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Chapter 10

The True God. Listen to the word that the Lord addresses to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord:

Do not adopt the ways of the nations
    or become frightened at the signs in the heavens,[a]
    even though the nations are terrified of them.
For the carved images of the nations are powerless;
    they are nothing more than wood cut from a forest,
fashioned with a knife by craftsmen
    and embellished with silver and gold.
Then they are fastened with hammers and nails
    to prevent them from toppling.
Like scarecrows in a cucumber field
    they are unable to speak,
and they must be carried from place to place
    since they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
    for they can do no harm,
    nor do they have any power to do good.
Lord, there is no one like you;
    you are great,
    and great is the might of your name.
Who would not fear you,
    O King of the nations?
    This is your due.
Of all the wisest men in the nations
    and throughout all their kingdoms,
    there is no one like you.
They are all senseless and foolish,
    and the idols they venerate are nothing but wood,
adorned with beaten silver from Tarshish
    and gold from Ophir.
Their idols are the work of craftsmen and goldsmiths
    and clothed with violet and purple;
    all of them are the product of skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
    he is the living God and the everlasting King.
When confronted with his wrath the earth quakes,
    and no nation can endure his fury.

11 Convey this message to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.

12 The Lord made the earth by his power,
    established the world by his wisdom
    and spread out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When his voice thunders forth,
    the waters in the heavens are in tumult,
and he brings forth clouds
    from the most remote areas of the earth.
He causes lightning to flash during the rainfall
    and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
14 Everyone is ignorant and devoid of knowledge;
    every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for the figures he molds are fraudulent,
    lacking even a semblance of breath.
15 They are worthless, worthy only of mockery;
    when the time of judgment comes
    they will no longer exist.
16 But not like these is the portion of Jacob,
    for he is the Maker of all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his heritage;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.

Destruction of Judah[b]

17 Gather up your belongings and depart from the land,
    you who are living under siege.
18 For thus says the Lord:
    This time I am determined to cast out
    the inhabitants of this land,
and I will inflict such distress on them
    that they will find it difficult to bear.
19 I face disaster because of my injuries.
    My wounds are incurable.
However, I thought, “This is my punishment,
    and somehow I must endure it.”
20 My tent has been destroyed,
    and all of its ropes are severed.
My children have left me,
    and they are no more.
No one remains to help me pitch my tent again
    or to put up its curtains.
21 The shepherds have proved to be stupid;
    they failed to search for the Lord.
As a result, they have not prospered,
    and their entire flock is scattered.
22 Listen! There is a tremendous noise,
    and it comes ever closer;
    a great uproar from the land of the north;
the towns of Judah will be reduced to a desert
    and become a lair for jackals.

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 I am finally aware, O Lord,
    that man is not in control of his destiny
and that it is not in his power
    to determine the course of his life.
24 Correct me, O Lord,
    but do so with moderation,
and not in your anger,
    or you will reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour forth your wrath on the nations
    that refuse to acknowledge you,
as well as on the tribes
    that refuse to invoke your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
    they have devoured and made an end of him
    and laid waste his homeland.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 10:2 Signs in the heavens: the allusion is to horoscopes based on the stars.
  2. Jeremiah 10:17 This lament is a continuation of chapter 9.

Idols and the True God

10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.

Thus says the Lord:

(A)“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the peoples are [a]futile;
For (B)one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They (C)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
They are upright, like a palm tree,
And (D)they cannot speak;
They must be (E)carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For (F)they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”

Inasmuch as there is none (G)like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
(H)Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For (I)among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
But they are altogether (J)dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a [b]worthless doctrine.
Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And (K)gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all (L)the work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is (M)the living God and the (N)everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

11 Thus you shall say to them: (O)“The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth (P)shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

12 He (Q)has made the earth by His power,
He has (R)established the world by His wisdom,
And (S)has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
13 (T)When He utters His voice,
There is a [c]multitude of waters in the heavens:
(U)“And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”

14 (V)Everyone is (W)dull-hearted, without knowledge;
(X)Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
(Y)For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 (Z)The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And (AA)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
(AB)The Lord of hosts is His name.

The Coming Captivity of Judah

17 (AC)Gather up your wares from the land,
O [d]inhabitant of the fortress!

18 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I will (AD)throw out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
(AE)That they may find it so.

19 (AF)Woe is me for my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I say, (AG)“Truly this is an infirmity,
And (AH)I must bear it.”
20 (AI)My tent is plundered,
And all my cords are broken;
My children have gone from me,
And they are (AJ)no more.
There is no one to pitch my tent anymore,
Or set up my curtains.

21 For the shepherds have become dull-hearted,
And have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they shall not prosper,
And all their flocks shall be (AK)scattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the (AL)north country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a (AM)den of jackals.

23 O Lord, I know the (AN)way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
24 O Lord, (AO)correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
25 (AP)Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, (AQ)who do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
(AR)Devoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 10:3 Lit. vanity
  2. Jeremiah 10:8 vain teaching
  3. Jeremiah 10:13 Or noise
  4. Jeremiah 10:17 Or you who dwell under siege

10 Hear ye the Davar which Hashem speaketh unto you, O Bais Yisroel.

Thus saith Hashem, Learn not the Derech HaGoyim, and be not in awe of the otot HaShomayim; though the Goyim are in awe of them.

For the [religious] chukkot (customs, statutes) of the nations are vain delusions; for one cutteth etz out of the ya’ar (forest), the ma’aseh (handiwork) of the hands of the charash (workman, artisan), with the axe.

They deck it with kesef and with zahav; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it topple not.

They [the idols] are upright as the tomer (palm tree], but speak not; they must needs be carried, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do rah, neither also is it in them to do tov.

Forasmuch as there is none like unto Thee, Hashem; Thou art gadol, and Thy Shem is gadol in gevurah.

Who would not fear thee, O Melech HaGoyim? For this is Thy due; forasmuch as among all the chachamim of the Goyim, and in kol malchut of them, there is none like unto Thee.

But they are altogether stupid and foolish; the etz is a musar havalim (discipline of delusions).

Hammered kesef is brought from Tarshish, and zahav from Uphaz, the ma’aseh (work, handiwork) of the charash (workman, artisan), and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple is their [the idols’] clothing; they are all the ma’aseh (work) of cunning men.

10 But Hashem is the Elohim Emes, He is the Elohim Chayyim, and the Melech Olam; at His wrath ha’aretz shall tremble, and the Goyim shall not be able to endure His indignation.

11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The g-ds that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and min techot (from under) these heavens.

12 He hath made eretz by His ko’ach, He hath established the tevel (world) by His chochmah, and hath stretched out Shomayim by His understanding.

13 When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of mayim in Shomayim, and He causeth the clouds to ascend from the ends of ha’aretz; He maketh lightnings with matar (rain), and bringeth forth the ruach (wind) out of His Otzerot.

14 Kol Adam is stupid in his da’as; every goldsmith is shamed by the pesel (idol); for his nesekh (molten image) is sheker, and there is no ruach in them.

15 They are hevel (vanity, delusion), and the ma’aseh (work) of delusion; in the time of their pekudat (visitation, punishment) they shall perish.

16 The chelek of Ya’akov is not like them; for the Yotzer HaKol (Maker of All, Creator of All) is He; and Yisroel is the shevet (rod) of His nachalah; Hashem Tzva’os Shmo.

17 Gather up thy gear [for Exile] meEretz (from the Land), O besieged inhabitant.

18 For thus saith Hashem, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of HaAretz at this time, and will bring distress upon them, so that find they may [i.e., what they deserve].

19 Oy li! (woe is me) for my disaster! My wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a sickness, and I must bear it.

20 My ohel is destroyed, and all my tent cords are broken; my banim are gone forth of me, and are no more; there is none to pitch any more my ohel, and to hang up my tent curtains.

21 For the ro’im (shepherds, pastors) are become stupid, and inquire not of Hashem; therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flock shall be scattered.

22 Hinei, the noise! The report is come, and a great commotion out of Eretz Tzafon, to make the towns of Yehudah desolate, and a haunt of jackals.

23 Hashem, I know that the derech of adam (man) is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

24 Hashem, correct me, but with mishpat; not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing.

25 Pour out Thy fury upon the Goyim that know Thee not, and upon the mishpekhot that call not on Shimecha (Thy Name) [See Joel 2:32(3:5); Ac 2:21; Ro 10:13]; for they have eaten up Ya’akov, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

10 Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, house of Israel! Yahweh says,

“Don’t learn the way of the nations,
    and don’t be dismayed at the signs of the sky;
    for the nations are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the peoples are vanity;
    for one cuts a tree out of the forest,
    the work of the hands of the workman with the ax.
They deck it with silver and with gold.
    They fasten it with nails and with hammers,
    so that it can’t move.
They are like a palm tree, of turned work,
    and don’t speak.
They must be carried,
    because they can’t move.
Don’t be afraid of them;
    for they can’t do evil,
    neither is it in them to do good.”
There is no one like you, Yahweh.
    You are great,
    and your name is great in might.
Who shouldn’t fear you,
    King of the nations?
    For it belongs to you.
Because among all the wise men of the nations,
    and in all their royal estate,
    there is no one like you.
But they are together brutish and foolish,
    instructed by idols!
    It is just wood.
There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish,
    and gold from Uphaz,
    the work of the engraver and of the hands of the goldsmith.
Their clothing is blue and purple.
    They are all the work of skillful men.
10 But Yahweh is the true God.
    He is the living God,
    and an everlasting King.
At his wrath, the earth trembles.
    The nations aren’t able to withstand his indignation.

11 “You shall say this to them: ‘The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.’”

12 God has made the earth by his power.
    He has established the world by his wisdom,
    and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens.
13 When he utters his voice,
    the waters in the heavens roar,
    and he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightnings for the rain,
    and brings the wind out of his treasuries.
14 Every man has become brutish and without knowledge.
    Every goldsmith is disappointed by his engraved image;
for his molten image is falsehood,
    and there is no breath in them.
15 They are vanity, a work of delusion.
    In the time of their visitation they will perish.
16 The portion of Jacob is not like these;
    for he is the maker of all things;
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance.
    Yahweh of Armies is his name.
17 Gather up your wares out of the land,
    you who live under siege.
18 For Yahweh says,
    “Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time,
    and will distress them, that they may feel it.”
19 Woe is me because of my injury!
    My wound is serious;
but I said,
    “Truly this is my grief, and I must bear it.”
20 My tent has been destroyed,
    and all my cords are broken.
My children have gone away from me, and they are no more.
    There is no one to spread my tent any more,
    to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become brutish,
    and have not inquired of Yahweh.
Therefore they have not prospered,
    and all their flocks have scattered.
22 The voice of news, behold, it comes,
    and a great commotion out of the north country,
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
    a dwelling place of jackals.
23 Yahweh, I know that the way of man is not in himself.
    It is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
24 Yahweh, correct me, but gently;
    not in your anger,
    lest you reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you,
    and on the families that don’t call on your name;
for they have devoured Jacob.
    Yes, they have devoured him, consumed him,
    and have laid waste his habitation.

God and Idols(A)

10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations(B)
    or be terrified by signs(C) in the heavens,
    though the nations are terrified by them.
For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
    they cut a tree out of the forest,
    and a craftsman(D) shapes it with his chisel.(E)
They adorn it with silver(F) and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so it will not totter.(G)
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
    their idols cannot speak;(H)
they must be carried
    because they cannot walk.(I)
Do not fear them;
    they can do no harm(J)
    nor can they do any good.”(K)

No one is like you,(L) Lord;
    you are great,(M)
    and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not fear(N) you,
    King of the nations?(O)
    This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms,
    there is no one like you.

They are all senseless(P) and foolish;(Q)
    they are taught by worthless wooden idols.(R)
Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish(S)
    and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made(T)
    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,(U) the eternal King.(V)
When he is angry,(W) the earth trembles;(X)
    the nations cannot endure his wrath.(Y)

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

12 But God made(AA) the earth(AB) by his power;
    he founded the world by his wisdom(AC)
    and stretched out the heavens(AD) by his understanding.
13 When he thunders,(AE) the waters in the heavens roar;
    he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning(AF) with the rain(AG)
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(AH)

14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is shamed(AI) by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(AJ)
    they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless,(AK) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion(AL) of Jacob is not like these,
    for he is the Maker of all things,(AM)
including Israel, the people of his inheritance(AN)
    the Lord Almighty is his name.(AO)

Coming Destruction

17 Gather up your belongings(AP) to leave the land,
    you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says:
    “At this time I will hurl(AQ) out
    those who live in this land;
I will bring distress(AR) on them
    so that they may be captured.”

19 Woe to me because of my injury!
    My wound(AS) is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
    “This is my sickness, and I must endure(AT) it.”
20 My tent(AU) is destroyed;
    all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;(AV)
    no one is left now to pitch my tent
    or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds(AW) are senseless(AX)
    and do not inquire of the Lord;(AY)
so they do not prosper(AZ)
    and all their flock is scattered.(BA)
22 Listen! The report is coming—
    a great commotion from the land of the north!(BB)
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,(BC)
    a haunt of jackals.(BD)

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
    it is not for them to direct their steps.(BE)
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
    not in your anger,(BF)
    or you will reduce me to nothing.(BG)
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations(BH)
    that do not acknowledge you,
    on the peoples who do not call on your name.(BI)
For they have devoured(BJ) Jacob;
    they have devoured him completely
    and destroyed his homeland.(BK)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 10:11 The text of this verse is in Aramaic.