1. The word that came from Jeremias to the Lord, saying:
2. Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there thou shalt hear my words.
3. And I went down into the potter's house, and behold he was doing a work on the wheel.
4. And the vessel was broken which he was making with clay with his hands: and turning he made another vessel, as it seemed good in his eyes to make it.
5. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
6. Cannot I do with you as this potter, saith the Lord? behold as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
7. I will suddenly speak against a nation, and against a kingdom, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy it.
8. If that nation against which I have spoken, shall repent of their evil, I also will repent of the evil that I have thought to do to them.
9. And I will suddenly speak of a nation and of a kingdom, to build up and plant it.
10. If it shall do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice: I will repent of the good that I have spoken to do unto it.
11. Now therefore tell the men of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: let every man of you return from his evil way, and make ye your ways and your doings good.
12. And they said: We have no hopes: for we will go after our own thoughts, and we will do every one according to the perverseness of his evil heart.
13. Therefore thus saith the Lord: Ask among the nations: Who hath heard such horrible things, as the virgin of Israel hath done to excess?