Dios y los ídolos
10:12-16 – Jer 51:15-19
1Escucha, pueblo de Israel, la palabra del Señor. 2Dice así:
«No aprendáis la conducta de las naciones,
ni os aterroricéis ante las señales del cielo,
aunque las naciones les tengan miedo.
3Las costumbres de los pueblos
no tienen valor alguno.
Cortan un tronco en el bosque,
y un artífice lo labra con un cincel.
4Lo adornan con oro y plata,
y lo afirman con clavos y martillo
para que no se tambalee.
5»Sus ídolos no pueden hablar;
¡parecen espantapájaros
en un campo sembrado de melones!
Tienen que ser transportados,
porque no pueden caminar.
No les tengáis miedo,
que ningún mal pueden haceros,
pero tampoco ningún bien».
6¡No hay nadie como tú, Señor!
¡Grande eres tú,
y grande y poderoso es tu nombre!
7¿Quién no te temerá, Rey de las naciones?
¡Es lo que te corresponde!
Entre todos los sabios de las naciones,
y entre todos los reinos,
no hay nadie como tú.
8Todos son necios e insensatos,
educados por inútiles ídolos de palo.
9De Tarsis se trae plata laminada,
y de Ufaz se importa oro.
Los ídolos, vestidos de púrpura y carmesí,
son obra de artífices y orfebres;
¡todos ellos son obra de artesanos!
10Pero el Señor es el Dios verdadero,
el Dios viviente, el Rey eterno.
Cuando se enoja, tiembla la tierra;
las naciones no pueden soportar su ira.
11«Así les dirás: “Los dioses que no hicieron los cielos ni la tierra desaparecerán de la tierra y de debajo del cielo”».10:11 Este versículo está escrito en arameo.
12Dios hizo la tierra con su poder,
afirmó el mundo con su sabiduría,
¡extendió los cielos con su inteligencia!
13Cuando él deja oír su voz,
rugen las aguas en los cielos;
hace que vengan las nubes
desde los confines de la tierra.
Entre relámpagos hace llover,
y saca de sus depósitos al viento.
14La humanidad es necia e ignorante;
todo orfebre se avergüenza de sus ídolos.
Sus imágenes son un engaño,
y no hay en ellas aliento de vida.
15No valen nada, son obras ridículas;
cuando llegue el día de su castigo, serán destruidas.
16La heredad de Jacob no es como ellos,
porque él es quien hace todas las cosas;
su nombre es el Señor Todopoderoso,
e Israel es la tribu de su herencia.
Destrucción inminente
17Recoge del suelo tus cosas,
tú que te encuentras sitiado.
18Porque así dice el Señor:
«Esta vez arrojaré a los habitantes del país
como si los lanzara con una honda.
Los pondré en aprietos
y dejaré que los capturen».
19¡Ay de mí, que estoy quebrantado!
¡Mi herida es incurable!
Pero es mi enfermedad,
y me toca soportarla.
20Devastada está mi tienda,
y rotas todas mis cuerdas.
Mis hijos me han abandonado;
han dejado de existir.
Ya no hay nadie que arme mi tienda,
y que levante mis toldos.
21Los pastores se han vuelto necios,
no buscan al Señor;
por eso no han prosperado,
y su rebaño anda disperso.
22¡Escuchad! ¡Llega un mensaje!
Un gran estruendo viene de un país del norte,
que convertirá las ciudades de Judá
en guarida de chacales, en un montón de ruinas.
Oración de Jeremías
23Señor, yo sé que el hombre
no es dueño de su destino,
que no le es dado al caminante
dirigir sus propios pasos.
24Corrígeme, Señor, pero con justicia,
y no según tu ira, pues me destruirías.
25Derrama tu furor
sobre las naciones que no te reconocen,
y sobre las familias que no invocan tu nombre.
Porque han devorado a Jacob;
se lo han tragado por completo,
y han asolado su morada.
The Lord Is the Only True God
1People of Israel, listen to what the Lord is telling you. 2He says,
“Do not follow the practices of other nations.
Do not be terrified by warnings in the sky.
Do not be afraid, even though the nations are terrified by them.
3The practices of these nations are worthless.
People cut a tree out of the forest.
A skilled worker shapes the wood with a sharp tool.
4Others decorate it with silver and gold.
They use a hammer to nail it to the floor.
They want to keep it from falling down.
5The statues of their gods can’t speak.
They are like scarecrows in a field of cucumbers.
Their statues have to be carried around
because they can’t walk.
So do not be afraid of their gods.
They can’t do you any harm.
And they can’t do you any good either.”
6Lord, no one is like you.
You are great.
You are mighty and powerful.
7King of the nations,
everyone should have respect for you.
That’s what people should give you.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
there is no one like you.
No one can compare with you in all their kingdoms.
8All of them are foolish. They don’t have any sense.
They think they are taught by worthless wooden gods.
9Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish.
Gold is brought from Uphaz.
People skilled in working with wood and gold make a statue.
Then they put blue and purple clothes on it.
The whole thing is made by skilled workers.
10But you are the only true God.
You are the only living God.
You are the King who rules forever.
When you are angry, the earth trembles with fear.
The nations can’t stand up under your anger.
11The Lord speaks to the Jews living in Babylon. He says, “Here is what you must tell the people of the nations. Tell them, ‘Your gods did not make the heavens and the earth. In fact, these gods will disappear from the earth. They will vanish from under the heavens.’ ”
12But God used his power to make the earth.
His wisdom set the world in place.
His understanding spread out the heavens.
13When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar.
He makes clouds rise from one end of the earth to the other.
He sends lightning along with the rain.
He brings the wind out from his storerooms.
14No one has any sense or knows anything at all.
Everyone who works with gold is put to shame by his gods.
The metal gods he has made are fakes.
They can’t even breathe.
15They are worthless things that people make fun of.
When the Lord judges them, they will be destroyed.
16The God of Jacob is not like them.
He gives his people everything they need.
He made everything that exists.
And that includes Israel.
They are the people who belong to him.
His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
The Land Will Be Destroyed
17People of Jerusalem, your enemies have surrounded you.
They are attacking you.
So gather up what belongs to you.
Then leave the land.
18The Lord says,
“I am about to throw out of this land
everyone who lives in it.
I will bring trouble on them.
They will be captured.”
19How terrible it will be for me!
I’ve been wounded!
And my wound can’t be healed!
In spite of that, I said to myself,
“I’m sick. But I’ll have to put up with it.”
20Jerusalem is like a tent that has been destroyed.
All its ropes have snapped.
My people have gone away from me.
Now no one is left to set up my tent.
I have no one to set up my shelter.
21The leaders of my people are like shepherds
who don’t have any sense.
They don’t ask the Lord for advice.
That’s why they don’t succeed.
And that’s why their whole flock
is scattered like sheep.
22Listen! A message is coming!
I hear the sound of a great army
marching down from the north!
It will turn Judah’s towns into a desert.
They will become a home for wild dogs.
Jeremiah Prays to the Lord
23Lord, I know that a person doesn’t control their own life.
They don’t direct their own steps.
24Correct me, Lord, but please be fair.
Don’t correct me when you are angry.
If you do, nothing will be left of me.
25Pour out your great anger on the nations.
They don’t pay any attention to you.
They refuse to worship you.
They have destroyed the people of Jacob.
They’ve wiped them out completely.
They’ve also destroyed the land they lived in.
