The Potter and the Clay

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear¹ my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was ^sspoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the ^tclay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will ^upluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will ^vrelent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and ^wplant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, ^xthen I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and ^yamend your ways and your deeds.’

Life in the Spirit

1 There is therefore now no ^acondemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.¹ 2 For the ^blaw of the Spirit of life has set you^{2 c}free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done ^dwhat the law, ^eweakened by the flesh, could not do. ^fBy sending his own Son ^gin the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,³ he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the ^hrighteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who ⁱwalk ^jnot according to the flesh but ^kaccording to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh ^lset their minds on ^mthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on ⁿthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 ^oFor the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God ^pdwells in you. Anyone who does not have the ^qSpirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is ^rin you, although the ^sbody is dead because of sin, the Spirit is ^tlife because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of ^uhim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus⁴ from the dead will also ^vgive life to your mortal bodies ^wthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his ^kseal.” 28 Then they said to him, ^l“What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, ^m“This is the work of God, ⁿthat you ^obelieve in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then ^pwhat sign do you do, that we may ^qsee and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the ^rmanna in the wilderness; as it is written, ^s‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the ^ttrue bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who ^ucomes down from heaven and ^vgives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, ^wgive us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, ^x“I am the bread of life; whoever ^ycomes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me ^zshall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father ^agives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, ^bnot to do my own will but ^cthe will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, ^dthat I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that ^eeveryone who looks on the Son and ^fbelieves in him should have eternal life, and I will ^graise him up on the last day.”