Jeremiah 10

1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, house of Israel.

Hear ye the word, O house of Israel, That Jehovah hath spoken for you.

2 Thus says the LORD, "Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be dismayed at the signs of the sky; for the nations are dismayed at them.

Thus said Jehovah: Unto the way of the nations accustom not yourselves, And by the signs of the heavens be not affrighted, For the nations are affrighted by them.

3 For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe.

For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, For a tree from a forest hath one cut, Work of the hands of an artificer, with an axe,

4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it not move.

With silver and with gold they beautify it, With nails and with hammers they fix it, And it doth not stumble.

5 They are like a palm tree, of turned work, and do not speak: they must be carried, because they can't go. Do not be afraid of them; for they can't do evil, neither is it in them to do good."

As a palm they [are] stiff, and they speak not, They are surely borne, for they step not, Be not afraid of them, for they do no evil, Yea, also to do good is not in them.

6 "There is none like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.

Because there is none like Thee, O Jehovah, Great [art] Thou, and great Thy name in might.

7 Who should not fear you, King of the nations? For it appertains to you; because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like you.

Who doth not fear Thee, king of the nations? For to Thee it is becoming, For among all the wise of the nations, And in all their kingdom there is none like Thee.

8 But they are together brutish and foolish, the instruction of idols. It is but wood.

And in one they are brutish and foolish, An instruction of vanities [is] the tree itself.

9 There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple for their clothing; they are all the work of skillful men.

Spread-out silver from Tarshish is brought, And gold from Uphaz, Work of an artisan, and of the hands of a refiner, Blue and purple [is] their clothing, Work of the skilful — all of them.

10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembles, and the nations are not able to withstand his indignation.

And Jehovah [is] a God of truth, He [is] a living God, and a king age-during, From His wrath shake doth the earth, And nations endure not His indignation.

11 You shall say this to them: 'The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.'

Thus do ye say to them, The gods Who the heavens and earth have not made, They do perish from the earth, And from under these heavens.

12 He has made the earth by his power, he has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens:

The maker of the earth by His power, The establisher of the world by His wisdom, Who, by His understanding, stretched forth the heavens,

13 when he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causes the vapors to ascend from the farthest parts of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain, and brings forth the wind out of his treasuries.

At the voice He giveth forth, A multitude of waters [is] in the heavens, And He causeth vapours to come up from the end of the earth, Lightnings for rain He hath made, And bringeth out wind from His treasures.

14 Every man has become brutish and without knowledge; every goldsmith is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

Brutish is every man by knowledge, Put to shame is every refiner by a graven image, For false [is] his molten image. And there is no breath in them.

15 They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

Vanity [are] they, work of erring ones, In the time of their inspection they perish.

16 The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name."

Not like these [is] the Portion of Jacob, For framer of all things [is] He, And Israel [is] the rod of His inheritance, Jehovah of Hosts [is] His name.

17 'Gather up your wares out of the land, you who live under siege.

Gather from the land thy merchandise, O dweller in the bulwark,

18 For thus says the LORD, 'Look, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel it.'

For thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, And have been an adversary to them, So that they are found out.

19 Woe is me because of my hurt. My wound is grievous: but I said, 'Truly this is my grief, and I must bear it.'

Woe to me for my breaking, Grievious hath been my smiting, And I said, Only, this [is] my sickness, and I bear it.

20 My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth from me, and they are no more: there is none to spread my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.

My tent hath been spoiled, And all my cords have been broken, My sons have gone out from me, and they are not, There is none stretching out any more my tent, And raising up my curtains.

21 For the shepherds are become brutish, and have not inquired of the LORD: therefore they have not prospered, and all their flocks are scattered.

For the shepherds have become brutish, And Jehovah they have not sought, Therefore they have not acted wisely, And all their flock is scattered.

22 The voice of news, look, it comes, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling place of jackals.

A voice of a report, lo, it hath come, Even a great shaking from the north country, To make the cities of Judah a desolation, A habitation of dragons.

23 LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

I have known, O Jehovah, that not of man [is] his way, Not of man the going and establishing of his step.

24 LORD, correct me, but in measure: not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

Chastise me, O Jehovah, only in judgment, Not in Thine anger, lest Thou make me small.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you, and on the families that do not call on your name: for they have devoured Jacob, yes, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation."

Pour out Thy fury on the nations that have not known Thee, And on the families that have not called in Thy name, For they have eaten up Jacob, Yea, they have eaten him up, yea, they consume him, And his habitation they have made desolate!