Jeremiah 10

New King James Version

^(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 ^[a]futile;
For ^(B)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 ^(C)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
⁵ They are upright, like a palm tree,
And ^(D)they cannot speak;
They must be ^(E)carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For ^(F)they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”

⁶ Inasmuch as there is none ^(G)like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
^7 (H)Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For ^(I)among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
⁸ But they are altogether ^(J)dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a ^[b]worthless doctrine.
⁹ Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And ^(K)gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all ^(L)the work of skillful men.
¹⁰ But the Lord is the true God;
He is ^(M)the living God and the ^(N)everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

¹² He ^(Q)has made the earth by His power,
He has ^(R)established the world by His wisdom,
And ^(S)has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
^13 (T)When He utters His voice,
There is a ^[c]multitude of waters in the heavens:
^(U)“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 (V)Everyone is ^(W)dull-hearted, without knowledge;
^(X)Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
^(Y)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 (Z)The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And ^(AA)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
^(AB)The Lord of hosts is His name.

“Behold, I will ^(AD)throw out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
^(AE)That they may find it so.”

^19 (AF)Woe is me for my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I say, ^(AG)“Truly this is an infirmity,
And ^(AH)I must bear it.”
^20 (AI)My tent is plundered,
And all my cords are broken;
My children have gone from me,
And they are ^(AJ)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 ^(AK)scattered.
²² Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the ^(AL)north country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a ^(AM)den of jackals.

²³ O Lord, I know the ^(AN)way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
²⁴ O Lord, ^(AO)correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
^25 (AP)Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, ^(AQ)who do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
^(AR)Devoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.