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.
上帝與偶像
1以色列人啊，聽聽耶和華對你們說的話吧！ 2耶和華說：
「不要效法列國的行為。
他們被天象嚇倒，
你們卻不要因天象而害怕。
3他們信奉的毫無價值，
他們從林中砍一棵樹，
工匠用木頭雕刻偶像，
4以金銀作裝飾，
用釘子和錘子釘牢，
以免晃動。
5它們像瓜園中的稻草人，
不能說話，不能行走，
需要人搬運。
你們不要怕它們，
它們既不能害人，
也不能助人。」
6耶和華啊，你偉大無比，
你的名充滿力量！
7萬國的王啊，誰不敬畏你？
敬畏你是理所當然的。
因為萬國的智者和君王中無人能與你相比。
8他們都愚昧無知，
毫無用處的木製偶像能教導他們什麼呢？
9偶像上的銀片來自他施，
金片來自烏法，
都是匠人的製品，
這些偶像穿的藍色和紫色衣服是巧匠製作的。
10唯有耶和華是真神，
是永活的上帝，
是永恆的君王。
祂一發怒，大地便震動，
萬國都無法承受。
11你們要這樣對他們說：「那些神明沒有創造天地，它們將從天下消亡。」
12耶和華施展大能，
用智慧創造大地和世界，
巧妙地鋪展穹蒼。
13祂一聲令下，天上大水湧動；
祂使雲從地極升起，
使閃電在雨中發出，
祂從自己的倉庫吹出風來。
14人人愚昧無知，
工匠都因自己鑄造的偶像而慚愧，
因為這些神像全是假的，
沒有氣息。
15它們毫無價值，
荒謬可笑，
在報應的時候必被毀滅。
16但雅各的上帝截然不同，
祂是萬物的創造者，
被稱為「萬軍之耶和華」，
以色列是祂的子民。
17被圍困的猶大人啊，
收拾行裝吧！
18因為耶和華說：
「看啊，這次我要把這地方的居民拋出去，
使他們苦不堪言。」
19我有禍了！因我的創傷難癒。
但我說：「這是疾病，我必須忍受。」
20我的帳篷已毀，
繩索已斷；
我的兒女都離我而去，
再沒有人為我支搭帳篷，
掛上幔子。
21首領愚昧，
沒有求問耶和華，
因此一敗塗地，
百姓如羊群四散。
22聽啊，有消息傳來，
喧囂的敵軍從北方衝來，
要使猶大的城邑荒涼，
淪為豺狼的巢穴。
23耶和華啊，人不能駕馭自己的命運，
不能左右自己的將來。
24耶和華啊，求你公正地懲罰我，
不要帶著怒氣懲罰我，
否則我將不復存在。
25求你向不認識你的列國和不求告你名的民族發烈怒，
因為他們吞噬、毀滅雅各，
使他的家園一片荒涼。
