Jeremiah 10

The Folly of Idols

1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, 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, even though the nations freak out over them.”

3 “The customs of the peoples are worthless. They cut a tree from the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his tools.”

4 “They decorate it with silver and gold; they nail it down so it will not topple over.”

5 “Their idols stand like scarecrows in a cucumber field, they cannot speak. They have to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, they cannot do evil, and they cannot do good either.”

The Greatness of God

6 There is no one like You, LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.

7 Who would not fear You, King of the nations, This is Your rightful due. Among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like You.

8 They are all stupid and foolish. Their idols are just wooden teachings covered in nonsense.

9 Hammered silver comes from Tarshish, gold from Uphaz, the work of craftsmen and goldsmiths. They are dressed in blue and purple, but all of it is made by human hands.

10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the eternal King. When He is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot handle His wrath.

God Is the Creator; Idols Are Nothing

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

12 God made the earth by His power; He established 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 wind from His storehouses.

14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge. Every goldsmith is shamed by his idols, the images he makes are frauds, with no breath in them.

15 They are worthless, ridiculous things; when judgment comes, they will disappear.

16 The portion of Jacob is not like these idols, He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The LORD of armies is His name.

The Coming Exile

17 Pack up your belongings, you who live under siege.

18 For this is what the LORD says: “I am about to throw the inhabitants of this land out and bring distress on them so they may finally feel it.”

Jeremiah’s Prayer

19 “Woe to me because of my wound! My injury is severe. But I said, ‘This is my sickness, and I must endure it.’”

20 “My tent is destroyed; all my ropes are snapped. My children are gone, no one left to set up my tent or pitch my shelter again.”

21 “The shepherds are stupid; they do not seek the LORD. That is why they fail, and all their flocks are scattered.”

22 “Listen! A rumor is coming, a great commotion out of the north. It will turn Judah’s cities into desolate ruins, a home for jackals.”

A Plea for God’s Justice

23 LORD, I know that a person’s way is not in himself, no one who walks can direct his own steps.

24 Correct me, LORD, but only with justice, not in Your anger, or You would crush me.

25 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that does not acknowledge You and on the peoples who do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, consumed him, finished him off, and ruined his home.