| King James Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, | 1The message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: |
| 2Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. | 2"Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I'll allow you to hear my words." |
| 3Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. | 3So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was doing work at the potter's wheel. |
| 4And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. | 4But the vessel he was working on with the clay was ruined in the potter's hand. So he remade it into another vessel that seemed appropriate to him. |
| 5Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, | 5Then this message from the LORD came to me: |
| 6O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. | 6"Israel, can't I deal with you like this potter?" declares the LORD. "Look, Israel, like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. |
| 7At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; | 7At one moment I may speak about a nation or a kingdom to uproot it, pull it down, or destroy it. |
| 8If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. | 8But if that nation about which I spoke turns from its evil way, I'll change my mind about the disaster that I had planned for it. |
| 9And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; | 9At another moment I may speak about a nation or kingdom to build it or plant it. |
| 10If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. | 10But if that nation does evil in my eyes by not obeying me, I'll change my mind about the good that I said I would bring on it. |
| 11Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. | 11"Now say to the people of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem, 'This is what the LORD says: "Look, I'm designing a disaster just for you, and I'm making plans against you. Each one of you must repent from his evil way. Make your ways and deeds right."' |
| 12And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. | 12But they'll say, 'It's useless! We will follow our plans and each of us will pursue his own evil desires.' |
| 13Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. | 13"Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'Ask the nations. Who has ever heard of anything like this? You have done a most horrible thing, virgin Israel. |
| 14Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? | 14Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Or does the cold water from a foreign land ever cease to flow? |
| 15Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; | 15Yet my people have forgotten me, and they burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their journey on the ancient paths. They walk on trails, on a way that is not built up. |
| 16To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. | 16They make their land into a desolate place, an object of lasting scorn. All who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads. |
| 17I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. | 17Like the east wind, I'll scatter them before the enemy. I'll show them my back and not my face, on the day of their downfall.'" |
| 18Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. | 18Then they said, "Come, let's make up a plot against Jeremiah. After all, the priest's instruction, the wise man's counsel, and the prophet's message won't be destroyed. So let's verbally attack him. Pay no attention to anything he says!" |
| 19Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. | 19LORD, pay attention to me. Listen to the voice of my accusers! |
| 20Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. | 20Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit to take my life. Remember! I stood before you and spoke good on their behalf in order to turn your wrath away from them. |
| 21Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. | 21Therefore, make their children undergo famine, and deliver them over to death in time of war. May their women be childless widows! May their men be slaughtered! May their young men be slain by the sword in battle! |
| 22Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. | 22Let a cry be heard from their houses because you have brought a raiding party against them suddenly. For they have dug a pit to capture me and have set traps for my feet. |
| 23Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger. | 23But you, LORD, know all their plots to kill me. Don't forgive their iniquity, and don't erase their sin from your sight. Let them stumble before you. When it's time for you to be angry, act against them! |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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