Jeremiah 10:1-21

Israel! Hear the word YAHWEH speaks to you. YAHWEH says: “Do not adopt the ways of other nations or be terrified by unusual signs in the heavens even though the unbelieving nations are in awe of them. For the religious practices of the nations are delusions. They cut down a tree from the forest, then a craftsman fashions it with his hands. He adorns his idol with silver and gold and takes hammer and nails to secure it so it won’t wobble. Their idols are like speechless scarecrows standing in a field; someone must carry them around because they can’t even take a step. So don’t fear them in any way, for they are incapable of doing good or evil.” YAHWEH, there is no God like you; you are unrivaled in your greatness and might! The power of your name is so great! King of the nations, who would not fear you? Yes, it is proper to reverence you. Among all the wise ones of the nations and among all their royal ones, there is still no one as magnificent as you. What wisdom could they glean from a block of wood? They are foolish blockheads, one and all. They cover their idols with beaten, refined silver and gold, even fine gold. The hammer of a craftsman and the hands of a goldsmith craft their image, robing them in garments of violet and purple. They are nothing but the work of human hands. Only YAHWEH is the true and living God, the King of all ages! At his fury the earth trembles, and nations crumble before his wrath. “Say to them: “ ‘The gods who did not create the heavens and the earth will be destroyed from the earth and from under the heavens.’ ” YAHWEH made the earth by his glorious power and firmly established it by his great wisdom. By his skill he stretched out the sky. When he speaks, the heavenly ocean roars! He makes the clouds rise from the distant horizon. He launches his lightning in the midst of the rain and unleashes his stormy winds from heaven’s storehouses. Out of his treasuries of rain, lightning bolts, and stormy winds, he launches them forth. Everyone is ignorant, knowing nothing. Every craftsman is shamed by the idols they make since their idols are nothing but lifeless lies. What they make is worthless—nothing but a joke! When YAHWEH comes to punish them, they will perish. You idols are nothing like YAHWEH, the true Treasure of Jacob. For he created the universe and has chosen Israel to be his inheritance. YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, is his name. Jerusalem, you besieged city, pack up your belongings and get ready to leave the land. For YAHWEH says: “Look! I am throwing you off the land, and I will bring you distress until you are captured.” Woe is me —my brokenness! My wound is incurable. I once said: “Oh, I must bear this suffering,” and I assumed I could endure it. But my tent has been torn down, and all my cords are severed. I’ll never see my children again, for they have left me. There is no one left to stretch out my tent and no one who can hang my curtains. For the leaders of the nation are foolish, and they refuse YAHWEH’s guidance. Therefore, without insight, they have not prospered, and all their flocks are scattered.