| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. | 1Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O Israel! |
| 2Thus 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, | 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. |
| 3for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. | 3Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. |
| 4They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. | 4They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. |
| 5Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” | 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.” |
| 6There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might. | 6LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. |
| 7Who 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. | 7Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you. |
| 8They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood! | 8People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood! |
| 9Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. | 9They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen who make their idols. Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes made by expert tailors. |
| 10But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. | 10But the LORD is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath. |
| 11Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” | 11Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.” |
| 12It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. | 12But the LORD made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens. |
| 13When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. | 13When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. |
| 14Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. | 14The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. |
| 15They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. | 15Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. |
| 16Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name. | 16But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name! The Coming Destruction |
| 17Gather up your bundle from the ground, O you who dwell under siege! | 17Pack your bags and prepare to leave; the siege is about to begin. |
| 18For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and I will bring distress on them, that they may feel it.” | 18For this is what the LORD says: “Suddenly, I will fling out all you who live in this land. I will pour great troubles upon you, and at last you will feel my anger.” |
| 19Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, “Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it.” | 19My wound is severe, and my grief is great. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it. |
| 20My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread my tent again and to set up my curtains. | 20My home is gone, and no one is left to help me rebuild it. My children have been taken away, and I will never see them again. |
| 21For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered. | 21The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the LORD. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered. |
| 22A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!— a great commotion out of the north country to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a lair of jackals. | 22Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies as they roll down from the north. The towns of Judah will be destroyed and become a haunt for jackals. Jeremiah’s Prayer |
| 23I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. | 23I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. |
| 24Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. | 24So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. |
| 25Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation. | 25Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on the peoples that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel ; they have devoured and consumed them, making the land a desolate wilderness. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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