Jeremiah 10
Expanded Bible
The Lord and the Idols
10 ·Family [L House] of Israel, ·listen to what [L hear the word that] the Lord says to you. 2 This is what he says:
“Don’t ·live like the people from [L learn the way/path of] other nations,
and don’t be ·afraid of [terrified by] special signs in the ·sky [heavens; C astrology],
even though the other nations are ·afraid [terrified] of them.
3 The ·customs [statutes; ordinances; requirements] of other people are ·worth nothing [meaningless; useless; L a breath].
·Their idols are just wood cut from the forest [L A tree from the forest is cut down],
shaped by a ·worker [craftsman] with his ·chisel [or ax; or adze; or blade].
4 They decorate their idols with silver and gold.
With hammers and nails they fasten them down
so they ·won’t fall over [can’t move].
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in ·melon [or cucumber] fields;
they cannot talk.
Since they cannot walk,
they must be carried.
Do not be afraid of those idols,
because they can’t hurt you,
and they ·can’t help you either [have no power to do good; Is. 40:18–20; 41:7, 29; 44:6–23; 46:5–7].”
6 Lord, there is no one like you.
You are great,
and your name is great and powerful.
7 ·Everyone should respect [L Who does not fear…?] you, King of the nations;
·you deserve respect [for it is your due].
Of all the wise people among the nations
and in all the kingdoms,
·none of them is as wise as you [L there is none like you].
8 Those wise people are stupid and foolish.
Their ·teachings [instructions] come from ·worthless [meaningless; useless] ·wooden idols [L pieces of wood].
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish [C Tarshish may have been in Spain (Tartessus) or an island in the eastern Mediterranean; Jonah 1:3]
and gold from Uphaz [C high quality],
so the idols are made by craftsmen and ·goldsmiths [smelters].
They put blue and purple clothes on the idols.
All these things are made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the only true God.
He is the only living God, the King forever.
The earth ·shakes [trembles] when he is angry,
and the nations cannot ·stand up to [endure] his anger.
11 “Tell them this message: ‘These gods did not make heaven and earth; they will ·be destroyed and disappear [perish] from heaven and earth [C this verse is in Aramaic, indicating it was a well known saying].’”
12 God made the earth by his power.
He used his wisdom to ·build [L establish] the world
and his understanding to stretch out the ·skies [heavens].
13 When he ·thunders [L gives forth his voice], the waters in the ·skies [heavens] ·roar [are in tumult].
He makes ·clouds [or mist] rise ·in the sky all over the earth [L from the ends of the earth].
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14 People are so stupid and know so little.
·Goldsmiths [Smelters] are ·made ashamed [humiliated] by their idols,
because those ·statues are only false gods [L images are false].
They have no breath in them.
15 They are ·worth nothing [useless; meaningless; L a breath]; ·people make fun of them [laughable; a derision].
When they are judged, they will ·be destroyed [perish].
16 But Jacob’s [C another name for Israel] Portion [C referring to the Lord; God gives himself to Israel] is not like ·the idols [L these].
He ·made [L formed] everything,
and ·he chose Israel to be his special people [L Israel is the tribe of his inheritance].
The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is his name.
Destruction Is Coming
17 ·Get everything you own [L Gather your goods] ·and prepare to leave [or from the ground],
you people who are ·trapped by your enemies [L under siege].
18 This is what the Lord says:
“At this time I will ·throw [L sling] out the people who live in this land.
I will bring ·trouble [distress] to them
so that they may be ·captured [L squeezed].”
19 ·How terrible it will be for me [Woe to me] because of my ·injury [fracture].
My wound ·cannot be healed [is severe].
Yet I told myself,
“This is my ·sickness [or punishment]; I must ·suffer through [endure] it.”
20 My tent is ·ruined [destroyed; desolated],
and all its ropes are broken.
My children have gone away and left me.
No one is left to ·put up [stretch out] my tent again
or to set up ·a shelter for me [L my curtains].
21 The shepherds are stupid
and don’t ·ask the Lord for advice [L seek the Lord].
So they do not have success,
and all their flocks are scattered.
22 Listen! The news is coming.
A ·loud noise [great commotion] comes from the north [C the Babylonian army]
to make the towns of Judah an ·empty desert [desolation]
and a ·home [haunt] for wild dogs [jackals]!
Jeremiah’s Prayer
23 Lord, I know that ·our lives don’t really belong to us [L his way/path does not belong to people].
·We can’t control our own lives [L People as they walk cannot establish their steps].
24 Lord, ·correct [teach; instruct] me, but be ·fair [just].
Don’t punish me in your anger,
or you will ·destroy me [L make me dwindle].
25 Pour out your anger on other nations
that do not know you
and do not pray to you.
Those nations have ·destroyed [consumed] the people of Jacob.
They have ·eaten [consumed] them up completely
and ·destroyed [desolated] their homeland.
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
English Standard Version
Idols and the Living God
10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 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,
3 (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.
4 (C)They decorate it with silver and gold;
(D)they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5 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.”
6 (H)There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
7 (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.
8 (J)They are both (K)stupid and foolish;
the instruction of idols is but wood!
9 (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.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 10:3 Or vapor, or mist
- Jeremiah 10:5 Hebrew They
- Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aramaic
Jeremías 10
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Los ídolos y el Dios verdadero
10 Escuchen, israelitas, la palabra que les dirige el Señor. 2 Así dice el Señor:
No aprendan las mañas de los paganos,
no los asusten los signos celestes;
que sean los paganos quienes se asusten.
3 Los ritos de esos pueblos son pura insensatez:
se tala un árbol en el bosque,
lo trabaja el artesano con la gubia;
4 lo recubren con oro y con plata,
lo asegura con clavos y martillo,
de modo que no se tambalee.
5 Igual que espantajos de melonar,
son incapaces de hablar;
tienen que ser transportados,
son incapaces de andar.
No los teman, pues no pueden hacer mal,
aunque tampoco aportan beneficios.
6 ¡Nadie, Señor, tan grande como tú!
¡Qué grande y qué poderoso es tu nombre!
7 ¿Quién no te respetará,
rey de las naciones?
Es algo que tú mereces,
pues entre todos los sabios
y todos los reyes paganos,
nadie hay como tú.
8 Son todos necios e insensatos,
educados por ídolos de madera
9 hechos con plata refinada de Tarsis,
con oro traído de Ofir;
ídolos hechos por orfebres y fundidores,
vestidos de púrpura y de grana;
todos son obra de artesanos.
10 Pero el Señor, Dios verdadero,
es un Dios vivo, rey eterno;
su cólera zarandea la tierra,
los paganos no aguantan su ira.
11 [Por eso ustedes les dirán: Los dioses que no han hecho cielo y tierra desaparecerán de la tierra y bajo el cielo].
12 Él hizo la tierra con su poder,
estableció el orbe con su sabiduría,
desplegó el cielo con su inteligencia.
13 Cuando él alza la voz
retumban las aguas del cielo,
hace subir las nubes
desde el confín de la tierra;
con los rayos provoca la lluvia
y saca de sus depósitos el viento.
14 Se embrutece quien se fía de su ciencia,
el orfebre se avergüenza del ídolo que ha hecho:
sus imágenes son mentira, sin espíritu;
15 son frustrantes, obras engañosas,
desaparecerán el día del castigo.
16 No es así la porción de Jacob,
pues él ha creado todo;
Israel es tribu de su propiedad,
se llama Señor del universo.
Sufrimiento vicario
17 Saca tus enseres de casa,
tú que vives asediada,
18 pues así dice el Señor:
Esta vez voy a expulsar con honda
a todos los habitantes del país;
voy a hostigarlos de tal modo
que no les permitiré escapar.
19 ¡Ay de mí, qué desastre,
es muy grave mi herida!
Y eso que yo me decía:
“Es un mal que puedo aguantar”.
20 Mi tienda destrozada,
las cuerdas arrancadas;
mis hijos se me han ido,
ya no los tengo conmigo.
Ya no hay quien monte mi tienda
ni quien levante las lonas.
21 Los pastores perdieron el juicio,
ya no consultan al Señor;
no son competentes
y se ha dispersado su rebaño.
22 Corre la noticia: “Ahí llega
un estruendo imponente desde el norte,
que convertirá a las ciudades de Judá
en desolación, en cueva de chacales”.
23 Ya sé, Señor, que la persona
no es dueña de su conducta;
que no es dueño el caminante
de ir regulando sus pasos.
24 Corrígeme, Señor, pero hazlo con medida,
si no tu cólera acabaría conmigo.
25 Derrama tu ira sobre las naciones
que no te reconocen;
derrámala también sobre los pueblos
que no invocan tu nombre.
Pues han devorado a Jacob,
lo han devorado y consumido,
y han asolado su morada.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España