The Message Bible MSG
New International Version NIV
1 God told Jeremiah,
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This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
2 "Up on your feet! Go to the potter's house. When you get there, I'll tell you what I have to say."
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“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”
3 So I went to the potter's house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel.
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So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
4 Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.
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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 God's Message came to me:
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Then the word of the LORD came to me.
6 "Can't I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?" God's Decree! "Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel.
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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 At any moment I may decide to pull up a people or a country by the roots and get rid of them.
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If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
8 But if they repent of their wicked lives, I will think twice and start over with them.
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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 At another time I might decide to plant a people or country,
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And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
10 but if they don't cooperate and won't listen to me, I will think again and give up on the plans I had for them.
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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.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.