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Jeremiah 18

The Potter and the Clay

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The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,

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"Arise and  ago down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you."

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Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the  1wheel.

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But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

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Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,

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"Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the  aclay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

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"At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to  auproot, to pull down, or to destroy it;

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 aif that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will  1 brelent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.

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"Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to  abuild up or to plant it;

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if it does  aevil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will  1 bthink better of the good with which I had promised to  2bless it.

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"So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, `Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am  afashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh  bturn back, each of you from his evil way, and  1reform your ways and your deeds."'

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"But  athey will say, `It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the  bstubbornness of his evil heart.'

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"Therefore thus says the LORD, ` aAsk now among the nations, Who ever heard the like of  1this? The  bvirgin of Israel Has done a most  cappalling thing.

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`Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country? Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever snatched away?

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`For  aMy people have forgotten Me,  bThey burn incense  1to worthless gods And they  2have stumbled  3from their ways,  3From the  cancient paths, To walk in bypaths, Not on a  dhighway,

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To make their land a  adesolation, An object of perpetual  bhissing; Everyone who passes by it will be astonished And  cshake his head.

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`Like an  aeast wind I will  bscatter them Before the enemy; I will  1show them  cMy back and not My face  dIn the day of their calamity.' "

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Then they said, "Come and let us  adevise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the  blaw is not going to be lost to the priest, nor  ccounsel to the sage, nor the divine  dword to the prophet! Come on and let us  estrike at him with our tongue, and let us  fgive no heed to any of his words."

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Do give heed to me, O LORD, And listen to  1what my opponents are saying!

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 aShould good be repaid with evil? For they have  bdug a pit for  1me. Remember how I  cstood before You To speak good on their behalf, So as to turn away Your wrath from them.

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Therefore,  agive their children over to famine And deliver them up to the  1power of the sword; And let their wives become  bchildless and  cwidowed. Let their men also be smitten to death, Their  dyoung men struck down by the sword in battle.

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May an  aoutcry be heard from their houses, When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;  bFor they have dug a pit to capture me And  chidden snares for my feet.

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Yet You, O LORD, know All their  1deadly designs against me;  aDo not  2forgive their iniquity Or blot out their sin from Your sight. But may they be  3 boverthrown before You; Deal with them in the  ctime of Your anger!



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(Produced: Sat Dec 22 11:23:45 2007)

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