The Sovereignty of God
1 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel!
2 The Lord says,
“Do not learn the way of the nations,
and do not be alarmed at signs in the stars,
though other nations are frightened by them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless,
for one cuts down a tree from the forest,
the work of the hands of an axman.
4 They decorate it with silver and with gold,
which they attach with nails and hammers,
so that it cannot move.
5 They are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.
They do not speak and must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they can do no harm,
nor can they do any good.
6 There is no one like you, Lord.
You are great,
and your name is great in might.
7 Who should not fear you,
King of the nations?
For it belongs to you.
Because among all the wise men of the nations,
and in all their royal estate,
there is no one like you.
8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish,
instructed by wooden idols!
9 There is silver beaten into plates,
which is brought from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz,
the work of the engraver
and of the hands of the goldsmith.
Their clothing is blue and purple.
They are all the work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God.
He is the living God,
and an everlasting King.
At his wrath, the earth trembles.
The nations are not able to withstand his indignation.
11 “You shall say this to them: ‘The gods that have made neither the heavens nor the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ ”
12 The Lord made the earth by his power.
He has established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens.
13 When he utters his voice,
the waters in the heavens roar,
and he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind out of his treasuries.
14 Everyone has become senseless and without knowledge.
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his molten image is falsehood,
and there is no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion.
When judgement comes they will perish.
16 But the God 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.
The Coming Destruction
17 Gather up your belongings from the land,
you, who are under siege. 18 For the Lord says,
“All at once, I will fling out the inhabitants of the land,
and will bring distress on them,
that they may feel it.”
19 Woe is me because of my injury!
My wound is serious,
but I said, “Truly this is my grief,
and I must bear it.”
20 My tent has been destroyed,
and all my cords are broken.
My children have gone away from me,
and they are no more.
There is no one to spread my tent any more,
to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds are senseless
and have not inquired of the Lord.
Therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flocks have scattered.
22 The voice of news is coming,
and a great commotion out of the north country,
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
a dwelling place of jackals.
Jeremiah’s Prayer
23 Lord, I know that the way of man is not in his control.
It is not man who directs his steps as he walks.
24 God, correct me, but gently,
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you,
and on the families that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob.
Yes, they have devoured him, consumed him,
and have laid waste his habitation.