Jeremiah

¹ Listen to the Message that God is sending your way, House of Israel.

² "Don't take the godless nations as your models. Don't be impressed by their glamour and glitz, no matter how much they're impressed.

³ is nothing but smoke. An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down, then shaped by a woodsman's ax.

⁴ use hammer and nails to keep it upright.

⁵ Dead wood that has to be carried—can't walk! Don't be impressed by such stuff. It's useless for either good or evil."

⁶ You're wondrously great, famously great.

⁷ It's your very nature to be worshiped! Look far and wide among the elite of the nations. The best they can come up with is nothing compared to you.

⁸ good for nothing but making smoke.

⁹ covered with gold from Uphaz, Hung with violet and purple fabrics— no matter how fancy the sticks, they're still sticks.

¹⁰ the living God, the eternal King. When he's angry, Earth shakes. Yes, and the godless nations quake.

¹¹ who made nothing, neither sky nor earth, Will come to nothing on the earth and under the sky.' "

¹² whose wisdom gave shape to the world, who crafted the cosmos.

¹³ He sends the clouds soaring. He embellishes the storm with lightnings, launches wind from his warehouse.

¹⁴ god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods! Their gods are frauds—dead sticks,

¹⁵ When the fires of judgment come, they'll be ashes.

¹⁶ He put the whole universe together And pays special attention to Israel. His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!

¹⁷ all you who are under attack.

¹⁸ "Attention! I'm evicting Everyone who lives here, And right now—yes, right now! I'm going to press them to the limit, squeeze the life right out of them."

¹⁹ Hopelessly wounded, I said, "Why, oh why did I think I could bear it?"

²⁰ the roof caved in. Our children are gone— we'll never see them again. No one left to help in rebuilding, no one to make a new start!

²¹ They never asked God for counsel, And so nothing worked right. The people are scattered all over.

²² A big commotion from the northern borders! Judah's towns about to be smashed, left to all the stray dogs and cats!

²³ can't run their own lives, That men and women don't have what it takes to take charge of life.

²⁴ Don't lose your temper. That would be the end of us.

²⁵ who refuse to acknowledge you, And on the people who won't pray to you— The very ones who've made hash out of Jacob, yes, made hash And devoured him whole, people and pastures alike.