Jeremiah 10 | King James Version

King James Version

1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. 7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. 8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. 9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men . 10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. 11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall 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 hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. 14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. 15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. 16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things ; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name. 17 Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress. 18 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so . 19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it. 20 My tabernacle 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. 21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered. 22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den 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. 24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. 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 eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

New International Reader’s Version

The Lord is the only true God

1 People of Israel, listen to what the LORD is telling you. 2 He says, ‘Do not follow the practices of other nations. Do not be terrified by warnings in the sky. Do not be afraid, even though the nations are terrified by them. 3 The practices of these nations are worthless. People cut a tree out of the forest. A skilled worker shapes the wood with a sharp tool. 4 Others decorate it with silver and gold. They use a hammer to nail it to the floor. They want to keep it from falling down. 5 The statues of their gods can’t speak. They are like scarecrows in a field of cucumbers. Their statues have to be carried around because they can’t walk. So do not be afraid of their gods. They can’t do you any harm. And they can’t do you any good either.’ 6 LORD, no one is like you. You are great. You are mighty and powerful. 7 King of the nations, everyone should have respect for you. That’s what people should give you. Among all the wise leaders of the nations there is no one like you. No one can compare with you in all their kingdoms. 8 All of them are foolish. They don’t have any sense. They think they are taught by worthless wooden gods. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish. Gold is brought from Uphaz. People skilled in working with wood and gold make a statue. Then they put blue and purple clothes on it. The whole thing is made by skilled workers. 10 But you are the only true God. You are the only living God. You are the King who rules for ever. When you are angry, the earth trembles with fear. The nations can’t stand up under your anger. 11 The LORD speaks to the Jews living in Babylon. He says, ‘Here is what you must tell the people of the nations. Tell them, “Your gods did not make the heavens and the earth. In fact, these gods will disappear from the earth. They will vanish from under the heavens.” ’ 12 But God used his power to make the earth. His wisdom set the world in place. His understanding spread out the heavens. 13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar. He makes clouds rise from one end of the earth to the other. He sends lightning along with the rain. He brings the wind out from his storerooms. 14 No one has any sense or knows anything at all. Everyone who works with gold is put to shame by his gods. The metal gods he has made are fakes. They can’t even breathe. 15 They are worthless things that people make fun of. When the LORD judges them, they will be destroyed. 16 The God of Jacob is not like them. He gives his people everything they need. He made everything that exists. And that includes Israel. They are the people who belong to him. His name is the LORD Who Rules Over All.

The land will be destroyed

17 People of Jerusalem, your enemies have surrounded you. They are attacking you. So gather up what belongs to you. Then leave the land. 18 The LORD says, ‘I am about to throw out of this land everyone who lives in it. I will bring trouble on them. They will be captured.’ 19 How terrible it will be for me! I’ve been wounded! And my wound can’t be healed! In spite of that, I said to myself, ‘I’m ill. But I’ll have to put up with it.’ 20 Jerusalem is like a tent that has been destroyed. All its ropes have snapped. My people have gone away from me. Now no one is left to set up my tent. I have no one to set up my shelter. 21 The leaders of my people are like shepherds who don’t have any sense. They don’t ask the LORD for advice. That’s why they don’t succeed. And that’s why their whole flock is scattered like sheep. 22 Listen! A message is coming! I hear the sound of a great army marching down from the north! It will turn Judah’s towns into a desert. They will become a home for wild dogs.

Jeremiah prays to the Lord

23 LORD, I know that a person doesn’t control their own life. They don’t direct their own steps. 24 Correct me, LORD, but please be fair. Don’t correct me when you are angry. If you do, nothing will be left of me. 25 Pour out your great anger on the nations. They don’t pay any attention to you. They refuse to worship you. They have destroyed the people of Jacob. They’ve wiped them out completely. They’ve also destroyed the land they lived in.