Jeremiah 10

New American Standard Bible

A Satire on Idolatry

10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. ²This is what the Lord says:

“^(A)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
Although the nations are terrified by them;
³For the customs of the peoples are ^(B)futile;
For ^(C)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
⁴They ^(D)decorate the idol with silver and gold;
They ^(E)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not totter.
⁵They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
And they ^(F)cannot speak;
They must be ^(G)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they ^(H)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”

⁶^(I)There is none like You, Lord;
You are ^(J)great, and Your name is great in might.
⁷^(K)Who would not fear You, O ^(L)King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the ^(M)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
⁸But they are altogether ^(N)stupid and foolish;
The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
⁹Beaten ^(O)silver is brought from ^(P)Tarshish,
And ^(Q)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Their clothing is of violet and purple;
They are all the ^(R)work of skilled people.
¹⁰But the Lord is the ^(S)true God;
He is the ^(T)living God and the ^(U)everlasting King.
The ^(V)earth quakes at His wrath,
And the nations cannot ^(W)endure His indignation.

¹¹^[a]This is what you shall say to them: “The ^(X)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will ^(Y)perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

¹²It is ^(Z)He who made the earth by His power,
Who ^(AA)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has ^(AB)stretched out the heavens.
¹³When He utters His ^(AC)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the ^(AD)clouds ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the ^(AE)wind from His storehouses.
¹⁴Every person is ^(AF)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
For his cast metal images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
¹⁵They are ^(AG)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the ^(AH)time of their punishment they will perish.
¹⁶The ^(AI)Portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the ^[b]^(AJ)Maker of everything,
And ^(AK)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The ^(AL)Lord of armies is His name.

¹⁷^(AM)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who live under siege!
¹⁸For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am ^(AN)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And I will cause them distress,
So that they may ^[c]be found.”

¹⁹^(AO)Woe to me, because of my ^[d]injury!
My ^(AP)wound is incurable.
But I said, “This certainly is a sickness,
And I ^(AQ)must endure it.”
²⁰My ^(AR)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken.
My ^(AS)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is ^(AT)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
²¹For the shepherds have become stupid
And ^(AU)have not sought the Lord.
Therefore they have not prospered,
And ^(AV)all their flock is scattered.
²²The sound of a ^(AW)report! Behold, it is coming—
A great roar ^(AX)from the land of the north—
To ^(AY)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

²³I know, Lord, that ^(AZ)a person’s way is not in himself,
^(BA)Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
²⁴^(BB)Correct me, Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will ^[e]bring me to nothing.
²⁵^(BC)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that ^(BD)do not know You,
And on the families who ^(BE)do not call upon Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have ^(BF)devoured him and consumed him,
And have laid waste his ^[f]settlement.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aram
Jeremiah 10:16 Lit Fashioner
Jeremiah 10:18 Lit find
Jeremiah 10:19 Lit breaking
Jeremiah 10:24 Lit diminish me
Jeremiah 10:25 Or pasture

Jeremiah 11

New American Standard Bible

The Broken Covenant

11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ²“^(A)Hear the words of this ^(B)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ³and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “^(C)Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant ⁴which I commanded your forefathers on the ^(D)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the ^(E)iron furnace, saying, ‘^(F)Listen to My voice, and ^[a]do according to all that I command you; so you shall be ^(G)My people, and I will be your God,’ ⁵in order to confirm the ^(H)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I replied, “^(I)Amen, Lord.”

⁶And the Lord said to me, “^(J)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘^(K)Hear the words of this covenant and ^(L)do them. ⁷For I solemnly ^(M)warned your fathers on the ^(N)day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, ^(O)warning them persistently, saying, “^(P)Listen to My voice.” ⁸Yet they ^(Q)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart, each one of them; therefore I brought on them all the ^(R)words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”

⁹Then the Lord said to me, “A ^(S)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰They have ^(T)turned back to the wrongdoings of their ^[b]ancestors who ^(U)refused to hear My words, and they ^(V)have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have ^(W)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” ¹¹Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am ^(X)bringing disaster on them which they will ^(Y)not be able to escape; though they will ^(Z)cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. ¹²Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will ^(AA)go and cry out to the gods to whom they ^[c]burn incense, but they certainly will not save them in the time of their disaster. ¹³For your gods are ^[d]^(AB)as many as your cities, Judah; and ^[e]as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the ^(AC)shameful thing, altars for ^[f]^(AD)burning incense to Baal.

¹⁴“So as for you, ^(AE)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will ^(AF)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.

¹⁵What right has My ^(AG)beloved in My house
When ^(AH)she has carried out many evil schemes?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
^[g]So that you can rejoice?”
¹⁶The Lord named you
“A ^(AI)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
With the ^(AJ)noise of a great ^[h]tumult
He has ^(AK)set fire to it,
And its branches are worthless.

¹⁷The Lord of armies, who ^(AL)planted you, has ^(AM)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have ^[i]done to provoke Me by ^[j]^(AN)offering sacrifices to Baal.

Plots against Jeremiah

¹⁸Moreover, the Lord ^(AO)made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
¹⁹But I was like a gentle ^(AP)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had ^(AQ)devised plots against me, saying,
“Let’s destroy the tree with its ^[k]fruit,
And ^(AR)let’s cut him off from the ^(AS)land of the living,
So that his ^(AT)name will no longer be remembered.”
²⁰But, Lord of armies, who ^(AU)judges righteously,
Who ^(AV)puts the ^[l]feelings and the heart to the test,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You I have ^[m]committed my cause.

²¹Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the people of ^(AW)Anathoth, who are ^(AX)seeking your life, saying: “^(AY)Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you do not ^(AZ)die by our hand”; ²²therefore, this is what the Lord of armies says: “Behold, I am going to ^(BA)punish them! The ^(BB)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; ²³and a remnant ^(BC)will not be left to them, because I will ^(BD)bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—^(BE)the year of their punishment.”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 11:4 Lit do them
Jeremiah 11:10 Lit former fathers
Jeremiah 11:12 Or offer sacrifices
Jeremiah 11:13 Lit the number of
Jeremiah 11:13 Lit the number of
Jeremiah 11:13 Or offering sacrifices to
Jeremiah 11:15 Lit Then
Jeremiah 11:16 I.e., confused noise
Jeremiah 11:17 Or done for themselves
Jeremiah 11:17 Or burning incense
Jeremiah 11:19 Lit bread
Jeremiah 11:20 Lit kidneys
Jeremiah 11:20 Lit rolled

Jeremiah 12

New American Standard Bible

Jeremiah’s Prayer

12 ^(A)Righteous are You, Lord, when I plead my case with You;
Nevertheless I would ^(B)discuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the ^(C)way of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who ^(D)deal in treachery at ease?
²You have ^(E)planted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have also produced fruit.
You are ^(F)near ^[a]to their lips
But far from their ^[b]mind.
³But You ^(G)know me, Lord;
You see me
And ^(H)examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter,
And ^[c]set them apart for a ^(I)day of slaughter!
⁴How long is the ^(J)land to mourn,
And the ^(K)vegetation of the ^[d]countryside to dry up?
Due to the ^(L)wickedness of those who live in it,
^(M)Animals and birds have been snatched away,
Because people have said, “He will not see our final ^(N)end.”

⁵“If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out,
How can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the ^(O)thicket by the Jordan?
⁶For even your ^(P)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, though they say ^(Q)nice things to you.”

God’s Answer

⁷“I have ^(R)forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have handed the ^(S)beloved of My soul
Over to her enemies.
⁸My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has ^[e]^(T)roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to ^(U)hate her.
⁹Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the ^(V)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the ^(W)animals of the field,
Bring them to devour!
¹⁰Many ^(X)shepherds have ruined My ^(Y)vineyard,
They have ^(Z)trampled down My field;
They have made My ^(AA)pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
¹¹^[f]It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it ^(AB)mourns ^[g]before Me;
The ^(AC)whole land has been made desolate,
Because no one ^(AD)takes it to heart.
¹²On all the ^[h]^(AE)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For the ^(AF)sword of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the ^[i]other;
There is ^(AG)no peace for ^[j]anyone.
¹³They have ^(AH)sown wheat but have harvested thorns,
They have ^(AI)strained themselves ^[k]to no profit.
So be ashamed of your ^(AJ)produce
Because of the ^(AK)fierce anger of the Lord.”

¹⁴This is what the Lord says concerning all My ^(AL)wicked neighbors who ^(AM)do harm to the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel: “Behold, I am going to drive them out of their land, and I will ^(AN)drive the house of Judah out from among them. ¹⁵And it will come about that after I have driven them out, I will ^(AO)again have compassion on them; and I will ^(AP)bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. ¹⁶Then, if they will really ^(AQ)learn the ways of My people, to ^(AR)swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ just as they taught My people to ^(AS)swear by Baal, they will be ^(AT)built up in the midst of My people. ¹⁷But if they do not listen, then I will ^(AU)drive out that nation, drive it out and destroy it,” declares the Lord.