Jeremiah 18 summary meaning ai explained commentary

Jeremiah 18 meaning explained in AI Summary

This chapter uses the metaphor of a potter and clay to illustrate God's sovereignty and his response to the choices of nations, specifically Judah.

1. The Potter's House (1-6): God sends Jeremiah to a potter's house to observe the process of shaping clay. The potter molds and remolds the clay as he sees fit, sometimes starting over when the original design doesn't work out.

2. God's Sovereignty (7-10): God uses the potter's actions as an analogy for his relationship with nations. He has the power to build up or tear down, to bless or punish, based on their obedience or wickedness. He emphasizes that his plans are not set in stone; they are contingent on the nation's response to his call for repentance.

3. Judah's Choice (11-12): God instructs Jeremiah to warn the people of Judah that they are facing destruction because of their wickedness. However, he also offers them a way out: if they repent and turn from their evil ways, he will relent and spare them.

4. Judah's Rejection (13-17): The people of Judah, however, reject God's message and cling to their idols and wicked ways. They refuse to acknowledge the possibility of judgment and scoff at the idea of changing their ways.

5. Jeremiah's Plea (18-23): Jeremiah, deeply troubled by Judah's stubbornness, cries out to God for justice. He faces persecution and mockery for delivering God's message, and he asks God to punish those who oppose him and his message.

Overall Message:

Jeremiah 18 highlights God's absolute sovereignty and his willingness to show mercy to those who repent. It also serves as a stark warning to Judah, illustrating the consequences of rejecting God's call to repentance and clinging to wickedness. The chapter emphasizes that God's judgment is not arbitrary but a direct response to the choices people make.

Jeremiah 18 bible study ai commentary

Jeremiah 18 powerfully illustrates God's sovereign authority and conditional judgment using the potent metaphor of a potter and his clay. It reveals God's right to shape the destiny of nations based on their repentance or rebellion. The chapter pivots from this grand theological lesson to the grim reality of Judah's stubborn rejection of God's call, culminating in their plot against Jeremiah and his subsequent raw, impassioned plea for divine justice.

Jeremiah 18 context

This prophecy was likely delivered during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah (c. 609-598 BC), a period of intense spiritual decline and political turmoil. Judah was a vassal state, first under Egypt and then under the rising Babylonian empire. Despite Jeremiah's warnings, the leadership and people pursued idolatry and injustice, creating a context where a tangible, everyday illustration like a potter's workshop would be a powerful and universally understood sign-act. Potters were common artisans, and the image of a potter shaping, marring, and reshaping clay was a potent symbol of creation, failure, and sovereign authority.

Jeremiah 18:1-4

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

In-depth-analysis

Sign-act: This is a prophetic sign-act, a common method in the OT where a prophet performs a symbolic action to convey a divine message (e.g., Isaiah walking naked, Ezekiel lying on his side).
Potter's House: A place of creation and shaping. The word for "wheel" ('obnayim) literally means "two stones," referring to the double-wheeled tool used by potters.
Spoiled in the hand: The Hebrew emphasizes the marring occurred in the potter's hand. The defect was not in the potter's skill but in the clay itself (e.g., an air bubble, a hard pebble). This is a crucial detail: God is not the author of Israel's flaws; their own sinfulness and resistance cause the marring.
He reworked it: The potter doesn't discard the clay. He retains sovereign control and reshapes it. This shows that failure does not have the final word; the potter has the right and power to remake the vessel for a different, perhaps less glorious, purpose.

Bible references

Isaiah 64:8: 'But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter...' (Establishes the core metaphor of God as Potter and his people as clay).
Romans 9:20-21: '...Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay...?' (Paul uses this exact imagery to defend God's sovereignty in salvation and judgment).

Cross references

Gen 2:7 (Man formed from dust); Isa 29:16 (Shall the potter be regarded as the clay?); Isa 45:9 (Woe to him who strives with his Maker); 2 Tim 2:20-21 (Vessels of honor and dishonor).

Jeremiah 18:5-6

Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

In-depth-analysis

Direct Application: God leaves no room for misinterpretation. He explicitly applies the potter's absolute right over the clay to His relationship with the "house of Israel."
Sovereignty Asserted: This is a clear declaration of God's sovereignty. He has the ultimate right to determine the form and fate of the nation He created. It is not an argument for fatalism, but for God's authority.
National Focus: The address is to the "house of Israel," referring to the covenanted people, specifically the kingdom of Judah at this time. The message is corporate.

Bible references

Isaiah 45:9: '“Woe to him who strives with his Maker, an earthenware sherd among the sherds of the earth! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’...”' (Directly rebukes questioning God's creative authority).
Daniel 4:35: '...he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand...' (Declares God's absolute sovereignty over all creation).

Cross references

Deut 32:39 (I kill and make alive); 1 Sam 2:6-8 (The LORD makes poor and makes rich); Psa 115:3 (Our God is in the heavens); Wisdom 15:7 (Apocryphal book echoing this theme).

Jeremiah 18:7-8

If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.

In-depth-analysis

Conditional Prophecy: This passage is a key hermeneutical text for understanding Old Testament prophecy. It shows that prophetic warnings of judgment are often not unconditional decrees but calls to repentance, with the outcome contingent on the people's response.
Relent (nāḥam): This Hebrew word means to "sigh," "be sorry," or "change one's mind." When applied to God, it is an anthropomorphism (describing God in human terms). It does not mean God's character or eternal plan changes (Num 23:19; Mal 3:6), but that His announced course of action toward people changes in response to their change. God consistently relates to people based on their moral and spiritual state.
God's Heart: This reveals God's desire for restoration over judgment. He actively looks for a reason to "relent" from disaster.

Bible references

Jonah 3:10: 'When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them...' (The prime example of this principle in action with Nineveh).
Ezekiel 18:21-22: '“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins... none of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him.”' (Shows the same principle applied to the individual).

Cross references

Ex 32:14 (God relents regarding Israel); 2 Chr 7:14 (If My people repent); Amos 7:3-6 (Amos intercedes and God relents); Joel 2:13 (Rend your heart... God is gracious).

Jeremiah 18:9-10

And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

In-depth-analysis

The Negative Counterpart: Responsibility works both ways. Just as repentance can avert disaster, apostasy can forfeit blessing.
No Unconditional Security: This verse serves as a powerful warning against presumption. The covenant promises of blessing are tied to covenant faithfulness. Israel could not presume upon their elect status while living in rebellion.
Listening to My Voice: The standard of judgment is simple: obedience to God's revealed will. Disobedience is synonymous with "evil in my sight."

Bible references

1 Samuel 2:30: 'Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares... ‘but now the LORD declares, “Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”’' (God revokes a promise to Eli's house due to their sin).
Hebrews 10:26-27: 'For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment...' (A New Testament echo of the same principle).

Cross references

Deut 28:15-68 (Curses for disobedience); 1 Kgs 9:6-7 (Warning to Solomon about forfeiting the temple); Num 14:22-23 (Generation forfeits Promised Land).

Jeremiah 18:11-12

Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ “But they say, ‘It is hopeless! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

In-depth-analysis

Shaping (yōṣēr) & Devising (ḥōšēb): God uses the same language as the potter ("shaping") and a strategist ("devising a plan") to describe the coming judgment. It is intentional and perfectly formed for their situation.
Hopeless (nô'āš): The people's response is one of cynical despair and defiance. It’s not that they feel repentance is impossible, but that they have no desire for it. They declare the situation "hopeless" as an excuse to continue in their preferred rebellion.
Plans vs. Plans: The people explicitly set their own "plans" (maḥšᵉbōṯênû) against God's "plan" (maḥăšāḇāh). It is a conscious, willful choice to follow the "stubbornness of his evil heart."

Bible references

Jeremiah 2:25: '...But you said, ‘It is hopeless, for I have loved foreigners, and after them I will go.’' (The same defiant declaration in the context of idolatry).
Jeremiah 7:24: 'But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts...' (A repeated description of Israel's core problem).

Cross references

Isa 57:10 (Contrasting those who don't say 'it is hopeless'); Prov 1:24-31 (Wisdom's call is rejected); Zech 7:11-12 (They made their hearts like flint).

Jeremiah 18:13-17

“...ask among the nations, who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing... Will the snow of Lebanon leave the rocks of the field? Or do the cool waters that flow from afar dry up? But my people have forgotten me... I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.”

In-depth-analysis

Unnatural Apostasy: God portrays Israel's sin as unnatural. He uses the reliability of nature—the permanent snow on Mount Lebanon, the ever-flowing streams—as a contrast to Israel's shocking unfaithfulness. Their rebellion against the source of their life is more illogical than nature defying its own laws.
Horrible Thing (ša‛ărûriṯ): A strong word implying something that causes one to shudder in horror.
Back, not Face: This is the ultimate punishment. The "face" of God represents His favor, presence, and blessing (Num 6:25-26). To see His "back" is to experience His complete abandonment and judgment. He will give them what they gave Him: rejection.
East Wind: A common metaphor for a destructive, scorching force, and a specific reference to the direction from which the Babylonian army would come.

Bible references

Jeremiah 2:11-13: '...has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory... for two evils they have committed: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters...' (Highlights the unprecedented and foolish nature of their idolatry).
Deuteronomy 31:17-18: '“...I will hide my face from them... And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done...”' (The fulfillment of a covenant curse Moses warned about centuries earlier).

Cross references

Hos 6:10 (A horrible thing in Israel); Isa 59:2 (Your iniquities have hidden his face); Mic 3:4 (He will hide his face).

Jeremiah 18:18

Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”

In-depth-analysis

From Message to Messenger: Unable to refute the message, they attack the messenger.
Plots (maḥăšāḇāh): The people now "devise a plan" against Jeremiah, using the same root word God used in v. 11. This creates a powerful irony: they mirror God's action of "devising" but use it for evil.
False Religious Security: Their justification for attacking Jeremiah is a deep-seated belief in the permanence of their religious institutions. They believe the priest, wise man, and (establishment) prophet will always provide true guidance, so Jeremiah, who contradicts them, must be false.
Strike him with the tongue: This refers to a campaign of slander, false accusations, and official condemnation, likely intended to lead to his death on charges of blasphemy or treason.

Bible references

Jeremiah 11:19: 'But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off...”' (An earlier plot against Jeremiah's life).
Matthew 26:59: 'Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death...' (Foreshadows the plots against Jesus, using slander and false witness).

Cross references

Psa 35:15-16 (Plots of the godless); Mic 2:1 (Woe to those who devise wickedness); Lk 20:19-20 (Scribes and priests seeking to arrest Jesus).

Jeremiah 18:19-23

“Give attention to me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of my adversaries. Shall evil be repaid for good? ... Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them. Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword... for they have dug a pit to take my life. But you, O LORD, know all their plotting against me to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight...”

In-depth-analysis

Imprecatory Prayer: This is one of Jeremiah's "confessions," a raw and brutally honest prayer. It is not personal vengeance but a legal appeal to the Divine Judge for justice. He asks God to execute the very covenant curses that the people have brought upon themselves.
Evil for Good: Jeremiah's anguish is heightened by their base ingratitude. He had interceded for them (v. 20), and their response was to plot his murder ("dug a pit").
Request for Justice: His call for God to "forgive not their iniquity" is shocking but contextually understandable. He sees their hearts as completely hardened, their rebellion as final, and thus calls for the judgment they have earned to be swift and complete. This is a plea for God's holiness and righteousness to be vindicated.

Bible references

Psalm 109:4-5, 9-10: 'In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good... May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about...' (A classic imprecatory psalm with startlingly similar language).
Revelation 6:10: 'They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”' (The cry of martyred saints for divine justice, showing this theme continues into the NT).

Cross references

Psa 35:7 (They hid a net for me); Jer 20:11-12 (Prayer for God to see their persecution); Neh 4:4-5 (Nehemiah's prayer against Sanballat and Tobiah); 2 Tim 4:14 (Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm).

Jeremiah chapter 18 analysis

Sovereignty and Responsibility: Jeremiah 18 holds in perfect tension the doctrines of God's absolute sovereignty (He is the Potter) and human responsibility (the nation's destiny hinges on its response). It polemicizes against both fatalism (God will do what He will do, so our actions don't matter) and humanism (we are the masters of our own fate, free from divine authority).
The Irony of "Planning": The Hebrew root ḥšb (to think, plan, devise) appears repeatedly. God "devises" (ḥōšēb) a plan of judgment as a call to repentance (v. 11). The people defiantly resolve to follow their own "plans" (maḥšᵉbōṯ) of rebellion (v. 12). They then "devise plots" (ḥāšəḇû... maḥăšāḇāh) against God's messenger (v. 18). Jeremiah asks God to acknowledge their deadly "plotting" (maḥăšַbְtָּם) (v. 23). This literary device powerfully contrasts God's righteous planning with humanity's sinful scheming.
Biblical Completion (From Intercession to Atonement): Jeremiah stood before God to "speak good for them" (18:20) as an intercessor. The people rejected him and sought his life. This is a profound foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate intercessor who not only "stood before" God but is the very "word made flesh" (John 1:14). When rejected and killed, His prayer was not the imprecation of Jeremiah ("Forgive not their iniquity"), but the prayer of atonement: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Christ fulfills the role of the rejected prophet but elevates the response from a cry for justice to an act of redemptive love.

Jeremiah 18 summary

God uses the parable of a potter reworking spoiled clay to declare His sovereign right to alter the destiny of Judah based on their moral response. He offers to relent from disaster if they repent, but they defiantly choose to follow their own rebellious plans. Their apostasy is condemned as unnatural and horrific. In response to God's message, the people plot to kill Jeremiah, leading the prophet to pray a raw prayer for God's justice to be executed upon his ungrateful and hardened countrymen.

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Jeremiah chapter 18 kjv

¹ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
² Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
³ Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
⁴ And 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.
⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
⁶ O 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.
⁷ At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
⁸ If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
⁹ And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
¹⁰ If 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.
¹¹ Now 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.
¹² And 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.
¹³ Therefore 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.
¹⁴ Will 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?
¹⁵ Because 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;
¹⁶ To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
¹⁷ I 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.
¹⁸ Then 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.
¹⁹ Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
²⁰ Shall 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.
²¹ Therefore 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.
²² Let 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.
²³ Yet, 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.

Jeremiah chapter 18 nkjv

¹ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
² "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words."
³ Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.
⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
⁶ "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
⁷ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,
⁸ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
⁹ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it,
¹⁰ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.
¹¹ "Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good." ' "
¹² And they said, "That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart."
¹³ Therefore thus says the LORD: "Ask now among the Gentiles, Who has heard such things? The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.
¹⁴ Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon, Which comes from the rock of the field? Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters?
¹⁵ "Because My people have forgotten Me, They have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, To walk in pathways and not on a highway,
¹⁶ To make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing; Everyone who passes by it will be astonished And shake his head.
¹⁷ I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back and not the face In the day of their calamity."
¹⁸ Then they said, "Come and let us devise plans 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 attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words."
¹⁹ Give heed to me, O LORD, And listen to the voice of those who contend with me!
²⁰ Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You To speak good for them, To turn away Your wrath from them.
²¹ Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, And pour out their blood By the force of the sword; Let their wives become widows And bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, Their young men be slain By the sword in battle.
²² Let a cry be heard from their houses, When You bring a troop suddenly upon them; For they have dug a pit to take me, And hidden snares for my feet.
²³ Yet, LORD, You know all their counsel Which is against me, to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, Nor blot out their sin from Your sight; But let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them In the time of Your anger.

Jeremiah chapter 18 niv

¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
² "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."
³ So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
⁴ But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me.
⁶ He said, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
⁷ If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
⁸ and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.
⁹ And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
¹⁰ and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
¹¹ "Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, 'This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.'
¹² But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.'?"
¹³ Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard anything like this? A most horrible thing has been done by Virgin Israel.
¹⁴ Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever stop flowing?
¹⁵ Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths. They made them walk in byways, on roads not built up.
¹⁶ Their land will be an object of horror and of lasting scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads.
¹⁷ Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them my back and not my face in the day of their disaster."
¹⁸ They said, "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says."
¹⁹ Listen to me, LORD; hear what my accusers are saying!
²⁰ Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them.
²¹ So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle.
²² Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet.
²³ But you, LORD, know all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.

Jeremiah chapter 18 esv

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
² "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words."
³ So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.
⁴ And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me:
⁶ "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
⁷ If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,
⁸ and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.
⁹ And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,
¹⁰ and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.
¹¹ Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.'
¹² "But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'
¹³ "Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask among the nations, Who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing.
¹⁴ Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams?
¹⁵ But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway,
¹⁶ making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at forever. Everyone who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head.
¹⁷ Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity."
¹⁸ Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words."
¹⁹ Hear me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of my adversaries.
²⁰ Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
²¹ Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.
²² May a cry be heard from their houses, when you bring the plunderer suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to take me and laid snares for my feet.
²³ Yet you, O LORD, know all their plotting to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.

Jeremiah chapter 18 nlt

¹ The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,
² "Go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there."
³ So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.
⁴ But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.
⁵ Then the LORD gave me this message:
⁶ "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand.
⁷ If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed,
⁸ but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.
⁹ And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom,
¹⁰ but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.
¹¹ "Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.'"
¹² But the people replied, "Don't waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires."
¹³ So this is what the LORD says: "Has anyone ever heard of such a thing,
even among the pagan nations?
My virgin daughter Israel
has done something terrible!
¹⁴ Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon?
Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?
¹⁵ But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me;
they burn incense to worthless idols.
They have stumbled off the ancient highways
and walk in muddy paths.
¹⁶ Therefore, their land will become desolate,
a monument to their stupidity.
All who pass by will be astonished
and will shake their heads in amazement.
¹⁷ I will scatter my people before their enemies
as the east wind scatters dust.
And in all their trouble I will turn my back on them
and refuse to notice their distress."
¹⁸ Then the people said, "Come on, let's plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don't need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let's spread rumors about him and ignore what he says."
¹⁹ LORD, hear me and help me!
Listen to what my enemies are saying.
²⁰ Should they repay evil for good?
They have dug a pit to kill me,
though I pleaded for them
and tried to protect them from your anger.
²¹ So let their children starve!
Let them die by the sword!
Let their wives become childless widows.
Let their old men die in a plague,
and let their young men be killed in battle!
²² Let screaming be heard from their homes
as warriors come suddenly upon them.
For they have dug a pit for me
and have hidden traps along my path.
²³ LORD, you know all about their murderous plots against me.
Don't forgive their crimes and blot out their sins.
Let them die before you.
Deal with them in your anger.