The Broken Jar

1Morouer, thus saide the LORDE vnto Ieremy: Go thy waye, and bye the an erthen pytcher, and bringe forth the Senatours and chefe prestes 2in to the valley of the children off Ennon, which lieth before the porte that is made of brick, & shewe them there the wordes, that I shall tell the, 3and saye thus vnto them: Heare the worde of the LORDE, ye kinges of Iuda, ad ye citesyns of Ierusalem: Thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: Beholde, I will bringe soch a plage vpon this place, that ye eares of all that heare it, shal glowe. 4And that because they haue forsake me, and vnhalowed this place, and haue offred in it vnto straunge goddes: who nether they, their fathers, ner the kinges off Iuda haue knowne. They haue filled this place also wt the bloude of innocentes, 5for they haue set vp an aulter vnto Baal, to burne their children for a burntoffringe vnto Baal, which I nether commaunded, ner charged them, nether thought once there vpon. 6Beholde therfore, ye tyme cometh (saieth the LORDE) yt this place shal no more be called Tophet, ner ye valley of ye childre of Enno, but ye valley of slaughter. 7For in this place wil I slaye the Senatours of Iuda & Ierusale, & kill the downe wt the swearde in ye sight of their enemies, ad of them that seke their lyues. And their deed carca es wil I geue to be meate for the foules of the ayre, and beestes of the felde. 8And I wil make this cite so desolate, ad despysed: that who so goeth there by, shal be abashed & geast vpon her, because of all hir plages. 9I will fede them also wt the flesh of their sonnes & their doughters. Yee euery one shal eate vp another in the beseginge & straytnesse, wher wt their enemies (yt seke their lyues) shal kepe the in.

10And the pitcher shalt thou breake in the sight of the me, yt shalbe wt the, and saye vnto the: 11Thus saieth the LORDE off hoostes: Eue so wil I destroye this people & cite: as a Potter breaketh a vessel, that can not be made whole agayne. In Tophet shal they be buried, for they shal haue none other place. 12Thus wil I do vnto this place also, saieth the LORDE, and to the yt dwell there in: yee I wil do to this cite, as vnto Tophet 13(For the houses of Ierusale & the houses of the kinges of Iuda are defyled, like as Tophet,) because off all the houses, in whose parlers they dyd sacrifice vnto all the hooste of heaue, and poured out drynke offringes vnto straunge goddes.

14And so Ieremy came from Tophet, where the LORDE had sent him to prophecie, and stode in the courte off the house off the LORDE, and spake to all the people: 15Thus saieth the LORDE off hoostes the God of Israel: Beholde, I will bringe vpon this cite and vpon euery towne aboute it, all the plages that I haue deuysed agaynst them: for they haue bene obstinate, ad wolde not obeye my warnynges.