Idols and the True God
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 futile;
For aone 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 afasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree,
And athey cannot speak;
They must be bcarried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For cthey cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none alike You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 aWho would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For bamong all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether adull‑hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
9 Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And agold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all bthe work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is athe living God and the beverlasting 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: a“The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth bshall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 He ahas made the earth by His power,
He has bestablished the world by His wisdom,
And chas stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
13 aWhen He utters His voice,
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
b“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 aEveryone is bdull‑hearted, without knowledge;
cEvery metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
dFor 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 aThe Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And bIsrael is the tribe of His inheritance;
cThe Lord of hosts is His name.
The Coming Captivity of Judah
17 aGather up your wares from the land,
O inhabitant of the fortress!
18 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will athrow out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
bThat they may find it so.”
19 aWoe is me for my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I say, b“Truly this is an infirmity,
And cI must bear it.”
20 aMy tent is plundered,
And all my cords are broken;
My children have gone from me,
And they are bno 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 ascattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the anorth country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a bden of jackals.
23 O Lord, I know the away of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
24 O Lord, acorrect me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
25 aPour out Your fury on the Gentiles, bwho do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
cDevoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved.