Jeremiah 18

1 The Lord’s word came to Jeremiah: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house. There you will hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house and found him working at his wheel. 4 The vessel he was making collapsed in his hands, so he made it into another vessel, as he thought best. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me:

6 “House of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter does? Look, as clay is in the potter’s hands, so you are in my hands.” 7 “At one moment I may pronounce judgment against a nation or kingdom, to uproot and destroy it.” 8 “But if that nation turns from all its evil, I will change my mind about the harm I planned to do to it.” 9 “At another moment I may pronounce that a nation or kingdom will be rebuilt and planted.” 10 “But if it does evil before me and refuses to listen to my voice, I will change my mind about the good I said I would do for it.”

11 “Now say to the men of Judah and to those living in Jerusalem: Look, I am shaping disaster against you, and I am working out a plan against you. Let each one turn from his evil way, and make your conduct better.” 12 “But they said, ‘We will be strong! We will keep walking after our own turnings away, and each of us will do what pleases his own evil heart.’” 13 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Ask among the nations. Who has ever heard of such horrible things as virgin Israel has done?” 14 “Do streams from a rock or snow from Lebanon ever fail? Do waters driven by the wind turn aside?” 15 “Yet my people have forgotten me; they burned incense for nothing. They will grow weak in their ways — the ancient tracks — and take to trails that have no road for traveling,”

16 “making their land a ruin, a thing to hiss at forever. Everyone who passes through it will be appalled and shake his head.” 17 “Like a scorching wind I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them the day of their destruction.” [a] 18 Then they said, “Come, let us make a plan against Jeremiah, for law will not perish from the priest, or counsel from the wise, or a word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and we will listen closely to everything he says.” [b] 19 “Listen to me, Lord, and hear the voice of my plea.” [c] 20 “Should evil be repaid for good? For they have plotted words against my soul and hidden their punishment for me. Remember how I stood before your face to speak good for them, to turn your anger away from them.”

21 “Therefore, hand their sons over to famine and gather them under the power of the sword. Let their women become childless widows. Let their men be cut down by death and their young men fall by the sword in battle.” 22 “Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring raiders against them, because they set a plan in hand to seize me and hid snares for me.” 23 “But you, Lord, know their whole deadly plan against me. Do not leave their wrongdoings unpunished or blot out their sins from before you. Let their weakness remain before you, and deal with them in the time of your wrath.”