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Jeremiah 10
Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah 10
Christian Standard Bible
False Gods Contrasted with the Creator
10 Hear the word that the Lord has spoken to[a] you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
Do not learn the way of the nations(A)
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
although the nations are terrified by them,
3 for the customs of the peoples are worthless.
Someone cuts down a tree from the forest;
it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel.
4 He decorates it with silver and gold.(B)
It is fastened with hammer and nails,(C)
so it won’t totter.
5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch,
their idols cannot speak.(D)
They must be carried(E) because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them for they can do no harm(F)—
and they cannot do any good.(G)
6 Lord, there is no one like you.(H)
You are great;
your name is great in power.(I)
7 Who should not fear you,
King of the nations?(J)
It is what you deserve.
For among all the wise people of the nations
and among all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8 They are both stupid and foolish,
instructed by worthless idols
made of wood!
9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish(K)
and gold from Uphaz.[b](L)
The work of a craftsman
and of a goldsmith’s hands
is clothed in blue and purple,
all the work of skilled artisans.
10 But the Lord is the true God;(M)
he is the living God(N) and eternal King.(O)
The earth quakes at his wrath,(P)
and the nations cannot endure his fury.
11 You are to say this to them: “The gods that did not make the heavens(Q) and the earth will perish from the earth(R) and from under these heavens.”[c]
12 He made the earth by his power,
established the world(S) by his wisdom,(T)
and spread out the heavens by his understanding.(U)
13 When he thunders,[d]
the waters in the heavens are in turmoil,(V)
and he causes the clouds to rise
from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind from his storehouses.(W)
14 Everyone is stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith is put to shame
by his carved image,(X)
for his cast images are a lie;(Y)
there is no breath in them.(Z)
15 They are worthless, a work to be mocked.
At the time of their punishment
they will be destroyed.(AA)
16 Jacob’s Portion[e] is not like these
because he is the one who formed all things.(AB)
Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;(AC)
the Lord of Armies is his name.(AD)
Exile after the Siege
18 For this is what the Lord says:
Look, I am flinging away(AF)
the land’s residents at this time
and bringing them such distress
that they will feel it.
Jeremiah Grieves
19 Woe to me because of my brokenness—
I am severely wounded!(AG)
I exclaimed, “This is my intense suffering,
but I must bear it.”
20 My tent is destroyed;(AH)
all my tent cords are snapped.
My sons have departed from me and are no more.
I have no one to pitch my tent again
or to hang up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds are stupid:
They don’t seek the Lord.(AI)
Therefore they have not prospered,
and their whole flock is scattered.
22 Listen! A noise—it is coming—
a great commotion(AJ) from the land to the north.
The cities of Judah will be made desolate,
a jackals’ den.(AK)
23 I know, Lord,
that a person’s way of life is not his own;
no one who walks determines his own steps.(AL)
24 Discipline me, Lord, but with justice—
not in your anger,(AM)
or you will reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that don’t recognize you
and on the families
that don’t call on your name,
for they have consumed Jacob;
they have consumed him and finished him off
and made his homeland desolate.(AN)
Jeremiah 10
Wycliffe Bible
Jeremiah 10
Wycliffe Bible
10 The house of Israel, hear ye the word which the Lord spake on you. (The house of Israel, hear ye the word which the Lord spoke against you.)
2 The Lord saith these things, Do not ye learn after the ways of heathen men, and do not ye dread of the signs of heaven, which signs heathen men dread. (The Lord saith these things, Do not ye learn after the ways of the heathen, and do not ye fear the signs of the heavens, which signs the heathen fear.)
3 For the laws of peoples be vain (For the religions, or the customs, of the peoples, or of the nations, be empty and futile), for why the work of [the] hands of a craftsman hath cut down with an ax a tree of the forest.
4 He made it fair with silver and gold; (and) with nails and hammers he joined it together, that it be not loosed [atwain].
5 Idols be made in the likeness of a palm tree, and shall not speak; those shall be taken and be borne (about), for those may not go; therefore do not ye dread those, for they may neither do evil, neither well. (These idols be made straight and tall like a palm tree, but they cannot speak; they must be picked up and carried about, for they cannot walk; and so do not ye fear them, for they can do neither good nor evil to you/for you.)
6 Lord, none is like thee (Lord, there is no one like thee); thou art great, and thy name is great in strength.
7 A! thou king of folks, who shall not dread thee? for why honour is thine among all wise men of heathen men, and in all the realms of them none is like thee. (O! thou King of nations, who shall not fear thee? for honour is thine among all the wise of the heathen, and in all their kingdoms there is no one like thee.)
8 They shall be proved unwise and fools together; the teaching of their vanity is a tree. (They shall be proved altogether unwise and foolish; their empty and futile teaching is from a piece of wood.)
9 Silver wrapped is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz (Silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Ophir); it is the work of a craftsman, and of the hand(s) of a worker in metal; jacinth and purple be the clothing of them; all these things be the work of workmen.
10 Forsooth the Lord is very God; he is God living, and a king everlasting; the earth shall be moved together of his indignation, and heathen men shall not (be able to) suffer the menacing of him. (For the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, and the everlasting King; the earth shall be altogether shaken by his indignation, and the heathen shall not be able to suffer his threats.)
11 Therefore thus ye shall say to them, Gods that made not heaven and earth, perish from the earth, and from these things that be under heaven. (And so ye shall say this to them, The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth, shall perish from the earth, and from these things that be under the heavens.)
12 He is God, that maketh the earth in his strength, that maketh ready the world in his wisdom, and stretcheth forth (the) heavens by his prudence. (He is God, who maketh the earth by his strength, who prepareth the world by his wisdom, and who stretcheth forth the heavens by his prudence, or by his knowledge.)
13 At his voice he giveth the multitude of waters in (the) heaven(s), and he raiseth [up] mists from the ends of (the) earth; he maketh lightnings into rain, and leadeth out wind of his treasures/of his treasuries (and leadeth forth the wind from his storehouses).
14 Each man is made a fool of [his] knowing, each craftsman is shamed in a graven image; for why that that he welled together is false, and no spirit is in them. (Each person is made a fool by his knowledge, each craftsman is shamed by a carved, or a cast, idol; for what he welded together is false, and no breath, or life, is in them.)
15 Those be vain (They be empty and futile), and a work worthy of scorn; those shall perish in the time of their visitation.
16 The part of Jacob is not like these, for he that formed all things is God of Jacob, and Israel is the rod of his heritage; the Lord of hosts is name to him. (The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he who formed all things is the God of Jacob, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name.)
17 Thou that dwellest in besieging, gather from the land thy shame; (Thou who livest under siege, gather up thy goods from the land;)
18 for the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall cast away far the dwellers of the land in this while; and I shall give tribulation to them, so that they be not found. (for the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall cast far away the inhabitants of the land at this time; and I shall give them so much trouble, that they shall never be found again.)
19 Woe to me on my sorrow, my wound is full evil; forsooth I said, Plainly this is my sickness, and I shall bear it. (Woe to me for my sorrow, my wound is very bad; but I said, Truly this is my plight, and I shall bear it.)
20 My tabernacle is destroyed, all my ropes be broken; my sons went out from me, and be not; none is that shall stretch forth more my tent, and shall raise [up] my skins. (My tent is destroyed, all my ropes be broken; my sons and daughters went out from me, and now be not; there is no longer anyone who shall stretch forth my tent, and shall raise up my curtains.)
21 For the shepherds did follily, and sought not the Lord (For the shepherds of the people did foolishly, and did not seek the Lord); therefore they understood not, and all the flock of them is scattered.
22 Lo! the voice of hearing cometh, and a great moving together from the land of the north, that it set the cities of Judah into wilderness, and a dwelling place of dragons. (Lo! tidings come, and then a great tumult from the land of the north, that shall turn the cities of Judah into a wilderness, and into a dwelling place for dragons, or for jackals.)
23 Lord, I know, that the way of a man is not of him(self), neither it is of a man that he go, and (ad)dress his steps. (Lord, I know, that the way of a person is not their own choosing, nor is it for anyone that they can go, and direct their own steps.)
24 Lord, chastise thou me; nevertheless in doom, and not in thy strong vengeance, lest peradventure thou drive me to nought. (Lord, discipline, or correct, thou me; nevertheless with justice/in judgement, and not with thy strong vengeance, lest perhaps thou drive me down to nothing.)
25 Pour out thine indignation on heathen men that knew not thee, and on provinces that called not thy name to help; for they ate Jacob, and devoured him, and wasted him, and destroyed the honour of him. (Pour out thy indignation upon the heathen who do not know thee, and upon the provinces that did not call on thy name for help; for they ate up Jacob, and devoured him, and wasted him, and destroyed his honour.)
Jeremiah 10
New International Version
Jeremiah 10
New International Version
God and Idols(A)
10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. 2 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.
3 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)
4 They adorn it with silver(F) and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.(G)
5 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)
6 No one is like you,(L) Lord;
you are great,(M)
and your name is mighty in power.
7 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.
8 They are all senseless(P) and foolish;(Q)
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.(R)
9 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
- Jeremiah 10:11 The text of this verse is in Aramaic.
Jeremiah 10
King James Version
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
New King James Version
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
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.