Jeremiah 10

1 Give ear to the word which the Lord says to you, O people of Israel:

“Hear the word that Yahweh is announcing to you, house of Israel.

2 This is what the Lord has said: Do not go in the way of the nations; have no fear of the signs of heaven, for the nations go in fear of them.

Yahweh says this, 'Do not learn the ways of the nations, and do not be dismayed by the signs in the heavens, for the nations are dismayed by these.

3 For that which is feared by the people is foolish: it is the work of the hands of the workman; for a tree is cut down by him out of the woods with his axe.

For the religious customs of these people are worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and the craftsman carves the wood.

4 They make it beautiful with silver and gold; they make it strong with nails and hammers, so that it may not be moved.

Then they decorate it with silver and gold. They strengthen it with hammer and nails so it will not fall over.

5 It is like a pillar in a garden of plants, and has no voice: it has to be lifted, for it has no power of walking. Have no fear of it; for it has no power of doing evil and it is not able to do any good.

What they make with their hands is like scarecrows in a cucumber field, because they, too, can say nothing, and they have to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they cannot bring about evil, nor are they able to do anything good.'”

6 There is no one like you, O Lord; you are great and your name is great in power.

There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in power.

7 Who would not have fear of you, O King of the nations? for it is your right: for among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.

Who does not fear you, king of the nations? For this is what you deserve, for there is no one like you among all the wise men of the nations or all their royal kingdoms.

8 But they are together like beasts and foolish: the teaching of false gods is wood.

They are all the same, they are brutish and stupid, disciples of idols that are nothing but wood.

9 Silver hammered into plates is sent from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the expert workman and of the hands of the gold-worker; blue and purple is their clothing, all the work of expert men.

They bring hammered silver from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz made by artificers, the hands of refiners. Their clothes are blue and purple cloth. Their skillful men made all of these things.

10 But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and an eternal king: when he is angry, the earth is shaking with fear, and the nations give way before his wrath.

But Yahweh is the true God. He is the living God and eternal king. The earth quakes at his anger, and the nations cannot endure his anger.

11 This is what you are to say to them: The gods who have not made the heavens and the earth will be cut off from the earth and from under the heavens.

You will speak to them like this, “The gods that did not make the heavens and earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

12 He has made the earth by his power, he has made the world strong in its place by his wisdom, and by his wise design the heavens have been stretched out.

But it was he who made the earth by his power, and he established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding he stretched out the heavens.

13 At the sound of his voice there is a massing of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mists go up from the ends of the earth; he makes the thunder-flames for the rain, and sends out the wind from his store-houses.

His voice makes the roar of waters in the heavens, and he brings up the mists from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and sends out wind from his storehouse.

14 Then every man becomes like a beast without knowledge; every gold-worker is put to shame by the image he has made: for his metal image is deceit, and there is no breath in them.

Every man has become ignorant, without knowledge. Every metalworker is put to shame by his idols. For his cast images are frauds; there is no life in them.

15 They are nothing, a work of error: in the time of their punishment, destruction will overtake them.

They are useless, the work of mockers; they will perish at the time of their punishment.

16 The heritage of Jacob is not like these; for the maker of all things is his heritage: the Lord of armies is his name.

But God, the portion of Jacob, is not like these, for he is the molder of all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; Yahweh of hosts is his name.

17 Get your goods together and go out of the land, O you who are shut up in the walled town.

Gather your bundle and leave the land, you people who have been living under the siege.

18 For the Lord has said, I will send the people in flight like a stone from the land at this time, troubling them so that they will be conscious of it.

For Yahweh says this, “See, I am about to throw the inhabitants of the land out this time. I will cause them distress, and they will find it to be so.”

19 Sorrow is mine for I am wounded! my wound may not be made well; and I said, Cruel is my disease, I may not be free from it.

Woe to me! Because of my broken bones, my wound is infected. So I said, “Surely this is agony, but I must bear it.”

20 My tent is pulled down and all my cords are broken: my children have gone from me, and they are not: no longer is there anyone to give help in stretching out my tent and hanging up my curtains.

My tent is devastated, and all of my tent cords are cut in two. They have taken my children away from me, so they no longer exist. There is no longer anyone to spread out my tent or to raise up my tent curtains.

21 For the keepers of the sheep have become like beasts, not looking to the Lord for directions: so they have not done wisely and all their flocks have been put to flight.

For the shepherds are stupid and they do not seek Yahweh; so they have not prospered, and all their flock has been scattered.

22 News is going about, see, it is coming, a great shaking is coming from the north country, so that the towns of Judah may be made waste and become the living-place of jackals.

The report of news has arrived, “See! It is coming, a great earthquake is coming from the land of the north To make the cities of Judah into ruins, hideouts for jackals.”

23 O Lord, I am conscious that a man's way is not in himself: man has no power of guiding his steps.

I know, Yahweh, that the way of a man does not come from himself. No person walking directs his own steps.

24 O Lord, put me right, but with wise purpose; not in your wrath, or you will make me small.

Discipline me, Yahweh, with justice, not in your anger or you would destroy me.

25 Let your wrath be let loose on the nations which have no knowledge of you, and on the families who give no worship to your name: for they have made a meal of Jacob, truly they have made a meal of him and put an end to him and made his fields a waste.

Pour your fury on the nations that do not know you and on the families that do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob and consumed him so as to completely destroy him and demolish his habitation.