Jeremiah 10

1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

Hear the word, O house of Israel, That YHWH has spoken for you.

2 thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them.

Thus said YHWH: “Do not accustom yourselves to the way of the nations, And do not be frightened by the signs of the heavens, For the nations are frightened by them.

3 For the customs of the peoples are vanity: for one cutteth 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 one has cut a tree from a forest, Work of the hands of a craftsman, with an axe,

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

They beautify it with silver and with gold, They fix it with nails and with hammers, And it does not stumble.

5 They are like a palm tree, of turned work, and speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.

They [are] stiff as a palm, and they do not speak, They are surely carried, for they do not step, Do not be afraid of them, for they do no evil, Indeed, to do good is also not in them.”

6 There is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

Because there is none like You, O YHWH, You [are] great, and Your Name [is] great in might.

7 Who would not fear thee, O King of the nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like unto thee.

Who does not fear You, King of the nations? For it is befitting to You, For among all the wise of the nations, And in all their kingdom, there is none like You.

8 But they are together brutish and foolish: the instruction of idols, it is but a stock.

And as 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 cunning men.

Spread-out silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, Work of an artisan, and of the hands of a refiner, Their clothing [is] blue and purple, Work of the skillful—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 trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation.

And YHWH [is] a God of truth, He [is] a living God, and a perpetual King, The earth shakes from His wrath, And nations do not endure His indignation.

11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.

Thus you say to them, “The gods who have not made the heavens and earth, They perish from the earth, And from under these heavens.”

12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath 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 uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries.

When He gives forth His voice, A multitude of waters [is] in the heavens, And He causes vapors to come up from the end of the earth, He has made lightnings for rain, And brings out wind from His treasures.

14 Every man is become brutish [and is] without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

Every man is brutish by knowledge, Every refiner is put to shame by a carved image, For his molten image [is] false. And there is no breath in them.

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

They [are] vanity, work of erring ones, They perish in the time of their inspection.

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.

The Portion of Jacob [is] not like these, For He [is] the Framer of all things, And Israel [is] the rod of His inheritance, YHWH of Hosts [is] His Name.

17 Gather up thy wares out of the land, O thou that abidest in the siege.

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

18 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel [it].

For thus said YHWH: “Behold, 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 for 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, My striking has been grievous, And I said, “Surely this [is] my sickness, and I bear it.”

20 My tent is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.

My tent has 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 my tent anymore, 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 they have not sought YHWH, Therefore they have not acted wisely, And all their flock is scattered.

22 The voice of a rumour, behold it cometh, 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, behold, it has come, Even a great shaking from the north country, To make the cities of Judah a desolation, A habitation of dragons.

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

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

24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

Discipline me, O YHWH, only in judgment, Not in Your anger, lest You make me small.

25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have devoured Jacob, yea, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.

Pour out Your fury on the nations that have not known You, And on the families that have not called on Your Name, For they have eaten up Jacob, Indeed, they have eaten him up, indeed, they consume him, And they have made his habitation desolate!