| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. | 1Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O Israel! |
| 2This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. | 2This is what the LORD says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. |
| 3For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. | 3Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. |
| 4They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. | 4They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. |
| 5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.” | 5Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” |
| 6There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. | 6LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. |
| 7Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. | 7Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you. |
| 8But they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood! | 8People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood! |
| 9Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz—the work of a craftsman from the hands of a goldsmith. Their clothes are blue and purple, all fashioned by skilled workers. | 9They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen who make their idols. Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes made by expert tailors. |
| 10But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation. | 10But the LORD is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath. |
| 11Thus you are to tell them: “These gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish from this earth and from under these heavens.” | 11Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.” |
| 12The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. | 12But the LORD made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens. |
| 13When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses. | 13When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. |
| 14Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them. | 14The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. |
| 15They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish. | 15Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. |
| 16The Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance—the LORD of Hosts is His name. | 16But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name! The Coming Destruction |
| 17Gather up your belongings from this land, you who live under siege. | 17Pack your bags and prepare to leave; the siege is about to begin. |
| 18For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, at this time I will sling out the inhabitants of the land and bring distress upon them so that they may be captured.” | 18For this is what the LORD says: “Suddenly, I will fling out all you who live in this land. I will pour great troubles upon you, and at last you will feel my anger.” |
| 19Woe to me because of my brokenness; my wound is grievous! But I said, “This is truly my sickness, and I must bear it.” | 19My wound is severe, and my grief is great. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it. |
| 20My tent is destroyed, and all its ropes are snapped. My sons have departed from me and are no more. I have no one left to pitch my tent or set up my curtains. | 20My home is gone, and no one is left to help me rebuild it. My children have been taken away, and I will never see them again. |
| 21For the shepherds have become senseless; they do not seek the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered. | 21The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the LORD. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered. |
| 22Listen! The sound of a report is coming—a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made a desolation, a haunt for jackals. | 22Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies as they roll down from the north. The towns of Judah will be destroyed and become a haunt for jackals. Jeremiah’s Prayer |
| 23I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps. | 23I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. |
| 24Correct me, O LORD, but only with justice—not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing. | 24So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. |
| 25Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, and on the families that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off; they have devastated his homeland. | 25Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on the peoples that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel ; they have devoured and consumed them, making the land a desolate wilderness. |
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