The Broken Jar
1Thus saiththe LORD,Goand geta potter'searthenbottle,and [take] of the ancientsof the people,and of the ancientsof the priests;2And go forthunto the valleyof the sonof Hinnom,which [is] by the entryof the eastgate,and proclaimthere the wordsthat I shall tellthee,3And say,Hearye the wordof the LORD,O kingsof Judah,and inhabitantsof Jerusalem;Thus saiththe LORDof hosts,the Godof Israel;Behold, I will bringevilupon this place,the which whosoever heareth,his earsshall tingle.4Because they have forsakenme, and have estrangedthis place,and have burned incensein it unto othergods,whom neither they nor their fathershave known,nor the kingsof Judah,and have filledthis placewith the bloodof innocents;5They have builtalso the high placesof Baal,to burntheir sonswith fire[for] burnt offeringsunto Baal,which I commandednot, nor spake[it], neither came[it] into my mind:6Therefore, behold, the dayscome,saiththe LORD,that this placeshall no more be calledTophet,nor The valleyof the sonof Hinnom,but The valleyof slaughter.7And I will make voidthe counselof Judahand Jerusalemin this place;and I will cause them to fallby the swordbeforetheir enemies,and by the handsof them that seektheir lives:and their carcaseswill I giveto be meatfor the fowlsof the heaven,and for the beastsof the earth.8And I will makethis citydesolate,and an hissing;every one that passeththereby shall be astonishedand hissbecause of all the plaguesthereof.9And I will cause them to eatthe fleshof their sonsand the fleshof their daughters,and they shall eatevery onethe fleshof his friendin the siegeand straitness,wherewith their enemies,and they that seektheir lives,shall straitenthem.
10Then shalt thou breakthe bottlein the sightof the menthat gowith thee,11And shalt sayunto them, Thus saiththe LORDof hosts;Even sowill I breakthis peopleand this city,as [one] breaketha potter'svessel,that cannotbe made whole again:and they shall bury[them] in Tophet,till [there be] no placeto bury.12Thus will I dounto this place,saiththe LORD,and to the inhabitantsthereof, and [even] makethis cityas Tophet:13And the housesof Jerusalem,and the housesof the kingsof Judah,shall be defiledas the placeof Tophet,because of all the housesupon whose roofsthey have burned incenseunto all the hostof heaven,and have poured outdrink offeringsunto othergods.
14Then cameJeremiahfrom Tophet,whither the LORDhad senthim to prophesy;and he stoodin the courtof the LORD'Shouse;and saidto all the people,15Thus saiththe LORDof hosts,the Godof Israel;Behold, I will bringupon this cityand upon all her townsall the evilthat I have pronouncedagainst it, because they have hardenedtheir necks,that they might not hearmy words.
