Yirmiyahu 17-18

Perek 17 opens with harsh criticism given to the people of Yehuda who, in contrast to other nations who will one day forgo their foreign worship (16:9), have let idol worship become an intrinsic part of their identity (1-4). The perek's next section includes a series of psalms and reflections surrounding the topic of belief in God and divine justice (5-18). In the third and most central section of the perek (19-27), Yirmiyahu is commanded to publicize a prophecy about the city's failure to properly observe Shabbat by the gates of Yerushalayim.

Perek 18 opens with a prophetic parable: Yirmiyahu is commanded to go to a potter's shop and wait for the continuation of God's message.  The prophecy recieved in the potter's shop is comprised of a parable (1-4) and its explanation (5-12) relating to the ethics of divine decrees. The perek continues with Yirmiyahu's personal struggle with those who vehemently object to his prophecies. As we saw in perek 11 regarding his enemies from Anatot, here too the unbearable harrassment and persecutin incite Yirmiyahu to beg God not to forgive the nation's sins.