A   Arise, and go downe in to the Potters house, and there shall I tell the more off my mynde. Now when I came to the Potters house, I founde him makinge his worke vpon a whele. The vessel that the Potter made off claye, brake amonge his h&obar;des: So he beganne a new, and made a nother vessell, acordinge to his mynde. ^noteThen sayde the LORDE thus vnto me: Maye not I do &wt; you, as this Potter doth, O ye house off Israel? saieth the LORDE? Beholde, ye house off Israel: ye are in my honde, euen as the claye in the Potters honde.

^noteWhen I take in honde to rote out, to destroye, or to waist awaye eny people or k&ibar;gdome: yff that people (agaynst whom I haue thus deuysed) c&obar;uerte from their wickednes: Immediatly, I repente off the plage, that I deuysed to bringe vpon th&ebar;. Agayne: ^note Wh&ebar; I take in honde, to buylde, or to plante a people or a kingdome: yff the same people do euell before me, and heare not my voyce: Immediatly, I repente of the good, that I deuysed to do for them.

Speake now therfore vnto whole Iuda, and to them that dwell at Ierusalem: Thus saieth the LORDE: Beholde, I am deuysinge a plage for you, and am takinge a thinge in honde agaynst you.

^noteTherfore, let euery man turne from his

euell waye, ^note take vpon you the thinge that is good, and do right. But they saye: No more of this, ^note we will folowe oure owne ymaginacions, and do euery m&abar; acordinge to the wilfulnesse of his owne mynde.

B   Therfore thus saieth the LORDE: Axe amonge the Heithen, yf eny man hath herde soch horrible thinges, as the doughter of Sion hath done. Shal not þe; snowe (þt; melteth vpon the stony rockes of Libanus) moysture the feldes? Or maye the springes off waters be so grauen awaye, that they runne nomore, geue moystnesse, ner make frutefull? But my people hath so forgotten me, þt; they haue made sacrifice vnto vayne goddes. And whyle they folowed their owne wayes they are come out of the hie strete, and gone in to a fote waye not vsed to be troden. Where thorow they haue brought their londe in to an euerlastinge wildernesse and scorne: ^note So þt; who so euer trauayleth ther by, shalbe abashed, and wagge their heades. With an East wynde will I scatre th&ebar;, before their enemies. And when their destruction c&obar;meth, I will turne my backe vp&obar; them, but not my face.

^noteThen sayde they: come, let vs ymagin somthinge agaynst this Ieremy. Yee this dyd euen the prestes, to whom þe; lawe was commytted: the Senatours, þt; were the wysest: and the prophetes, which wanted not þe; worde off God. C   Come (sayde they) let vs cut out his t&ubar;ge, and let vs not regarde his wordes. Considre me (o LORDE) and heare the voyce of myne enemies. Do they not recompence euell for good, ^note when they dygg a pyt for my soule? Remembre, how that I stode before the, to speake for th&ebar;, &abar;d to turne awaye thy wrath from them. ^note

^noteTherfore let their childr&ebar; dye of hunger, and let them be oppressed with the swearde. Let their wyues be robbed of their childr&ebar;, and become wyddowes: ^note let their hu&esset;b&obar;des be slayne, let their yonge men be kylled with the swearde in the felde. Let the noyse be herde out of their houses, when the murtherer c&obar;meth sodenly vpon them: For they haue digged a pit to take me, and layed snares for my fete. ^noteYet LORDE, thou knowest all their co&ubar;cell, that they haue deuysed, to slaye me. And therfore forgeue them not their wickednes, and let not their synne be put out of thy sight: but let them be iudged before the as the giltie: This shalt thou do vnto th&ebar; in þe; tyme of thy indignacion.

Previous section

Next section