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

God and Idols

1 Hear what the Lord says to you, O house of Israel.

2 This is what the Lord says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.

3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.

4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.

5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good.”

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

7 Who should not revere you,
O King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise men of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.

8 They are all senseless and foolish;
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.

9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers.

10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
When he is angry, the earth trembles;
the nations cannot endure his wrath.

11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ ”

12 But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
His images are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.

15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.

16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance—
the Lord Almighty is his name.

Coming Destruction

17 Gather up your belongings to leave the land,
you who live under siege.

18 For this is what the Lord says:
“At this time I will hurl out
those who live in this land;
I will bring distress on them
so that they may be captured.”

19 Woe to me because of my injury!
My wound is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
“This is my sickness, and I must endure it.”

20 My tent is destroyed;
all its ropes are snapped.
My sons are gone from me and are no more;
no one is left now to pitch my tent
or to set up my shelter.

21 The shepherds are senseless
and do not inquire of the Lord;
so they do not prosper
and all their flock is scattered.

22 Listen! The report is coming—
a great commotion from the land of the north!
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,
a haunt of jackals.

Jeremiah's Prayer

23 I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, Lord, but only with justice—
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.