Jeremiah 10:1-5

New Living Translation

Idolatry Brings Destruction

10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! ²This is what the Lord says:

“Do not act like the other nations,
    who try to read their future in the stars.
Do not be afraid of their predictions,
    even though other nations are terrified by them.
³Their ways are futile and foolish.
    They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
⁴They decorate it with gold and silver
    and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
    so it won’t fall over.
⁵Their gods are like
    helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
    and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
    for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

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Jeremiah 10:1-5

New International Version

God and Idols^(A)

10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. ²This 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.
³For 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)
⁴They adorn it with silver^(F) and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so it will not totter.^(G)
⁵Like 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)