Online Bible

A Satire on Idolatry

Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the LORD,“^aDo not learn the way of the pagan nations,And do not be terrified and distressed by the signs of the heavensAlthough the pagans are terrified by them;

3 For the customs and decrees of the peoples are mere ^adelusion exercises in futility;^bIt is only wood which one cuts from the forest to make a god,The work of the hands of the craftsman with the axe or cutting tool.4 “They ^aadorn the idol with silver and with gold;They ^bfasten it with hammers and nailsSo that it will not fall apart.5 “They are like scarecrows in a cucumber field;They ^acannot speak;They have to be ^bcarried,Because they cannot walk!Do not be afraid of them,For they ^ccan do no harm or evil,Nor can they do any good.”

6 ^aThere is none like You, O LORD;You are ^bgreat, and great is Your mighty and powerful name.7 ^aWho would not fear You, O ^bKing of the nations?For it is appropriate and it is Your due!For among all the ^cwise men of the nationsAnd in all their kingdoms,There is none like You.8 But they are altogether irrational and ^astupid and foolishIn their discipline of delusion—their idol is only wood it is ridiculous, empty and worthless!9 ^aSilver that has been beaten into plates is brought from ¹^bTarshish,And ^cgold from ²Uphaz,The work of the craftsman and of the hand of the goldsmith;Violet and purple are their clothing;They are all the ^dwork of skilled men.10 But the LORD is the ^atrue God and the God who is Truth;He is the ^bliving God and the ^ceverlasting King.^dThe earth quakes and shudders at His wrath,And the nations are not able to ^eendure His indignation.

11 In this manner you shall say to them, “The ^agods that did not make the heavens and the earth will ^bperish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

12 ^aGod made the earth by His power;He ^bestablished the world by His wisdomAnd by His understanding and skill He has ^cstretched out the heavens.13 When He utters His ^avoice, there is a tumult of ¹waters in the heavens,And He causes the ^bclouds and the mist to ascend from the end of the earth;He makes lightning for the rain,And brings out the ^cwind from His treasuries and from His storehouses.14 Every man has become like a brute ^airrational and stupid, without knowledge of God;Every goldsmith is shamed by his carved idols;For his molten images are frauds and lies,And there is no breath in them.15 They are ^aworthless and devoid of promise, a work of delusion and mockery;In their ^btime of trial and punishment they will perish without hope.16 The ^aPortion of Jacob the true God on whom Israel has a claim is not like these;For He is the ^bDesigner and Maker of all things,And ^cIsrael is the tribe of His inheritance and He will not fail them—The ^dLORD of hosts is His name.

17 ^aGather up your bundle of goods from the ground,You who live under siege.18 For thus says the LORD;“Behold, I am ^aslinging out at this time the people of this land,And will cause them great distress,That they may find it to be as I have said.”

19 “^aWoe to me because of my spiritual brokenness!” says Jeremiah, speaking for the nation.“My ^bwound is incurable.”But I said, “Surely this sickness and suffering and grief are mine,And I ^cmust bear it.”20 My ^atent is destroyed,And all my tent cords are broken;My ^bchildren have been taken from me as captives and are no more.There is ^cno one to stretch out my tent againAnd to set up my tent curtains.21 For the shepherds of the people have become like brutes, irrational and stupid,And ^ahave not searched for the LORD or asked about Him or realized their need for Him;Therefore they have not been wise and have not prospered,And ^ball their flocks are scattered.22 The sound of a ^areport! Behold, the invader comes—A great commotion ^bfrom the country of the north (Babylonia)—To ^cmake the cities of JudahA desolation, a haunt and dwelling place of jackals.

23 O LORD, I know that the path of life of ^aa man is not in himself;It is ^bnot within the limited ability of man even one at his best to choose and direct his steps in life. Ps 37:23; Prov 20:2424 O LORD, ^acorrect me along with Your people, but with mercy and in just measure—Not in Your anger, or You will crush me and bring me to nothing.25 ^aPour out Your wrath on the nations that ^bdo not know nor recognize YouAnd on the families that ^cdo not call Your name.For they have devoured Jacob;They have ^ddevoured him and consumed himAnd made his land a desolate waste.