1 Idols and the True God Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord : (Lev. 18:3; 20:23; Deut. 12:30) “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 Is. 40:19; 45:20 one 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 Is. 41:7 fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree, And Ps. 115:5; Is. 46:7; Jer. 10:5;1 Cor. 12:2 they cannot speak; They must be Ps. 115:7; Is. 46:1, 7 carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For Is. 41:23, 24 they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none Ex. 15:11; Deut. 33:26; Ps. 86:8, 10; Is. 46:5–9; Jer. 10:16 like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 Jer. 5:22; Rev. 15:4 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For Ps. 89:6 among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether Ps. 115:8; Hab. 2:18 dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
9 Silver is beaten into plates; It is brought from Tarshish, And Dan. 10:5 gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman And of the hands of the metalsmith; Blue and purple are their clothing; They are all Ps. 115:4 the work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God; He is 1 Tim. 6:17 the living God and the Ps. 10:16 everlasting 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: Ps. 96:5 “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth Is. 2:18; Zeph. 2:11 shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 He Gen. 1:1, 6, 7; Jer. 51:15 has made the earth by His power, He has Ps. 93:1 established the world by His wisdom, And Job 9:8; Ps. 104:2; Is. 40:22 has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
13 Job 38:34 When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: Ps. 135:7 “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 Jer. 51:17 Everyone is Prov. 30:2 dull-hearted, without knowledge; Is. 42:17; 44:11 Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; Hab. 2:18 For 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 Ps. 16:5; Jer. 51:19; Lam. 3:24 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Deut. 32:9; Ps. 74:2 Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; Is. 47:4 The Lord of hosts is His name.
17 The Coming Captivity of Judah Jer. 6:1 Gather up your wares from the land, O inhabitant of the fortress!
18 For thus says the Lord : “Behold, I will 1 Sam. 25:29;2 Chr. 36:20 throw out at this time The inhabitants of the land, And will distress them, Ezek. 6:10 That they may find it so. ”
19 Jer. 8:21 Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, Ps. 77:10 “Truly this is an infirmity, And Mic. 7:9 I must bear it.”
20 Jer. 4:20; Lam. 2:4 My tent is plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are Jer. 31:15; Lam. 1:5 no 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 Jer. 23:2 scattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the report has come, And a great commotion out of the Jer. 5:15 north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, a Jer. 9:11 den of jackals.
23 O Lord , I know the Prov. 16:1; 20:24 way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
24 O Lord , Ps. 6:1; 38:1; Jer. 30:11 correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
25 Ps. 79:6, 7; Zeph. 3:8 Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, Job 18:21;1 Thess. 4:5; (2 Thess. 1:8) who do not know You, And on the families who do not call on Your name; For they have eaten up Jacob, Jer. 8:16 Devoured him and consumed him, And made his dwelling place desolate.