Jeremiah 10

Chapter 10

Idolatry Brings Destruction

1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O Israel!

2 This is what the LORD says:
“Do not act like the other nations,
who try to read their future in the stars.
Do not be afraid of their predictions,
even though other nations are terrified by them.3 Their ways are futile and foolish.
They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.4 They decorate it with gold and silver
and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
so it won’t fall over.5 Their gods are like
helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”6 LORD, there is no one like you!
For you are great, and your name is full of power.7 Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
That title belongs to you alone!
Among all the wise people of the earth
and in all the kingdoms of the world,
there is no one like you.8 People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.
The things they worship are made of wood!9 They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz,
and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen
who make their idols.
Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes
made by expert tailors.10 But the LORD is the only true God.
He is the living God and the everlasting King!
The whole earth trembles at his anger.
The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.

11 Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.”t
12 But God made the earth by his power,
and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
he stretched out the heavens.13 When he speaks in the thunder,
the heavens roar with rain.
He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
and releases the wind from his storehouses.14 The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
These idols have no breath or power.15 Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.16 But the God of Israelt is no idol!
He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including Israel, his own special possession.
The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

The Coming Destruction

17 Pack your bags and prepare to leave;
the siege is about to begin.18 For this is what the LORD says:
“Suddenly, I will fling out
all you who live in this land.
I will pour great troubles upon you,
and at last you will feel my anger.”19 My wound is severe,
and my grief is great.
My sickness is incurable,
but I must bear it.20 My home is gone,
and no one is left to help me rebuild it.
My children have been taken away,
and I will never see them again.21 The shepherds of my people have lost their senses.
They no longer seek wisdom from the LORD.
Therefore, they fail completely,
and their flocks are scattered.22 Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies
as they roll down from the north.
The towns of Judah will be destroyed
and become a haunt for jackals.

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own.
We are not able to plan our own course.24 So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle.
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—
on the peoples that do not call upon your name.
For they have devoured your people Israelt;
they have devoured and consumed them,
making the land a desolate wilderness.

JEREMIAH 10

The [Lord] Talks about Idols

1-2 The [Lord] said:
Listen to me,
you people of Israel.
Don't follow the customs
of those nations
who become frightened
when they see something strange
happen in the sky.

3 Their religion is worthless!
They chop down a tree,
carve the wood into an idol,

4 cover it with silver and gold,
and then nail it down
so it won't fall over.

5 An idol is no better
than a scarecrow.
It can't speak,
and it has to be carried,
because it can't walk.
Why worship an idol
that can't help or harm you?

Jeremiah Praises the [Lord]

6 Our [Lord], great and powerful,
you alone are God.

7  t You are King of the nations.
Everyone should worship you.
No human anywhere on earth
is wiser than you.

8 Idols are worthless,
and anyone who worships them
is a fool!

9 Idols are made by humans.
A carver shapes the wood.
A metalworker hammers out
a covering of gold from Uphaz
or of silver from Tarshish.
Then the idol is dressed
in blue and purple clothes.

10 You, [Lord], are the only true
and living God.
You will rule for all time.
When you are angry
the earth shakes,
and nations are destroyed.

11 You told me to say
that idols did not create
the heavens and the earth,
and that you, the [Lord],
will destroy every idol.

12 With your wisdom and power
you created the earth
and spread out the heavens.

13 The waters in the heavens roar
at your command.
You make clouds appear—
you send the winds
from your storehouse
and make lightning flash
in the rain.

14 People who make idols
are so stupid!
They will be disappointed,
because their false gods
are not alive.

15 Idols are merely a joke,
and when the time is right,
they will be destroyed.

16 But you, Israel's God,
created all things,
and you chose Israel
to be your very own.
Your name is the [Lord]
All-Powerful.

Judah Will Be Thrown //from Its Land

17 I said to the people of Judah,
“Gather your things;
you are surrounded.

18 The [Lord] said these troubles
will lead to your capture,
and he will throw you
from this land
like a rock from a sling.”t

19 The people answered,
“We are wounded
and doomed to die.
Why did we say
we could stand the pain?

20 Our homes are destroyed;
our children are dead.
No one is left
to help us find shelter.”

21 But I told them,
“Our leaders were stupid failures,
because they refused
to listen to the [Lord].
And so we've been scattered
like sheep.

22 “Sounds of destruction
rumble from the north
like distant thunder.
Soon our towns will be ruins
where only jackalst live.”

Jeremiah Prays

23 I know, [Lord], that we humans
are not in control
of our own lives.

24 Correct me, as I deserve,
but not in your anger,
or I will be dead.

25 Our enemies refuse
to admit that you are God
or to worship you.
They have wiped out our people
and left our nation
lying in ruins.
So get angry
and sweep them away!