| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. | 1Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O Israel! |
| 2Thus says the LORD: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles 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 futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. | 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 nails and hammers So that it will not topple. | 4They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. |
| 5They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any 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.” |
| 6Inasmuch as there 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 rightful due. For among all the wise men 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. |
| 8But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine. | 8People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood! |
| 9Silver is beaten into plates; It is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman And of the hands of the metalsmith; Blue and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skillful 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 will tremble, And the nations will not be able to 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 you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these 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.” |
| 12He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. | 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 multitude of waters in the heavens: “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.” | 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. |
| 14Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, 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 futile, a work of errors; In 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. |
| 16The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of 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 wares from the land, O inhabitant of the fortress! | 17Pack your bags and prepare to leave; the siege is about to begin. |
| 18For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will throw out at this time The inhabitants of the land, And will distress them, That they may find it so.” | 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 for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, “Truly this is an infirmity, 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 plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are no more. There is no one to pitch my tent anymore, Or 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 have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be 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. |
| 22Behold, the noise of the report has come, And a great commotion out of the north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, a den 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 |
| 23O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. | 23I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. |
| 24O LORD, correct me, but with 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 fury on the Gentiles, who do not know You, And on the families who do not call on Your name; For they have eaten up Jacob, Devoured him and consumed him, And made his dwelling place desolate. | 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. 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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