Jeremías 10
Dios Habla Hoy
Idolatría y culto verdadero a Dios
10 Escucha, pueblo de Israel, este mensaje que el Señor te dirige. 2 El Señor dice:
«No sigan el ejemplo de otras naciones
ni se dejen asustar por las señales del cielo,
como esas naciones lo hacen.
3 La religión de esos pueblos no vale nada.
Cortan un tronco en el bosque,
un escultor lo labra con su cincel,
4 luego lo adornan con plata y oro,
y lo aseguran con clavos y martillo
para que no se caiga.
5 Los ídolos parecen espantapájaros
en un campo sembrado de melones;
no pueden hablar,
y hay que cargar con ellos, porque no caminan.
No tengan miedo de ellos,
que a nadie hacen mal ni bien.»
6 Señor, no hay nadie como tú:
tú eres grande,
tu nombre es grande y poderoso.
7 ¿Quién no te teme, rey de las naciones?
Tú mereces ser temido.
Entre todos los sabios y reyes del mundo,
no hay nadie como tú.
8 Todos ellos son necios,
no tienen ninguna inteligencia.
¡Nada puede enseñarles un pedazo de madera!
9 Sus ídolos son tan sólo plata traída de Tarsis
y oro traído de Ufaz;
objetos hechos por escultores y orfebres
y vestidos con telas moradas y rojas,
todos ellos fabricados por hábiles artistas.
10 El Señor es el Dios verdadero,
el Dios viviente, el Rey eterno.
Cuando se enoja, tiembla la tierra;
las naciones no pueden resistir su ira.
11 (Ustedes, israelitas, digan a los paganos: «Los dioses que no hicieron el cielo ni la tierra desaparecerán de la tierra; ni uno de ellos quedará debajo del cielo.»)
Himno de alabanza a Dios(A)
12 El Señor, con su poder, hizo la tierra;
con su sabiduría afirmó el mundo;
con su inteligencia extendió el cielo.
13 Con voz de trueno hace rugir el agua en el cielo,
hace subir las nubes desde el extremo de la tierra,
hace brillar los relámpagos en medio de la lluvia
y saca el viento de donde lo tiene guardado.
14 Necio e ignorante es todo hombre.
Los ídolos defraudan al que los fabrica:
son imágenes engañosas y sin vida;
15 son objetos sin valor, ridículos,
que el Señor, en el juicio, destruirá.
16 ¡Qué diferente es el Dios de Jacob,
creador de todo lo que existe!
Él escogió a Israel como su propiedad.
El Señor todopoderoso: ése es su nombre.
Diálogo entre el profeta y la nación
17 —Y tú, nación en estado de sitio,
recoge tus cosas.
18 Porque el Señor dice:
“Esta vez voy a lanzar lejos
a los habitantes de este país.
Voy a ponerlos en aprietos,
a ver si así me encuentran.”
19 —¡Ay de mí, que estoy en ruinas!
¡Mis heridas no tienen curación!
¡Y yo que pensé que podría
soportar este dolor!
20 Mi campamento está destruido,
todas las cuerdas están rotas.
Mis hijos me han abandonado,
¡ya no existen!
Ya no hay quien vuelva a plantar mis tiendas,
quien vuelva a extender sus lonas.
21 —Los jefes de este pueblo son necios;
no buscan al Señor.
Por eso han fracasado
y todo su rebaño está disperso.
22 ¡Atención! ¡Llega una noticia!
De un país del norte viene un gran estruendo
que va a convertir las ciudades de Judá
en un desierto donde sólo vivan los chacales.
23 Señor, yo sé que el hombre no es dueño de su vida,
que no tiene dominio sobre su destino.
24 Corrígenos conforme a tu justicia,
y no con ira, pues nos destruirías.
25 Descarga tu ira sobre las naciones
que no te reconocen,
sobre los pueblos que no te invocan,
porque han devorado al pueblo de Jacob,
lo han destruido por completo
y han dejado en ruinas el país.
Jeremiah 10
King James Version
10 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.
Jeremiah 10
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord and the Idols
10 Family of Israel, listen to the Lord! 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t live like people from other nations.
Don’t be afraid of special signs in the sky.[a]
The other nations are afraid of what they see in the sky.
But you must not be afraid of them.
3 The customs of other people are worth nothing.
Their idols are nothing but wood from the forest.
Their idols are made by workers with their chisels.[b]
4 They make their idols beautiful with silver and gold.
They use hammers and nails to fasten their idols down
so that they will not fall over.
5 The idols of the other nations are like
a scarecrow in a cucumber field.
They cannot walk.
They cannot talk, and the people must carry them.
So don’t be afraid of their idols.
They cannot hurt you.
And they cannot help you either.”
6 Lord, there is no one like you.
You are great!
Your name is great and powerful!
7 Everyone should respect you, King of all the nations.
You deserve their respect.
There are many wise men among the nations,
but not one of them is as wise as you.
8 All the people of the other nations are stupid and foolish.
Their teachings come from worthless wooden statues.
9 They use silver from the city of Tarshish
and gold from the city of Uphaz and make their statues.
Carpenters and metalworkers make the idols.
They put blue and purple clothes on them.
“Wise men” make these “gods.”
10 But the Lord is the only true God.
He is the only God who is alive.
He is the King who rules forever.
The earth shakes when he is angry.
The people of the nations cannot stop his anger.
11 The Lord says, “Tell them this message:
‘These false gods did not make heaven and earth.
They will be destroyed and disappear from heaven and earth.’”[c]
12 God is the one who used his power and made the earth.
He used his wisdom and built the world.
With his understanding he stretched the sky over the earth.
13 God causes the loud thunder,
and he causes great floods of water to fall from the sky.
He makes clouds rise in the sky every place on earth.
He sends lightning with the rain.
He brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14 People are so stupid!
Metalworkers are fooled by the idols that they themselves made.
These statues are nothing but lies.
They are stupid.[d]
15 These idols are worth nothing.
They are something to make fun of.
In the time of judgment they will be destroyed.
16 But Jacob’s God[e] is not like the idols.
He made everything,
and Israel is the family that God chose to be his own people.
His name is Lord All-Powerful.
Destruction Is Coming
17 Get everything you own and prepare to leave.
People of Judah, you are trapped in the city,
and the enemy is all around it.
18 This is what the Lord says:
“This time, I will throw the people of Judah out of this country.
I will bring pain and trouble to them.
I will do this so that they will learn their lesson.”[f]
19 I am hurt badly.
I am injured and I cannot be healed.
But I told myself, “This is my sickness;
I must suffer through it.”
20 My tent is ruined.
All its ropes are broken.
My children left me.
They are gone.
No one is left to put up my tent.
No one is left to fix a shelter for me.
21 The shepherds are stupid.
They don’t try to find the Lord.
They are not wise,
so their flocks are scattered and lost.
22 Listen! A loud noise!
The noise is coming from the north.[g]
It will destroy the cities of Judah.
Judah will become an empty desert.
It will be a home for jackals.
23 Lord, I know that our lives do not belong to us.
We have no control over what happens.
24 So correct us, Lord!
But please be fair.
Don’t punish us in anger,
or you will destroy us!
25 If you are angry, then punish the other nations.
They don’t know or respect you.
They don’t worship you.
Those nations destroyed Jacob’s family.
They destroyed Israel completely.
They destroyed Israel’s homeland.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 10:2 special signs in the sky People believed that such things as comets, meteors, or eclipses of the sun and moon could be used to learn what was going to happen in the future.
- Jeremiah 10:3 chisels Sharp tools used to carve wood or stone.
- Jeremiah 10:11 Tell them this message … earth This part was written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. This was the language people used often when writing to people in other countries. It was also the language spoken in Babylon.
- Jeremiah 10:14 They are stupid Literally, “They have no spirit.” This might also mean “They are not alive.”
- Jeremiah 10:16 Jacob’s God Literally, “Jacob’s share.” This means that God and Jacob (the people of Israel) had a special relationship—God belonged to Israel, and Israel belonged to God.”
- Jeremiah 10:18 they will learn their lesson The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
- Jeremiah 10:22 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to attack Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this way to attack Judah and Israel.
Jeremiah 10
New King James Version
Idols and the True God
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 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.
3 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.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
They (C)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 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.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none (G)like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 (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.
8 But they are altogether (J)dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a [b]worthless doctrine.
9 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
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
- Jeremiah 10:3 Lit. vanity
- Jeremiah 10:8 vain teaching
- Jeremiah 10:13 Or noise
- Jeremiah 10:17 Or you who dwell under siege
Dios habla hoy ®, © Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas, 1966, 1970, 1979, 1983, 1996.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
