“ Make sure the Jews are watching you. Then get some large stones. Go to the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes. Bury the stones in the clay under the brick walkway there.

“你在犹大人眼前要用手拿几块大石头，藏在砌砖的灰泥中，就是在答比匿法老的宫门那里，

“你要在犹大人眼前用手拿几块大石头，藏在答比匿法老的宫门砌砖的石墩上，

“你要在犹大人眼前用手拿几块大石头，藏在答比匿法老的宫门砌砖的石墩上，

“你当着犹大人的面搬几块大石头，埋在答比匿的法老宫门前的砖路下面，

“你要在犹大人眼前亲手拿几块大石头，埋藏在答比匿法老宫殿门前砖窑的灰泥中；

「你在猶大人眼前要用手拿幾塊大石頭，藏在砌磚的灰泥中，就是在答比匿法老的宮門那裏，

「你要在猶大人眼前用手拿幾塊大石頭，藏在答比匿法老的宮門砌磚的石墩上，

「你要在猶大人眼前用手拿幾塊大石頭，藏在答比匿法老的宮門砌磚的石墩上，

「你當著猶大人的面搬幾塊大石頭，埋在答比匿的法老宮門前的磚路下面，

“你要在猶大人眼前親手拿幾塊大石頭，埋藏在答比匿法老宮殿門前磚窰的灰泥中；

『你要當着猶大人眼前親手拿着幾塊大石頭，去埋藏在長方廣場的灰泥中，在答比匿法老宮殿的門口那裏，

手取巨石、藏於答比匿法老宮門前鋪磚地之泥中、使猶大人目睹、

在答比匿邑、法老宮前、有陶瓦之所、爾以大石藏之於土、使猶大人目睹、

爾取大石、藏於灰泥中、於磚窰間、於磚窰間或作於鋪磚處在答比匿法老之宮門前、使猶大人目睹、

“ While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes.

“ Take in your hands large stones and hide them in the mortar in the pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah,

“ While the people of Judah are watching, take some large rocks and bury them under the pavement stones at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace here in Tahpanhes.

“ Pick up some large stones and set them in the mortar of the brick pavement that is at the opening of Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Do this in the sight of the Judean men

“ Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews;

“ Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes;

Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in mortar in the brickwork, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

“ Pick up some large stones and set them in the mortar of the brick pavement that is at the opening of Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Do this in the sight of the Judean men

Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which[ is] at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

“ Take some large stones and bury them in the mortar of the clay pavement at the entrance of Pharaoh’s residence here in Tahpanhes. Do it while the people of Judah present there are watching.

“ Take great stones in your hand, and hide them in mortar in the brick work, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

“ Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.”So I went down to the potter’s house. I saw him working at his wheel.His hands were shaping a pot out of clay. But he saw that something was wrong with it. So he formed it into another pot. He shaped it in the way that seemed best to him.Then the Lord’ s message came to me.“ People of Israel, I can do with you just as this potter does,” announces the Lord.“ The clay is in the potter’s hand. And you are in my hand, people of Israel.Suppose I announce that something will happen to a nation or kingdom. Suppose I announce that it will be pulled up by the roots. And I announce that it will be torn down and destroyed.But suppose the nation I warned turns away from its sins. Then I will not do what I said I would. I will not bring trouble on it as I had planned.But suppose I announce that a nation or kingdom is going to be built up and planted.And then it does what is evil in my eyes. It does not obey me. Then I will think again about the good things I had wanted to do for it.“ So speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Tell them,‘ The Lord says,“ Look! I am making plans against you. I am going to bring trouble on you. So each one of you must turn from your evil ways. Change the way you live and act.” ’But they will reply,‘ It’s no use. We will continue to do what we’ve already planned. All of us will do what our stubborn and evil hearts want us to do.’ ”

The Lord said to Jeremiah,“ Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people. Also tell some of the priests to go with you.Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Stand near the entrance of the gate where broken pieces of pottery are thrown away. There announce the message I give you.Tell the people,‘ Listen to the Lord’ s message, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ Listen! I am going to bring trouble on Jerusalem. It will be so horrible that it will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring.My people have deserted me. They have made this city a place where other gods are worshiped. They have burned incense to them here. They, their people of long ago and the kings of Judah had never known these gods. My people have also filled this place with the blood of those who aren’t guilty.They have built the high places where they worship Baal. There they sacrifice their children in the fire as offerings to Baal. That is something I did not command or talk about. It did not even enter my mind.So watch out!” announces the Lord.“ The days are coming when people will not call this place Topheth anymore. And they will not call it the Valley of Ben Hinnom either. Instead, they will call it the Valley of Death.“‘ “In this place I will make the plans of Judah and Jerusalem as useless as a broken jar. I will use their enemies to kill my people by swords. They will die at the hands of those who want to take their lives. I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds and the wild animals.I will completely destroy this city. I will make it a horrible thing. People will make fun of it. All those who pass by it will be shocked. They will laugh at its people because of all their wounds.I will make the people of this city eat their sons and daughters. And they will eat one another. They will do this because things will be so bad during the attack. The enemies who want to take their lives will bring all this trouble on them.” ’“ Jeremiah, break the jar while those who go with you are watching.Tell them,‘ Here is what the Lord who rules over all says.“ This potter’s jar is smashed and can’t be repaired. And I will smash this nation and this city. People will bury their dead in Topheth. But they will run out of room.Here is what I will do to Jerusalem and those who live here,” ’ announces the Lord.‘“ I will make this city like Topheth.The houses in Jerusalem will be made‘ unclean’ like Topheth. So will the houses of the kings of Judah. All these people burned incense on their roofs to all the stars. They poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’ ”Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth. That’s where the Lord had sent him to prophesy. Jeremiah stood in the courtyard of the Lord’ s temple. He spoke to all the people. He said,“ The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,‘ Listen! I am going to punish this city and all the villages around it. I am going to bring against them all the trouble I have announced. That’s because my people were stubborn. They would not listen to what I said.’ ”

The Lord said to me,“ Go and buy a linen belt. Put it around your waist. But do not let it get wet.”So I bought a belt, just as the Lord had told me to do. And I put it around my waist.Then another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Take off the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist. Go to Perath. Hide the belt there in a crack in the rocks.”So I went and hid it at Perath. I did just as the Lord had told me to do.Many days later the Lord said to me,“ Go to Perath. Get the belt I told you to hide there.”So I went to Perath. I dug up the belt. I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But it had rotted. It was completely useless.Then another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ In the same way, I will destroy Judah’s pride. And I will destroy the great pride of Jerusalem.These people are evil. They refuse to listen to what I say. They do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They chase after other gods. They serve them and worship them. So they will be like this belt. They will be completely useless.A belt is tied around a person’s waist. In the same way, I tied all the people of Israel to me. I also tied all the people of Judah to me like a belt. I wanted them to be my people. They should have brought me fame and praise and honor. But they have not listened to me,” announces the Lord.

I spoke to the prophets. They saw many visions. I gave you warnings through them.”

About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem. Ahijah the prophet met him on the road. Ahijah was from Shiloh. He was wearing a new coat. The two of them were all alone out in the country.Ahijah grabbed the new coat he had on. He tore it up into 12 pieces.Then he said to Jeroboam,“ Take ten pieces for yourself. The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand. I will give you ten of its tribes.

Prepare for the attack by storing up water! Make your walls as strong as you can! Make some bricks out of clay! Mix the mud to hold them together! Use them to repair the walls!

Sargon, the king of Assyria, sent his highest commander to the city of Ashdod. He attacked it and captured it.Three years earlier the Lord had spoken to Isaiah, the son of Amoz. The Lord had said,“ Take off the rough clothing you are wearing. And take off your sandals.” So Isaiah did. He went around barefoot and naked.After Ashdod was captured, the Lord said,“ My servant Isaiah has gone around barefoot and naked for three years. He is a sign and reminder to Egypt and Cush about what will happen to them.The king of Assyria will lead prisoners away from Egypt and Cush. Young people and old people alike will be taken away. Like Isaiah, they will be barefoot and naked. Their backsides will be bare. So the Egyptians will be put to shame.

“ Son of man, get a block of clay. Put it in front of you. Draw the city of Jerusalem on it.Then pretend to surround it and attack it. Make some little models of war machines. Build a ramp up to it. Set camps up around it. Surround it with models of logs to be used for knocking down its gates.Then get an iron pan. Put it between you and the city. Pretend it is an iron wall. Turn your face toward the city. It will be under attack when you begin to attack it. That will show the people of Israel what is going to happen to Jerusalem.“ Next, lie down on your left side. Pretend that you are putting Israel’s sin on yourself. Keep their sin on you for the number of days you lie on your side.Let each day you lie there stand for one year of their sin. So you will keep Israel’s sin on you for 390 days.“ After you have finished this, lie down again. This time lie on your right side. Pretend that you are putting Judah’s sin on yourself. Lie there for 40 days. That is one day for each year of their sin.Next, turn your face toward the model of Jerusalem under attack. Uncover your arm as if you were a soldier ready to fight. Prophesy against the city.I will tie you up with ropes. Then you will not be able to turn from one side to the other. You will stay that way until you have finished attacking Jerusalem.“ Get some wheat and barley. Also get some beans and lentils. And get some millet and spelt. Put everything in a storage jar. Use it to make some bread for yourself. Eat it during the 390 days you are lying down on your side.Weigh out eight ounces of food to eat each day. Eat it at your regular mealtimes.Also measure out two- thirds of a quart of water. Drink it at your regular mealtimes.Eat your food as you would eat a loaf of barley bread. Bake it over human waste in front of the people.”The Lord said,“ That is how the people of Israel will eat‘ unclean’ food. They will eat it in the nations where I will drive them.”Then I said,“ No, Lord and King! I won’t do this! I’ve never eaten anything‘ unclean.’ From the time I was young until now, I’ve never eaten anything that was found dead. And I’ve never eaten anything torn apart by wild animals.‘ Unclean’ meat has never entered my mouth.”“ All right,” he said.“ I will let you bake your bread over waste from cows. You can use that instead of human waste.”He continued,“ Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will be worried as they eat their tiny share of food. They will not have any hope as they drink their tiny share of water.There will be very little food and water. The people will be shocked as they look at one another. They will become weaker and weaker because of their sin.“ Son of man, get a sharp sword. Use it as a barber’s razor. Shave your head and beard with it. Then get a set of scales and weigh the hair. Separate it into three piles.Burn up a third of the hair inside the city. Do this when you stop attacking the model of Jerusalem. Next, get another third of the hair. Strike it with a sword all around the city. Then scatter the last third to the winds. That is because I will chase the people with a sword that is ready to strike them down.But save a few hairs. Tuck them away in the clothes you are wearing.Next, get a few more hairs. Throw them into the fire. Burn them up. The fire will spread to all the people of Israel.”The Lord and King says,“ What you do with the hair stands for what I will do with Jerusalem’s people. I have placed that city in the center of the nations. Countries are all around it.But its people are sinful. They have refused to obey my laws and rules. They have turned their backs on my laws. They have not followed my rules. These people are worse than the nations and countries around them.”The Lord and King continues,“ You people have been worse than the nations around you. You have not lived by my rules or kept my laws. You have not even lived up to the standards of the nations around you.”The Lord and King continues,“ Jerusalem, I myself am against you. I will punish you in the sight of the nations.I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. That is because you worship statues of gods. I hate them.So parents will eat their own children inside the city. And children will eat their parents. I will punish you. And I will scatter to the winds anyone who is left alive.You have made my temple‘ unclean.’ You have set up statues of all your evil gods. You have done other things I hate. So I will cut you off just like Ezekiel cut off his hair. I will not spare you or feel sorry for you. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.A third of your people will die of the plague inside your walls. Or they will die of hunger there. Another third will be killed by swords outside your walls. And I will scatter the last third of your people to the winds. I will chase them with a sword that is ready to strike them down.“ Then I will not be angry anymore. My great anger against them will die down. And I will be satisfied. Then they will know that I have spoken with strong feelings. And my great anger toward them will come to an end. I am the Lord.“ I will destroy you. I will bring shame on you in the sight of the nations around you. All those who pass by will see it.You will be put to shame. The nations will make fun of you. You will serve as a warning to others. They will be shocked when they see you. So I will punish you because I am very angry with you. You will feel the sting of my warning. I have spoken. I am the Lord.I will shoot at you with my deadly, destroying arrows of hunger. I will shoot to kill. I will bring more and more hunger on you. I will cut off your food supply.I will send hunger and wild animals against you. They will destroy all your children. Plague and murder will sweep over you. And I will send swords to kill you. I have spoken. I am the Lord.”

Finish reading the scroll. Tie a stone to it. Throw it into the Euphrates River.Then say,‘ In the same way, Babylon will sink down. It will never rise again. That is because I will bring such horrible trouble on it. And its people will fall along with it.’ ” The words of Jeremiah end here.

Then a mighty angel picked up a huge rock. It was the size of a large millstone. He threw it into the sea. Then he said,“ That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down. Never again will it be found.

The people suffered because of their hard labor. The slave drivers forced them to work with bricks and mud. And they made them do all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians didn’t show them any pity at all. They made them work very hard.

He brought out the people who were there. He made them work with saws and iron picks and axes. He forced them to make bricks. David did that to all the towns in Ammon. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

“ Son of man, pack your belongings as if you were going on a long trip. Leave in the daytime. Let the people see you. Start out from where you are. Go to another place. Perhaps they will understand the meaning of what you are doing. But they will still refuse to obey me.Bring out your belongings packed for a long trip. Do this during the daytime. Let the people see you. Then in the evening, pretend you are being forced to leave home. Let the people see you.While the people are watching, dig through the mud bricks of your house. Then take your belongings out through the hole in the wall.Put them on your shoulder. Carry them out at sunset. Let the people see you. Cover your face so you can’t see the land. All of that will show the Israelites what is going to happen to them.”So I did just as he commanded me. During the day I brought out my things as if I were going on a long trip. In the evening I dug through the wall of my house with my hands. At sunset I took my belongings out. I put them on my shoulders. The people watched what I was doing.In the morning a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, didn’t the Israelites ask you,‘ What are you doing?’ They always refuse to obey me.“ Tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ This prophecy is about Zedekiah, the prince in Jerusalem. It is also about all the Israelites who still live there.” ’Tell them,‘ The things I’ve done are a picture of what’s going to happen to you.“‘ So what I’ve done will happen to you. You will be forced to leave home. You will be taken to Babylon as prisoners.’“ The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder and leave. He will do this at sunset. Someone will dig a hole in the city wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so he can’t see the land.I will spread out my net to catch him. He will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon. It is the land where the Chaldeans live. But he will not see it. He will die there.I will scatter to the winds all those around him. I will scatter his officials and all his troops. And I will chase them with a sword that is ready to strike them down.“ They will know that I am the Lord when I scatter them among the nations. I will send them to other countries.But I will spare a few of them. I will save them from war, hunger and plague. In those countries they will admit they have done all kinds of evil things. I hate those things. They will know that I am the Lord.”

He came over to us. Then he took Paul’s belt and tied his own hands and feet with it. He said,“ The Holy Spirit says,‘ This is how the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the owner of this belt. They will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”