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.
上帝与偶像
1以色列人啊，听听耶和华对你们说的话吧！ 2耶和华说：
“不要效法列国的行为。
他们被天象吓倒，
你们却不要因天象而害怕。
3他们信奉的毫无价值，
他们从林中砍一棵树，
工匠用木头雕刻偶像，
4以金银作装饰，
用钉子和锤子钉牢，
以免晃动。
5它们像瓜园中的稻草人，
不能说话，不能行走，
需要人搬运。
你们不要怕它们，
它们既不能害人，
也不能助人。”
6耶和华啊，你伟大无比，
你的名充满力量！
7万国的王啊，谁不敬畏你？
敬畏你是理所当然的。
因为万国的智者和君王中无人能与你相比。
8他们都愚昧无知，
毫无用处的木制偶像能教导他们什么呢？
9偶像上的银片来自他施，
金片来自乌法，
都是匠人的制品，
这些偶像穿的蓝色和紫色衣服是巧匠制作的。
10唯有耶和华是真神，
是永活的上帝，
是永恒的君王。
祂一发怒，大地便震动，
万国都无法承受。
11你们要这样对他们说：“那些神明没有创造天地，它们将从天下消亡。”
12耶和华施展大能，
用智慧创造大地和世界，
巧妙地铺展穹苍。
13祂一声令下，天上大水涌动；
祂使云从地极升起，
使闪电在雨中发出，
祂从自己的仓库吹出风来。
14人人愚昧无知，
工匠都因自己铸造的偶像而惭愧，
因为这些神像全是假的，
没有气息。
15它们毫无价值，
荒谬可笑，
在报应的时候必被毁灭。
16但雅各的上帝截然不同，
祂是万物的创造者，
被称为“万军之耶和华”，
以色列是祂的子民。
17被围困的犹大人啊，
收拾行装吧！
18因为耶和华说：
“看啊，这次我要把这地方的居民抛出去，
使他们苦不堪言。”
19我有祸了！因我的创伤难愈。
但我说：“这是疾病，我必须忍受。”
20我的帐篷已毁，
绳索已断；
我的儿女都离我而去，
再没有人为我支搭帐篷，
挂上幔子。
21首领愚昧，
没有求问耶和华，
因此一败涂地，
百姓如羊群四散。
22听啊，有消息传来，
喧嚣的敌军从北方冲来，
要使犹大的城邑荒凉，
沦为豺狼的巢穴。
23耶和华啊，人不能驾驭自己的命运，
不能左右自己的将来。
24耶和华啊，求你公正地惩罚我，
不要带着怒气惩罚我，
否则我将不复存在。
25求你向不认识你的列国和不求告你名的民族发烈怒，
因为他们吞噬、毁灭雅各，
使他的家园一片荒凉。
