Jeremiah 10
The Lord warns the house of Israel not to follow the ways of the Gentiles, who fear and worship idols that are mere creations of human hands, having no power to do good or evil. In contrast, the Lord is the true and living God, creator of heaven and earth, who shakes the earth with his indignation and has power over the forces of nature. The Lord will cast away the idols and those who worship them, and will punish the nations that have not known him and have destroyed Israel.
Listen to the word that the Lord has spoken concerning you, O house of IsraelThus says the Lord: "Do not choose to learn according to the ways of the Gentiles. And do not be willing to dread the signs of heaven, which the Gentiles fearFor the laws of the people are empty. For the work of the hand of the craftsman has cut a tree from the forest with an axeHe has adorned it with silver and gold. He has put it together with nail and hammer, so that it will not fall apartThey have been fabricated in the likeness of a palm tree, and they will not speak. They must be carried to be moved, because they do not have the ability to walk. Therefore, do not be willing to fear them, for they can do neither evil nor good.O Lord, there is nothing similar to you. You are great, and your name is great in strengthWho will not fear you, O King of the nations? For honor is yours. Among all the wise of the nations, and within all their kingdoms, there is nothing similar to youTogether, they will all be proven to be unwise and foolish. The doctrine of their vanity is made of woodRolled silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. It is the work of a craftsman, and of the hand of a coppersmith. Hyacinth and purple is their clothing. All these things are the work of artistsBut the Lord is the true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King. Before his indignation, the earth will shake. And the Gentiles will not be able to withstand his threats"And so, you shall speak to them in this way: The gods that have not made heaven and earth, let them perish from the earth and from among those places which are under heavenHe made the earth by his power, he prepared the world in his wisdom, and he stretched out the heavens with his understandingAt his voice, he grants a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he lifts up the clouds from the ends of the earth. He causes the lightning with the rain, and he leads forth the wind from his storehousesEvery man has become a fool concerning knowledge; every artist has been confounded by his graven image. For what he has formed is false, and there is no spirit in these thingsThese things are empty, and they are a work deserving of ridicule. In the time of their visitation, they will perishJacob’s portion is not like their portion. For his portion is from the One who formed all things. And Israel is the staff of his inheritance. The Lord of hosts is his nameGather your shame from the earth, you who are living under siege.For thus says the Lord: "Behold, in this turn, I will cast the inhabitants of the land far away. And I will afflict them no matter where they may be found.Woe to me, concerning my destruction! My wound is very grievous. And yet I said: Clearly, this infirmity is mine, and I will carry itMy tent has been destroyed. All my cords have been broken. My sons have gone away from me; they did not remain. There is no one to stretch out my tent any more, nor to set up my curtainsFor the pastors have acted foolishly, and they have not sought the Lord. Because of this, they have not understood, and all their flock has been dispersedBehold, the sound of a voice approaches, a great commotion from the land of the north: so that he may make the cities of Judah into a wilderness and into a dwelling place for serpentsI know, O Lord, that the way of man is not his own. Neither is it given to man to walk and to direct his own stepsCorrect me, O Lord, yet truly, do so with judgment, and not in your fury. Otherwise, you will reduce me to nothingPour out your indignation upon the nations that have not known you, and upon the provinces that have not invoked your name. For they have fed upon Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and they have utterly destroyed his honor
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