The prophets
Jeremiah and the Broken Jar
The Lord sends Jeremiah to the Valley of Ben-Hinnom with a clay jar from the potter. Before the elders of the people and the priests, the prophet declares judgment on Jerusalem because they have worshiped Baal and sacrificed children. He breaks the jar as a sign that the city and its people will be broken beyond repair, and that their houses will become unclean like Topheth Jeremiah 19:1-15.
Jeremiah 19,1-15
1This is what the LORD said: Go and buy a potter's earthenware jar. Take with you some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests,
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הָל֛וֹךְ וְקָנִ֥יתָ בַקְבֻּ֖ק יוֹצֵ֣ר חָ֑רֶשׂ וּמִזִּקְנֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם וּמִזִּקְנֵ֖י הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃
2and go out to the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, at the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words I speak to you.
וְיָצָ֙אתָ֙ אֶל־גֵּ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֕ר פֶּ֖תַח שַׁ֣עַר *החרסות **הַֽחַרְסִ֑ית וְקָרָ֣אתָ שָּׁ֔ם אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁר־אֲדַבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
3Say: Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to bring such disaster on this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will ring.
וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ שִׁמְע֣וּ דְבַר־יְהוָ֔ה מַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וְיֹשְׁבֵ֖י יְרֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם כֹּֽה־אָמַר֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הִנְנִ֨י מֵבִ֤יא רָעָה֙ עַל־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּל־שֹׁמְעָ֖הּ תִּצַּ֥לְנָה אָזְנָֽיו׃
4For they have forsaken me and made this place foreign to me. They have burned incense here to other gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.
יַ֣עַן ׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲזָבֻ֗נִי וַֽיְנַכְּר֞וּ אֶת־הַמָּק֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ וַיְקַטְּרוּ־בוֹ֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יְדָע֛וּם הֵ֥מָּה וַאֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֖ם וּמַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה וּמָֽלְא֛וּ אֶת־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה דַּ֥ם נְקִיִּֽם׃
5They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I never commanded or spoke of, something that never entered my mind.
וּבָנ֞וּ אֶת־בָּמ֣וֹת הַבַּ֗עַל לִשְׂרֹ֧ף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֛ם בָּאֵ֖שׁ עֹל֣וֹת לַבָּ֑עַל אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־צִוִּ֙יתִי֙ וְלֹ֣א דִבַּ֔רְתִּי וְלֹ֥א עָלְתָ֖ה עַל־לִבִּֽי׃ פ
6So look, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
לָכֵ֞ן הִנֵּֽה־יָמִ֤ים בָּאִים֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵא֩ לַמָּק֨וֹם הַזֶּ֥ה ע֛וֹד הַתֹּ֖פֶת וְגֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֑ם כִּ֖י אִם־גֵּ֥יא הַהֲרֵגָֽה׃
7In this place I will pour out and empty the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hand of those who seek their lives, and I will give their corpses as food to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.
וּ֠בַקֹּתִי אֶת־עֲצַ֨ת יְהוּדָ֤ה וִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וְהִפַּלְתִּ֤ים בַּחֶ֙רֶב֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְיַ֖ד מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י נַפְשָׁ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֤י אֶת־נִבְלָתָם֙ לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
8I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at; everyone who passes by will be appalled and will hiss at all its wounds.
וְשַׂמְתִּי֙ אֶת־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֔את לְשַׁמָּ֖ה וְלִשְׁרֵקָ֑ה כֹּ֚ל עֹבֵ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ יִשֹּׁ֥ם וְיִשְׁרֹ֖ק עַל־כָּל־מַכֹּתֶֽהָ׃
9I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will devour one another's flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies and by those who seek their lives.
וְהַֽאֲכַלְתִּ֞ים אֶת־בְּשַׂ֣ר בְּנֵיהֶ֗ם וְאֵת֙ בְּשַׂ֣ר בְּנֹתֵיהֶ֔ם וְאִ֥ישׁ בְּשַׂר־רֵעֵ֖הוּ יֹאכֵ֑לוּ בְּמָצוֹר֙ וּבְמָצ֔וֹק אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצִ֧יקוּ לָהֶ֛ם אֹיְבֵיהֶ֖ם וּמְבַקְשֵׁ֥י נַפְשָֽׁם׃
10Then break the jar before the eyes of the men who go with you,
וְשָׁבַרְתָּ֖ הַבַּקְבֻּ֑ק לְעֵינֵי֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים הַהֹלְכִ֖ים אוֹתָֽךְ׃
11and say to them: This is what the LORD of hosts says: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel that can never be mended again. They will bury the dead in Topheth for lack of any other place to bury.
וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר ׀ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת כָּ֣כָה אֶשְׁבֹּ֞ר אֶת־הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ וְאֶת־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֔את כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר יִשְׁבֹּר֙ אֶת־כְּלִ֣י הַיּוֹצֵ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־יוּכַ֥ל לְהֵרָפֵ֖ה ע֑וֹד וּבְתֹ֣פֶת יִקְבְּר֔וּ מֵאֵ֥ין מָק֖וֹם לִקְבּֽוֹר׃
12This is what I will do to this place and to those who live in it, declares the LORD. I will make this city like Topheth.
כֵּֽן־אֶעֱשֶׂ֞ה לַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה נְאֻם־יְהוָ֖ה וּלְיֽוֹשְׁבָ֑יו וְלָתֵ֛ת אֶת־הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את כְּתֹֽפֶת׃
13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place of Topheth—all the houses on whose roofs they burned incense to the whole host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.
וְהָי֞וּ בָּתֵּ֣י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם וּבָתֵּי֙ מַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה כִּמְק֥וֹם הַתֹּ֖פֶת הַטְּמֵאִ֑ים לְכֹ֣ל הַבָּתִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר קִטְּר֜וּ עַל־גַּגֹּֽתֵיהֶם֙ לְכֹל֙ צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְהַסֵּ֥ךְ נְסָכִ֖ים לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִֽים׃ פ
14Then Jeremiah came back from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD's house and said to all the people:
וַיָּבֹ֤א יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ מֵֽהַתֹּ֔פֶת אֲשֶׁ֨ר שְׁלָח֧וֹ יְהוָ֛ה שָׁ֖ם לְהִנָּבֵ֑א וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙ בַּחֲצַ֣ר בֵּית־יְהוָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֶל־כָּל־הָעָֽם׃ ס
15This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am bringing on this city and on all its surrounding towns every disaster I pronounced against it, because they stiffened their necks and refused to listen to my words.
כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִ֨י *מבי **מֵבִ֜יא אֶל־הָעִ֤יר הַזֹּאת֙ וְעַל־כָּל־עָרֶ֔יהָ אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּ֤י הִקְשׁוּ֙ אֶת־עָרְפָּ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֖י שְׁמ֥וֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרָֽי׃