Chapter 19

The Broken Jar

1 Thus says the Lord, “Go and buy a apotter’s earthenware bjar, and take some of the celders of the people and some of the 1dsenior priests.

2 “Then go out to the avalley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and bproclaim there the words that I tell you,

3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O akings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a bcalamity upon this place, at which the cears of everyone that hears of it will tingle.

4 “Because they have aforsaken Me and have bmade this an alien place and have burned 1sacrifices in it to cother gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the dblood of the innocent

5 and have built the ahigh places of Baal to burn their bsons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My 1mind;

6 therefore, behold, adays are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called bTopheth or cthe valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter.

7 “I will amake void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and bI will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their ccarcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.

8 “I will also make this city a adesolation and an object of hissing; beveryone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its 1disasters.

9 “I will make them aeat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.” ’

10 “Then you are to break the ajar in the sight of the men who accompany you

11 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Just so will I abreak this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bbury in Topheth 1because there is no other place for burial.

12 “This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth.

13 “The ahouses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be bdefiled like the place Topheth, because of all the chouses on whose rooftops they burned 1sacrifices to dall the heavenly host and epoured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’ ”

14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the acourt of the Lord’s house and said to all the people:

15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have astiffened their necks so bas not to heed My words.’ ”