that Y stoode in thi siyt, to speke good for hem, and to turne awei thin indignacioun fro hem.21 Therfor yyue thou the sones of hem in to hungur, and lede forth hem in to the hondis of swerd; the wyues of hem be maad with out children, and be maad widewis, and the hosebondis of hem be slayn bi deth; the yonge men of hem be persid togidere bi swerd in batel.22 Cry be herd of the housis of hem, for thou schalt bringe sudenli a theef on hem; for thei diggiden a pit to take me, and hidden snaris to my feet.23 But thou, Lord, knowist al the councel of hem ayens me in to deth; do thou not merci to the wickidnesse of hem, and the synne of hem be not doon awei fro thi face; be thei maad fallynge doun in thi siyt, in the tyme of thi stronge veniaunce; vse thou hem to othir thing than thei weren ordeyned.