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The Lord, not Idols, is the Only Worthy Object of Worship
10 You people of Israel,[a] listen to what the Lord has to say to you.
2 The Lord says:
“Do not start following pagan religious practices.[b]
Do not be in awe of signs that occur[c] in the sky
even though the nations hold them in awe.
3 For the religion[d] of these people is worthless.
They cut down a tree in the forest,
and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools.[e]
4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold.
He uses hammer and nails to fasten it[f] together
so that it will not fall over.
5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.
They cannot talk.
They must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them
because they cannot hurt you.
And they do not have any power to help you.”[g]
6 I said,[h]
“There is no one like you, Lord.[i]
You are great,
and you are renowned for your power.[j]
7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations,[k]
because you deserve to be revered.[l]
For there is no one like you
among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings.[m]
8 The people of those nations[n] are both stupid and foolish.
Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless![o]
9 Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish[p]
and gold is brought from Ufaz[q] to cover those idols.[r]
They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths.[s]
They are clothed in blue and purple clothes.[t]
They are all made by skillful workers.[u]
10 The Lord is the only true God.
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
When he shows his anger the earth shakes.
None of the nations can stand up to his fury.
11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this:
‘These gods did not make heaven and earth.
They will disappear[v] from the earth and from under the heavens.’[w]
12 The Lord is the one who[x] by his power made the earth.
He is the one who by his wisdom established the world.
And by his understanding he spread out the skies.
13 When his voice thunders,[y] the heavenly ocean roars.
He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons.[z]
He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.
He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.[aa]
14 All these idolaters[ab] will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham.[ac]
There is no breath in any of those idols.[ad]
15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked.[ae]
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
16 The Lord, who is the inheritance[af] of Jacob’s descendants,[ag] is not like them.
He is the one who created everything.
And the people of Israel are those he claims as his own.[ah]
His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”[ai]
Jeremiah Laments for and Prays for the People Soon to be Judged
17 “Gather your belongings together and prepare to leave the land,
you people of Jerusalem who are being besieged.[aj]
18 For the Lord says, ‘I will now throw out
those who live in this land.
I will bring so much trouble on them
that they will actually feel it.’[ak]
19 And I cried out,[al] ‘We are doomed![am]
Our wound is severe!’
We once thought, ‘This is only an illness.
And we will be able to bear it.’[an]
20 But our tents have been destroyed.
The ropes that held them in place have been ripped apart.[ao]
Our children are gone and are not coming back.[ap]
There is no survivor to put our tents back up,
no one left to hang their tent curtains in place.
21 For our leaders[aq] are stupid.
They have not sought the Lord’s advice.[ar]
So they do not act wisely,
and the people they are responsible for[as] have all been scattered.
22 Listen! News is coming even now.[at]
The rumble of a great army is heard approaching[au] from a land in the north.[av]
It is coming to turn the towns of Judah into rubble,
places where only jackals live.
23 Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny.[aw]
It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.[ax]
24 Correct us, Lord, but only in due measure.[ay]
Do not punish us in anger or you will reduce us to nothing.[az]
25 Vent your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you.[ba]
Vent it on the peoples[bb] who do not worship you.[bc]
For they have destroyed the people of Jacob.[bd]
They have completely destroyed them[be]
and left their homeland in utter ruin.”
The People Have Violated Their Covenant with God
11 The Lord said to Jeremiah:[bf] 2 “Hear[bg] the terms of the covenant[bh] I made with Israel[bi] and pass them on[bj] to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.[bk] 3 Tell them that the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Anyone who does not keep the terms of the covenant will be under a curse.[bl] 4 Those are the terms that I charged your ancestors[bm] to keep[bn] when I brought them out of Egypt, that place that was like an iron-smelting furnace.[bo] I said at that time,[bp] “Obey me and carry out the terms of the covenant[bq] exactly as I commanded you. If you do,[br] you will be my people and I will be your God.[bs] 5 Then I will keep the promise I swore on oath to your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey.”[bt] That is the very land that you still live in today.’”[bu] And I responded, “Amen. Let it be so,[bv] Lord.”
6 The Lord said to me, “Announce all the following words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of my covenant with you[bw] and carry them out! 7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors to obey me.[bx] I warned them again and again,[by] ever since I delivered them out of Egypt until this very day. 8 But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me! Each one of them followed the stubborn inclinations of his own wicked heart. So I brought on them all the punishments threatened in the covenant because they did not carry out its terms as I commanded them to do.’”[bz]
9 The Lord said to me, “The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem have plotted rebellion against me.[ca] 10 They have gone back to the evil ways[cb] of their ancestors of old who refused to obey what I told them. They, too, have paid allegiance to[cc] other gods and worshiped them. Both the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah[cd] have violated the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 So I, the Lord, say this:[ce] ‘I will soon bring disaster on them that they will not be able to escape! When they cry out to me for help, I will not listen to them. 12 Then those living in the towns of Judah and in Jerusalem will[cf] go and cry out for help to the gods to whom they have been sacrificing. However, those gods will by no means be able[cg] to save them when disaster strikes them. 13 This is in spite of the fact that[ch] the people of Judah have as many gods as they have towns[ci] and the citizens of Jerusalem have set up as many altars to sacrifice to that disgusting god, Baal, as they have streets in the city!’[cj] 14 But as for you, Jeremiah,[ck] do not pray for these people. Do not raise a cry of prayer for them.[cl] For I will not listen to them when they call out to me for help when disaster strikes them.”[cm]
15 The Lord says to the people of Judah,[cn]
“What right do you have to be in my temple, my beloved people?[co]
Many of you have done wicked things.[cp]
Can your acts of treachery be so easily canceled by sacred offerings[cq]
that you take joy in doing evil even while you make them?[cr]
16 I, the Lord, once called[cs] you a thriving olive tree,
one that produced beautiful fruit.
But I will set you[ct] on fire,
fire that will blaze with a mighty roar.[cu]
Then all your branches will be good for nothing.[cv]
17 For though I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[cw] planted you in the land,[cx]
I now decree that disaster will come on you[cy]
because the nations of Israel and Judah have done evil
and have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal.”[cz]
A Plot Against Jeremiah is Revealed and He Complains of Injustice
18 The Lord gave me knowledge, that I might have understanding.[da]
Then he showed me what the people were doing.[db]
19 Before this I had been like a docile lamb ready to be led to the slaughter.
I did not know they were making plans to kill me.[dc]
I did not know they were saying,[dd]
“Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit![de]
Let’s remove Jeremiah[df] from the world of the living
so people will not even be reminded of him anymore.”[dg]
20 So I said,[dh]
“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[di] you are a just judge!
You examine people’s hearts and minds.[dj]
I want to see you pay them back for what they have done
because I trust you to vindicate my cause.”[dk]
21 Then the Lord told me about[dl] some men from Anathoth[dm] who were threatening to kill me.[dn] They had threatened,[do] “Stop prophesying in the name of the Lord or we will kill you!”[dp] 22 So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[dq] said, “I will surely[dr] punish them! Their young men will be killed in battle.[ds] Their sons and daughters will die of starvation. 23 Not one of them will survive.[dt] I will bring disaster on those men from Anathoth who threatened you.[du] A day of reckoning is coming for them.”[dv]
Exhortation to Households
18 Wives, submit to your[a] husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. 21 Fathers,[b] do not provoke[c] your children, so they will not become disheartened. 22 Slaves,[d] obey your earthly[e] masters in every respect, not only when they are watching—like those who are strictly people-pleasers—but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you are doing,[f] work at it with enthusiasm,[g] as to the Lord and not for people,[h] 24 because you know that you will receive your[i] inheritance[j] from the Lord as the reward. Serve[k] the Lord Christ. 25 For the one who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong,[l] and there are no exceptions.[m] 4 1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.
Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission
2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time pray[n] for us too, that[o] God may open a door for the message[p] so that we may proclaim[q] the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.[r] 4 Pray that I may make it known as I should.[s] 5 Conduct yourselves[t] with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.
Personal Greetings and Instructions
7 Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave[u] in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.[v] 8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing[w] and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 I sent him[x] with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you.[y] They will tell[z] you about everything here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him). 11 And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts,[aa] these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave[ab] of Christ,[ac] greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured[ad] in all the will of God. 13 For I can testify that he has worked hard[ae] for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke the physician and Demas[af] greet you. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters[ag] who are in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her[ah] house.[ai] 16 And after[aj] you have read this letter, have it read[ak] to the church of Laodicea. In turn, read the letter from Laodicea[al] as well. 17 And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry you received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting by my own hand.[am] Remember my chains.[an] Grace be with you.[ao]
56 Yet they challenged and defied[a] God Most High,[b]
and did not obey[c] his commands.[d]
57 They were unfaithful[e] and acted as treacherously as[f] their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.[g]
58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines,[h]
and made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
60 He abandoned[i] the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured;[j]
he gave the symbol of his splendor[k] into the hand of the enemy.[l]
62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation.[m]
63 Fire consumed their[n] young men,
and their[o] virgins remained unmarried.[p]
64 Their[q] priests fell by the sword,
but their[r] widows did not weep.[s]
65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep;[t]
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage.[u]
66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults.[v]
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 He chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above,[w]
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently.[x]
70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 He took him away from following the mother sheep,[y]
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation.[z]
72 David[aa] cared for them with pure motives;[ab]
he led them with skill.[ac]
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