18:1 耶和華的話臨到耶利米說：
18:2 「你起來，下到窯匠的家裡去，我在那裡要使你聽我的話。」
18:3 我就下到窯匠的家裡去，正遇他轉輪做器皿。
18:4 窯匠用泥做的器皿，在他手中做壞了，他又用這泥另做別的器皿；窯匠看怎樣好，就怎樣做。
18:5 耶和華的話就臨到我說：
18:6 耶和華說：「以色列家啊，我待你們，豈不能照這窯匠弄泥嗎？以色列家啊，泥在窯匠的手中怎樣，你們在我的手中也怎樣。
18:7 我何時論到一邦或一國說，要拔出、拆毀、毀壞；
18:8 我所說的那一邦，若是轉意離開他們的惡，我就必後悔，不將我想要施行的災禍降與他們。
18:9 我何時論到一邦或一國說，要建立、栽植；
18:10 他們若行我眼中看為惡的事，不聽從我的話，我就必後悔，不將我所說的福氣賜給他們。
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house,
and there I will let you hear my words.”
So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his
wheel. And the vessel he was making of
clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel,
as it seemed good to the potter to do.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done?
declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my
hand, O house of Israel. If at any time
I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down
and destroy it, and if that nation,
concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the
disaster that I intended to do to it. And
if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and
plant it, and if it does evil in my
sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had
intended to do to it.
************
上帝要先知耶利米藉由窯匠來說明，在上帝的手中有主權，祂可以如同窯匠隨己意來製作陶器，正如在這裡所說：「窯匠用泥做的器皿，在他手中做壞了，他又用這泥另做別的器皿；窯匠看怎樣好，就怎樣做。」
雖然如此，上帝仍然給人一條路走，這個路就是：悔改－聽從上帝的話！這是人改變命運的契機，正如7-10節所說的。本是要面臨「拔出、拆毀、毀壞」的，卻改變成脫離災禍；面臨「建立、栽植」的，反倒失去上帝所要賜予的福氣！
這樣的差異在於人願不願意悔改－聽從上帝的話！而這樣的悔改契機，就是願不願意以靠耶穌基督的拯救，與上帝建立正確合宜的關係！這就是整本聖經信息中心，我們就是在這樣的恩典中。
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