Jeremiah 10

Idols and the Living God

1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus says the LORD:
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 1 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 2 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.

11 Thus you shall say to them: o "The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth p shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens."

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 3 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." 4 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 a Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
b The LORD of hosts is His name.

17 c Gather up your wares from the land,
O 5 inhabitant of the fortress! 18 For thus says the LORD:
"Behold, I will d throw out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
e That they may find it so."

19 f Woe is me for my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I say, g "Truly this is an infirmity,
And h I must bear it." 20 i My tent is plundered,
And all my cords are broken;
My children have gone from me,
And they are j 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 k scattered.

22 Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the l north country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a m den of jackals.

23 O LORD, I know the n way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. 24 O LORD, o correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.

25 p Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, q who do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
r Devoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.

  1. Cross References
    Leviticus 18:3
    According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.
    Leviticus 20:23
    And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.
    Deuteronomy 12:30
    "take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:19
    The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains.
    Isaiah 45:20
    Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:7
    So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, Saying, "It is ready for the soldering"; Then he fastened it with pegs, That it might not totter.
  4. Cross References
    Psalms 115:5
    They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see.
    Isaiah 46:7
    They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble.
    Jeremiah 10:5
    They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.
    1 Corinthians 12:2
    You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 115:7
    They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat.
    Isaiah 46:1
    Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast.
    Isaiah 46:7
    They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble.
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:23
    Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together.
    Isaiah 41:24
    Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 15:11
    Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is...
    Deuteronomy 33:26
    There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who r...
    Psalms 86:8
    Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; ...
    Psalms 86:10
    For You are great, and do wondrous things; You ...
    Isaiah 46:5 - 9
    To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal An...
    Jeremiah 10:16
    The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He i...
  8. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:22
    Do you not fear Me?' says the LORD. 'Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
    Revelation 15:4
    Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 89:6
    For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 115:8
    Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.
    Habakkuk 2:18
    What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?
  11. Cross References
    Daniel 10:5
    I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!
  12. Cross References
    Psalms 115:4
    Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands.
  13. Cross References
    1 Timothy 6:17
    Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 10:16
    The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 96:5
    For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:18
    But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
    Zephaniah 2:11
    The LORD will be awesome to them, For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People shall worship Him, Each one from his place, Indeed all the shores of the nations.
  17. Cross References
    Genesis 1:1
    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
    Genesis 1:6
    Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
    Genesis 1:7
    Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
    Jeremiah 51:15
    He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 93:1
    The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
  19. Cross References
    Job 9:8
    He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea.
    Psalms 104:2
    Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
    Isaiah 40:22
    It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
  20. Cross References
    Job 38:34
    Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you?
  21. Cross References
    Psalms 135:7
    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.
  22. Cross References
    Jeremiah 51:17
    Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.
  23. Cross References
    Proverbs 30:2
    Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:17
    They shall be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, 'You are our gods.
    Isaiah 44:11
    Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together.
  25. Cross References
    Habakkuk 2:18
    What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?
  26. Cross References
    Psalms 16:5
    O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.
    Jeremiah 51:19
    The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The LORD of hosts is His name.
    Lamentations 3:24
    "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"
  27. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:9
    For the LORD's portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
    Psalms 74:2
    Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed - This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
  28. Cross References
    Isaiah 47:4
    As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.
  29. Cross References
    Jeremiah 6:1
    O you children of Benjamin, Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, And set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem; For disaster appears out of the north, And great destruction.
  30. Cross References
    1 Samuel 25:29
    Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.
    2 Chronicles 36:20
    And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia.
  31. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:10
    "And they shall know that I am the LORD; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them."
  32. Cross References
    Jeremiah 8:21
    For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me.
  33. Cross References
    Psalms 77:10
    And I said, "This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
  34. Cross References
    Micah 7:9
    I will bear the indignation of the LORD, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case And executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.
  35. Cross References
    Jeremiah 4:20
    Destruction upon destruction is cried, For the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered, And my curtains in a moment.
    Lamentations 2:4
    Standing like an enemy, He has bent His bow; With His right hand, like an adversary, He has slain all who were pleasing to His eye; On the tent of the daughter of Zion, He has poured out His fury like fire.
  36. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:15
    Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.
    Lamentations 1:5
    Her adversaries have become the master, Her enemies prosper; For the LORD has afflicted her Because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.
  37. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:2
    Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: "You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings," says the LORD.
  38. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:15
    Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.
  39. Cross References
    Jeremiah 9:11
    "I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant."
  40. Cross References
    Proverbs 16:1
    The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
    Proverbs 20:24
    A man's steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way?
  41. Cross References
    Psalms 6:1
    O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
    Psalms 38:1
    O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
    Jeremiah 30:11
    For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.
  42. Cross References
    Psalms 79:6
    Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
    Psalms 79:7
    For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his dwelling place.
    Zephaniah 3:8
    Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.
  43. Cross References
    Job 18:21
    Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God.
    1 Thessalonians 4:5
    Not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.
    2 Thessalonians 1:8
    In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  44. Cross References
    Jeremiah 8:16
    The snorting of His horses was heard from Dan. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones; For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell in it.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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