Jeremiah 10
1 Hear ye the word, O house of Israel, That Jehovah hath spoken for you.
“Hear the word that Yahweh is announcing to you, house of Israel.
2 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.
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 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,
For the religious customs of these people are worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and the craftsman carves the wood.
4 With silver and with gold they beautify it, With nails and with hammers they fix it, And it doth not stumble.
Then they decorate it with silver and gold. They strengthen it with hammer and nails so it will not fall over.
5 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.
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 Because there is none like Thee, O Jehovah, Great [art] Thou, and great Thy name in might.
There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in power.
7 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.
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 And in one they are brutish and foolish, An instruction of vanities [is] the tree itself.
They are all the same, they are brutish and stupid, disciples of idols that are nothing but wood.
9 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 The maker of the earth by His power, The establisher of the world by His wisdom, Who, by His understanding, stretched forth the heavens,
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 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.
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 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.
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 Vanity [are] they, work of erring ones, In the time of their inspection they perish.
They are useless, the work of mockers; they will perish at the time of their punishment.
16 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.
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 Gather from the land thy merchandise, O dweller in the bulwark,
Gather your bundle and leave the land, you people who have been living under the siege.
18 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.
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 Woe to me for my breaking, Grievious hath been my smiting, And I said, Only, this [is] my sickness, and I bear 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 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.
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 shepherds have become brutish, And Jehovah they have not sought, Therefore they have not acted wisely, And all their flock is scattered.
For the shepherds are stupid and they do not seek Yahweh; so they have not prospered, and all their flock has been scattered.
22 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.
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 I have known, O Jehovah, that not of man [is] his way, Not of man the going and establishing of his step.
I know, Yahweh, that the way of a man does not come from himself. No person walking directs his own steps.
24 Chastise me, O Jehovah, only in judgment, Not in Thine anger, lest Thou make me small.
Discipline me, Yahweh, with justice, not in your anger or you would destroy me.
25 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!
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.
