Idols and the Living God

10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord:

“Learn not the way of the nations,
    nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
    because the nations are dismayed at them,
(A)for the customs of the peoples are vanity.[a]
(B)A tree from the forest is cut down
    and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
(C)They decorate it with silver and gold;
    (D)they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so that it cannot move.
Their idols[b] are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
    and (E)they cannot speak;
(F)they have to be carried,
    for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
    (G)for they cannot do evil,
    neither is it in them to do good.”

(H)There is none like you, O Lord;
    you are great, and your name is great in might.
(I)Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
    For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms
    there is none like you.
(J)They are both (K)stupid and foolish;
    the instruction of idols is but wood!
(L)Beaten silver is brought from (M)Tarshish,
    and gold from (N)Uphaz.
(O)They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;
    their clothing is violet and purple;
    (P)they are all the work of skilled men.
10 (Q)But the Lord is the true God;
    (R)he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
    and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

11 Thus shall you say to them: (S)“The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth (T)shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”[c]

12 (U)It is he who (V)made the earth by his power,
    (W)who established the world by his wisdom,
    and (X)by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
13 (Y)When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
    (Z)and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
(AA)He makes lightning (AB)for the rain,
    (AC)and he brings forth the wind (AD)from his storehouses.
14 (AE)Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
    (AF)every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
    (AG)and there is no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
    at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 Not like these is he who is (AH)the portion of Jacob,
    for he is the one who formed all things,
(AI)and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
    (AJ)the Lord of hosts is his name.

17 (AK)Gather up your bundle from the ground,
    O you who dwell under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord:
(AL)“Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land
    at this time,
(AM)and I will bring distress on them,
    that they may feel it.”

19 Woe is me because of my hurt!
    (AN)My wound is grievous.
But I said, “Truly this is an affliction,
    and I must bear it.”
20 (AO)My tent is destroyed,
    and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
    (AP)and they are not;
there is no one to spread my tent again
    and (AQ)to set up my curtains.
21 (AR)For the shepherds (AS)are stupid
    and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
    (AT)and all their flock is scattered.

22 A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!—
    (AU)a great commotion out of the north country
to make (AV)the cities of Judah a desolation,
    (AW)a lair of jackals.

23 (AX)I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,
    that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
24 (AY)Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;
    not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

25 (AZ)Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not,
    and on the peoples that call not on your name,
(BA)for they have devoured Jacob;
    they have devoured him and consumed him,
    and have laid waste his habitation.

The Broken Covenant

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: (BB)“Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (BC)Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant that I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, (BD)from the iron furnace, saying, (BE)Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. (BF)So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, (BG)that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers, (BH)to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”

And the Lord said to me, (BI)“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: (BJ)Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, (BK)warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, (BL)Obey my voice. (BM)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, (BN)but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all (BO)the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

Again the Lord said to me, (BP)“A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to (BQ)the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. (BR)They have gone after other gods to serve them. (BS)The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. (BT)Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (BU)will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, (BV)but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 (BW)For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, (BX)altars to make offerings to Baal.

14 “Therefore (BY)do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, (BZ)for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 (CA)What right has my beloved in my house, (CB)when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? (CC)Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you (CD)‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But (CE)with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and (CF)its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, (CG)who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, (CH)provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.”

18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
    then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was (CI)like a gentle lamb
    led to the slaughter.
I did not know (CJ)it was against me
    they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
    (CK)let us cut him off from (CL)the land of the living,
    that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
    who (CM)tests (CN)the heart and the mind,
(CO)let me see your vengeance upon them,
    for to you have I committed my cause.

21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of (CP)Anathoth, (CQ)who seek your life, and say, (CR)“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of (CS)Anathoth, (CT)the year of their punishment.”

Notas al pie

  1. Jeremiah 10:3 Or vapor, or mist
  2. Jeremiah 10:5 Hebrew They
  3. Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aramaic

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)

The Covenant Is Broken

11 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Listen to the terms of this covenant(BL) and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed(BM) is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,(BN) out of the iron-smelting furnace.(BO)’ I said, ‘Obey(BP) me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,(BQ) and I will be your God. Then I will fulfill the oath I swore(BR) to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’(BS)—the land you possess today.”

I answered, “Amen,(BT) Lord.”

The Lord said to me, “Proclaim(BU) all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow(BV) them. From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,(BW) saying, “Obey me.” But they did not listen or pay attention;(BX) instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(BY) So I brought on them all the curses(BZ) of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.(CA)’”

Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy(CB) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,(CC) who refused to listen to my words.(CD) They have followed other gods(CE) to serve them.(CF) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant(CG) I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster(CH) they cannot escape.(CI) Although they cry(CJ) out to me, I will not listen(CK) to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,(CL) but they will not help them at all when disaster(CM) strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods(CN) as you have towns;(CO) and the altars you have set up to burn incense(CP) to that shameful(CQ) god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’

14 “Do not pray(CR) for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen(CS) when they call to me in the time of their distress.

15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
    as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
    Can consecrated meat(CT) avert your punishment?(CU)
When you engage in your wickedness,
    then you rejoice.[b]

16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree(CV)
    with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
    he will set it on fire,(CW)
    and its branches will be broken.(CX)

17 The Lord Almighty, who planted(CY) you, has decreed disaster(CZ) for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused(DA) my anger by burning incense to Baal.(DB)

Plot Against Jeremiah

18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;(DC) I did not realize that they had plotted(DD) against me, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
    let us cut him off from the land of the living,(DE)
    that his name be remembered(DF) no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously(DG)
    and test the heart(DH) and mind,(DI)
let me see your vengeance(DJ) on them,
    for to you I have committed my cause.

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth(DK) who are threatening to kill you,(DL) saying, “Do not prophesy(DM) in the name of the Lord or you will die(DN) by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men(DO) will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant(DP) will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.(DQ)

Notas al pie

  1. Jeremiah 10:11 The text of this verse is in Aramaic.
  2. Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice