The Lord Sends Jeremiah to the Potter’s House
1A message from the Lord came to me. He said, 2“Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house. I saw him working at his wheel. 4His hands were shaping a pot out of clay. But he saw that something was wrong with it. So he formed it into another pot. He shaped it in the way that seemed best to him.
5Then the Lord’s message came to me. 6“People of Israel, I can do with you just as this potter does,” announces the Lord. “The clay is in the potter’s hand. And you are in my hand, people of Israel. 7Suppose I announce that something will happen to a nation or kingdom. Suppose I announce that it will be pulled up by the roots. And I announce that it will be torn down and destroyed. 8But suppose the nation I warned turns away from its sins. Then I will not do what I said I would. I will not bring trouble on it as I had planned. 9But suppose I announce that a nation or kingdom is going to be built up and planted. 10And then it does what is evil in my eyes. It does not obey me. Then I will think again about the good things I had wanted to do for it.
11“So speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Tell them, ‘The Lord says, “Look! I am making plans against you. I am going to bring trouble on you. So each one of you must turn from your evil ways. Change the way you live and act.” ’ 12But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue to do what we’ve already planned. All of us will do what our stubborn and evil hearts want us to do.’ ”
13So the Lord says,
“Ask the nations a question. Say to them,
‘Who has ever heard anything like this?
The people of Israel have done
a very horrible thing.
14Does the snow ever disappear
from Lebanon’s rocky slopes?
Do its cool waters ever stop
flowing from places far away?
15But my people have forgotten me.
They burn incense to worthless gods.
Their gods made them trip and fall
as they walked on the old paths.
They made them use side roads
instead of roads that were built up.
16So their land will become a horrible thing.
People will make fun of it again and again.
All those who pass by it will be shocked.
They will shake their heads.
17I will sweep over my people like a wind from the east.
I will use the Babylonians to scatter them.
I will show them my back and not my face.
I will desert them when their day of trouble comes.’ ”
18They said, “Come on. Let’s make plans against Jeremiah. We’ll still have priests to teach us the law. We’ll always have wise people to give us advice. We’ll have prophets to bring us messages from the Lord. So come on. Let’s speak out against Jeremiah. We shouldn’t pay any attention to what he says.”
19Lord, please listen to me!
Hear what my enemies are saying about me!
20Should the good things I’ve done be paid back with evil?
But my enemies have dug a pit for me.
Remember that I stood in front of you
and spoke up for them.
I tried to turn your anger away from them.
21So let their children die of hunger.
Let my enemies be killed in war.
Let their wives lose their children and husbands.
Let their men be put to death.
Let their young men be killed in battle.
22Bring their enemies against them without warning.
Let cries be heard from their houses.
They have dug a pit to capture me.
They have hidden traps for my feet.
23But Lord, you know
all about their plans to kill me.
Don’t forgive their crimes.
Don’t erase their sins from your sight.
Destroy my enemies.
Punish them when the time to show your anger comes.
Ɔnwemfo No Fi
1Eyi ne Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Yeremia nkyɛn. 2“Kɔ ɔnwemfo no fi, na hɔ na mede mʼasɛm no bɛma wo.” 3Ɛno nti, mekɔɔ ɔnwemfo no fi na mihuu no sɛ, ɔreyɛ adwuma wɔ ne ntwahode so. 4Nanso kuku a na ɔde dɔte no reyɛ ho adwuma no sɛe wɔ ne nsam; ɛno nti ɔnwemfo no yɛɛ kuku foforo, sɛnea eye pa ara ma no.
5Afei Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se: 6“Israelfi, merentumi nyɛ mo sɛnea ɔnwemfo yi yɛ ana?” Awurade na ose. “Sɛnea dɔte te wɔ ɔnwemfo nsam no, saa ara na mote wɔ me nsam, Israelfi. 7Sɛ bere biara meka se ɛsɛ sɛ wotutu ɔman bi anaa ahenni bi ase, dwerɛw wɔn, sɛe wɔn a, 8na sɛ ɔman a mebɔɔ no kɔkɔ no sakra fi ne bɔne ho a, mɛsakra mʼadwene na meremfa amanehunu a misusuwii sɛ mede bɛba wɔn so mma bio. 9Na sɛ mmere foforo bi meka se, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔkyekye ɔman anaa ahenni bi gye no si hɔ, 10na sɛ ɔyɛ bɔne wɔ mʼani so na wanyɛ osetie amma me a, ɛno de mesan adwene papa a mepɛɛ sɛ meyɛ no no ho.
11“Na afei ka kyerɛ Yudafo ne wɔn a wɔtete Yerusalem no se, ‘Sɛɛ na Awurade se: Hwɛ! mede amanehunu reba mo so, na mereyɛ nhyehyɛe a etia mo. Ɛno nti mo mu biara nnan mfi nʼakwammɔne so na munsiesie mo akwan ne mo nneyɛe.’ 12Nanso wobebua se, ‘So nni mfaso. Yɛbɛkɔ so adi yɛn ara yɛn nhyehyɛe so; yɛn mu biara bɛyɛ asoɔden a efi ne koma bɔne mu.’ ”
13Ɛno nti nea Awurade se ni,
“Mummisa wɔ amanaman no mu se,
hena na wate biribi sɛɛ pɛn?
Ɔbabun Israel ayɛ
ade bi a ɛyɛ hu yiye.
14So sukyerɛmma a ɛwɔ Lebanon no18.14 Lebanon—Ɛyɛ mmepɔw atenten a ɛwɔ atifi fam no mu baako a ne sorokɔ boro anammɔn mpem du.
yera fi nʼabotan a esian no so ana?
So nʼatifi nsu wiridudu a efi akyirikyiri
no gyae sen ana?
15Nanso me nkurɔfo werɛ afi me.
Wɔhyew nnuhuam ma ahoni huhuw,
a ɛma wohintihintiw wɔ wɔn akwan so
ne tete atempɔn so.
Wɔma wɔfa kwatikwan
ne akwan a wɔmmɔe so.
16Wɔn asase bɛda mpan,
na ayɛ ade a wobebu no animtiaa daa;
wɔn a wotwa mu hɔ no ho bedwiriw wɔn
na wobehinhim wɔn ti.
17Sɛnea apuei mframa te no,
mɛbɔ wɔn ahwete wɔ wɔn atamfo anim;
mɛdan mʼakyi akyerɛ wɔn na ɛnyɛ mʼanim
wɔ wɔn amanehunu da no.”
18Wɔkae se, “Mommra ma yɛmfa adwene ntia Yeremia; sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a asɔfo no nkyerɛkyerɛ a ɛfa mmara no ho, anyansafo no afotu anaa asɛm a efi adiyifo hɔ no renyera. Mommra na yentu yɛn ano ngu ne so a yɛrentie nea ɔbɛka biara.”
19Yɛ aso ma me, Awurade;
tie nea wɔn a wɔpam me ti so no reka!
20Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde bɔne tua papa so ka ana?
Nanso wɔatu amoa ama me.
Kae sɛ migyinaa wʼanim
na mekasa maa wɔn,
sɛnea wubeyi wʼabufuwhyew afi wɔn so.
21Ɛno nti, ma ɔkɔm nne wɔn mma;
yi wɔn ma afoa.
Ma wɔn yerenom nyɛ abonin ne akunafo;
ma wonkunkum wɔn mmarima,
na wɔmfa afoa nkunkum wɔn mmerante wɔ ɔko mu.
22Ma wɔnte osu wɔ wɔn afi mu
bere a atamfo atu wɔn so sa mpofirim,
efisɛ wɔatu amoa ama me,
na wɔasunsum mʼanan mfiri.
23Nanso wunim Awurade,
pɔw a wɔabɔ nyinaa se wobekum me.
Mfa wɔn nsɛmmɔne nkyɛ wɔn,
na nyi wʼani mfi wɔn bɔne so.
Ma wonni nkogu wɔ wʼanim;
na wo ne wɔn nni wɔ wʼabufuw mu.
