The Broken Jar

1Thus sayth the Lord, Goe, and buy an earthen bottel of a potter, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the Priests, 2And goe forth vnto the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrie of the East gate: and thou shalt preache there the wordes, that I shall tell thee, 3And shalt say, Heare yee the worde of the Lorde, O Kings of Iudah, and inhabitantes of Ierusalem, Thus sayth the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring a plague vpon this place, the which whosoeuer heareth, his eares shall tingle. 4Because they haue forsaken me, and prophaned this place, and haue burnt incense in it vnto other gods, whome neyther they, nor their fathers haue knowen, nor the Kings of Iudah (they haue filled this place also with the blood of innocents, 5And they haue built the hie places of Baal, to burne their sonnes with fire for burnt offrings vnto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my minde) 6Therefore behold, the dayes come, sayth the Lord, that this place shal no more be called Topheth, nor ye valley of Ben-hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. 7And I will bring the counsell of Iudah and Ierusalem to nought in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, & by the hand of them that seeke their liues: and their carkeises will I giue to be meate for ye foules of the heauen, and to the beastes of the fielde. 8And I will make this citie desolate and an hissing, so that euery one that passeth thereby, shalbe astonished & hisse because of all ye plagues thereof. 9And I will feede the with the flesh of their sonnes and with the flesh of their daughters, and euery one shall eate the flesh of his friende in the siege and straitnes, wherewith their enemies that seeke their liues, shall hold them strait.

10Then shalt thou breake the bottell in the sight of the men that go with thee, 11And shalt say vnto them, Thus saith ye Lord of hostes, Euen so will I breake this people and this citie, as one breaketh a potters vessell, that cannot be made whole againe, and they shal bury them in Topheth till there be no place to bury. 12Thus will I doe vnto this place, sayth the Lorde, and to the inhabitantes thereof, and I will make this citie like Topheth. 13For the houses of Ierusalem, and the houses of the Kings of Iudah shalbe defiled as the place of Topheth, because of al the houses vpo whose roofes they haue burnt incense vnto all the host of heauen, and haue powred out drinke offerings vnto other gods.

14Then came Ieremiah fro Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophecie, and he stood in the court of the Lordes house, and sayde to all the people, 15Thus saith the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, Beholde, I will bring vpon this citie, and vpon all her townes, all the plagues that I haue pronounced against it, because they haue hardened their neckes, & would not heare my wordes.