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.
Katonda ne bakatonda abalala
1Muwulire ekigambo Katonda ky’abagamba, mmwe ennyumba ya Isirayiri. 210:2 Lv 20:23Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama nti,
“Temugobereranga makubo g’amawanga
oba okweraliikirira obubonero obw’oku ku ggulu,
kubanga amawanga ge byeraliikirira.
310:3 Is 40:19Kubanga empisa ez’amawanga tezigasa;
batema omuti mu kibira,
omubazzi n’aguyooyoota n’ebyuma bye.
410:4 Is 41:7Bagunyiriza ne ffeeza ne zaabu,
bagukomerera n’enninga n’ennyondo
guleme okunyeenyanyeenya.
510:5 a 1Ko 12:2 b Zab 115:5, 7 c Is 41:24; 46:7Bakatonda bafaanana nga ssemufu
mu nnimiro y’ebibala,
era tebasobola kwogera
kubanga basitulwa busitulwa tebasobola kutambula.
Tobatya,
tebayinza kukukola kabi konna,
wadde okukola akalungi n’akamu.”
610:6 Zab 48:1Tewali ali nga ggwe, Ayi Mukama Katonda.
Oli mukulu,
era erinnya lyo ly’amaanyi nnyo.
710:7 Zab 22:28; Kub 15:4Ani ataakutye,
Ayi Kabaka w’amawanga?
Kubanga kino kye kikugwanira.
Kubanga mu bagezigezi bonna bannaggwanga
ne mu bwakabaka bwabwe bwonna
tewali ali nga ggwe.
810:8 Is 40:19; Yer 4:22Bonna tebalina magezi basirusiru,
abo abayigira ku bakatonda ababajje mu miti.
910:9 Zab 115:4; Is 40:19Ffeeza eyaweesebwa ey’empewere eggyibwa e Talusiisi,
ne zaabu eva e Yufazi,
ffundi n’omuweesi wa zaabu bye bakoze
byambazibwa engoye eza kaniki ne z’effulungu.
Gino gyonna mirimu gy’abasajja abakalabakalaba.
1010:10 Zab 76:7Naye Mukama ye Katonda ddala, ye Katonda omulamu,
era Kabaka ow’emirembe gyonna.
Bw’asunguwala, ensi ekankana,
amawanga tegasobola kugumira busungu bwe.
Katonda Omulamu ne Bakatonda Abataliimu
1110:11 Zab 96:5; Is 2:18“Bw’oti bw’oba obagamba nti, ‘Bakatonda abataakola ggulu na nsi ba kuzikirira bave ku nsi ne wansi w’eggulu.’ ”
1210:12 Lub 1:1, 8; Yob 9:8; Is 40:22Mukama yakola ensi n’amaanyi ge,
n’atonda ebitonde byonna n’amagezi ge,
era okutegeera kwe, kwe kwayanjuluza eggulu.
1310:13 a Yob 36:29 b Zab 135:7Bw’afulumya eddoboozi lye, amazzi agali mu bire gawuluguma,
asobozesa ebire okusituka nga biva ku nkomerero y’ensi.
Amyansisa eggulu mu nkuba,
era n’aggya empewo mu mawanika ge.
14Buli muntu talina magezi era taliimu kutegeera;
buli muweesi wa zaabu aswala olw’ekifaananyi ky’akoze.
Kubanga ebifaananyi bye ebisaanuuse bulimba,
era tebiriimu bulamu.
1510:15 Is 41:24; Yer 14:22Tebiriiko kye bigasa, ebisaanye okunyoomebwa
ebirizikirizibwa nga Mukama azze okusala omusango.
1610:16 a Ma 32:9; Zab 119:57 b nny 12 c Zab 74:2 d Yer 31:35; 32:18Oyo Katonda Omugabo gwa Yakobo tali ng’ebyo,
ye Mutonzi w’ebintu byonna,
era owa Isirayiri, eggwanga ery’omugabo gwe,
Mukama Katonda ow’Eggye lye linnya lye.
Okuzikirira Okujja
1710:17 Ez 12:3-12Mukuŋŋaanye ebyammwe muve mu nsi,
mmwe abazingiziddwa.
1810:18 1Sa 25:29Kubanga bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda nti,
“Laba nfuumuula abantu
mbaggye mu nsi eno,
era ndibaleetako ennaku
balyoke bawambibwe.”
1910:19 a Yer 14:17 b Mi 7:9Zinsanze nze olw’ekiwundu kyange
ekinnuma ennyo.
Naye ate ne ŋŋamba nti,
“Eno ndwadde yange, nteekwa okugigumira.”
2010:20 a Yer 4:20 b Yer 31:15; Kgb 1:5Eweema yange eyonooneddwa,
era emiguwa gyonna gikutuse, abaana bange bandese, tewakyali.
Tewali n’omu asigaddewo kaakano
kuzimba weema yange
wadde okuzimba ekigango kyange.
2110:21 Yer 23:2Kubanga abasumba bafuuse ng’ensolo
tebakyebuuza ku Mukama.
Noolwekyo tebakulaakulana
era endiga zaabwe zonna zisaasaanye.
2210:22 Yer 9:11Wuliriza!
Amawulire gatuuse,
waliwo akeegugungo ak’amaanyi okuva mu nsi ey’omu bukiikakkono,
kajja kufuula ebibuga bya Yuda amatongo, ebisulo by’ebibe.
Okusaba kwa Yeremiya
2310:23 Nge 20:24Mmanyi Ayi Mukama Katonda ng’obulamu bw’omuntu si bubwe,
omuntu si y’aluŋŋamya amakubo ge.
2410:24 a Zab 6:1; 38:1 b Yer 30:11Nnuŋŋamya, Mukama Katonda naye mu kigera ekisaanidde,
si mu busungu bwo,
si kulwa ng’onfuula ekitaliimu.
2510:25 a Zef 3:8 b Yob 18:21; Zab 14:4 c Zab 79:7; Yer 8:16 d Zab 79:6-7Yiwa obusungu bwo ku mawanga agatakumanyi,
agatakutwala ng’ekikulu,
ku bantu abatakoowoola linnya lyo.
Kubanga bamazeewo Yakobo,
bamuliiridde ddala
era ne boonoona ensi ye.