HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1046
J EREMIA H 1 1
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Their ways are futile and foolish.
They cut down a tree, and a craftsman
carves an idol.
They decorate it with gold and silver
and then fasten it securely with hammer
and nails
so it won’t fall over.
Their 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.”
Lord, there is no one like you!
For you are great, and your name is full
of power.
Who 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.
People who worship idols are stupid and
foolish.
The things they worship are made
of wood!
They 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.
But 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.
11 Say 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.”*
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But the Lord made the earth by his power,
and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
he stretched out the heavens.
When 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.
The whole human race is foolish and has no
knowledge!
The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols
they make,
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for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
These idols have no breath or power.
Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be
destroyed.
But 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
17 Pack your bags and prepare to leave;
the siege is about to begin.
18 For 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.”
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My wound is severe,
and my grief is great.
My sickness is incurable,
but I must bear it.
My 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.
The 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.
Listen! 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
23 I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
We are not able to plan our own course.
24 So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
25 Pour 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.
Judah’s Broken Covenant
The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Remind the people
of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my
covenant with them. 3 Say to them, ‘This is
what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed
is anyone who does not obey the terms of my
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10:11 The original text of this verse is in Aramaic.
10:16 Hebrew the Portion of Jacob. See note on 5:20.
10:25 Hebrew devoured Jacob. See note on 5:20.