18 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, and said, (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, and said,)

² Rise thou, and go down into the house of a potter, and there thou shalt hear my words.

³ And I went down into the house of a potter, and lo! he made a work on a wheel.

⁴ And the vessel was destroyed, which he made of clay with his hands; and he turned it, and made it another vessel, as it pleased in his eyes to make. (And when the vessel, which he made out of clay with his hands, was not acceptable, he turned it again, and made it into another vessel, which did please his eyes.)

⁵ And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

⁶ Whether as this potter doeth, I may not do to you, the house of Israel? saith the Lord. Lo! as clay is in the hand of a potter, so ye, the house of Israel, be in mine hand (Lo! like clay is in a potter’s hands, so ye, the house of Israel, be in my hands).

⁷ Suddenly I shall speak against a folk, and against a realm, that I draw (it) out, and destroy (it), and lose it.

⁸ If that folk doeth penance of his evil, which I spake against it, also I shall do penance on the evil, which I thought to do to it. (But if that nation doeth penance for their evil, for which I spoke against them, then I shall do penance for the evil, which I thought to do to them.)

⁹ And I shall speak suddenly of a folk, and of a realm, that I build, and plant it. (And at any moment I shall speak of a nation, or of a kingdom, that I build it, or that I plant it.)

¹⁰ (But) If it doeth evil before mine eyes, (and) that it hear not my voice, (then) I shall do penance on the good which I spake, that I should do to it.

¹¹ Now therefore say thou to a man of Judah, and to the dweller of Jerusalem, and say, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I make evil against you, and I think a thought against you; each man turn again from his evil way, and (ad)dress ye your ways and your studies. (And so now say thou to the people of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I make evil plans against you, and I think thoughts against you; each person turn away from their evil ways, and direct, or amend, ye your ways and your deeds.)

¹² Which said, We have despaired, for we shall go after our thoughts, and we shall do each man the shrewdness of his evil heart. (But they said, We despair, for we feel that we must go after our own thoughts, and each person doeth the depravity of his own evil heart.)

¹³ Therefore the Lord saith these things, Ask ye heathen men, who heard such horrible things, which the virgin of Israel hath done greatly? (And so the Lord saith these things, Ask ye the heathen, who hath heard of such a horrible thing, as that which the virgin of Israel hath done?)

¹⁴ Whether [the] snow of the Lebanon shall fail from the stone of the field? either cold waters breaking out, and floating down, may be taken away? (Shall the snow in Lebanon fail to fall on the stones of the field? or shall cold water breaking out, and flowing down, not be taken away?)

¹⁵ For my people hath forgotten me, and they offered sacrifices in vain, and stumbled in their ways, and in the paths of the world (and stumbled on their own ways, and on the paths of the world), (so) that they went by those in a way not trodden;

¹⁶ that the land of them should be into desolation, and into an hissing everlasting; for why each that passeth by it, shall be astonied, and shall move his head. (so that their land now be into desolation, and into an everlasting hissing; for each person who passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall move their head.)

¹⁷ As a burning wind I shall scatter them before the enemy (Like a burning wind I shall scatter them before the enemy); I shall show to them the back and not the face, in the day of the perdition of them.

¹⁸ And they said, Come ye, and think we thoughts against Jeremy; for why the law shall not perish from a priest, neither counsel shall perish from a wise man, neither word shall perish from a prophet (for the Law shall never perish from, or be lost to, a priest, nor good advice from a wise man, nor God’s word from a prophet); come ye, and smite we him with (the) tongue, and take we none heed to all the words of him.

¹⁹ Lord, give thou attention to me, and hear thou the voice of mine adversaries.

²⁰ Whether evil is yielded for good, for they have digged a pit to my soul; have thou mind, that I stood in thy sight, to speak good for them, and to turn away thine indignation from them. (Shall evil be yielded for good, for they have dug a pit for me; remember, O Lord, that I stood in thy sight, to speak good of them, and to turn away thy indignation from them.)

²¹ Therefore give thou the sons of them into hunger, and lead forth them into the hands of [the] sword; the wives of them be made without children, and be made widows, and the husbands of them be slain by death; the young men of them be pierced together by sword in battle. (And so give thou their sons into hunger, and lead them forth into the hands of the sword; let their wives be made without children, and be made widows, and let their husbands be killed; and let their young men be altogether pierced by the sword in battle.)

²² Cry be heard of the houses of them, for thou shalt bring suddenly a thief on them; for they digged a pit to take me, and hid snares to my feet. (Let a cry be heard from their houses, for thou shalt suddenly bring a thief upon them; for they dug a pit to catch me, and hid snares for my feet.)

²³ But thou, Lord, knowest all the counsel of them against me into death; do thou not mercy to the wickedness of them, and the sin of them be not done away from thy face; be they made falling down in thy sight, in the time of thy strong vengeance; use thou them to other thing than they were ordained (use thou them for something other than what they were ordained for).