1 H ear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.

Hear ye the word, O house of Israel, That Jehovah hath spoken for you.

2 T hus says the Lord: Learn not the way of the nations and be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens, though they are dismayed at them,

Thus said Jehovah: Unto the way of the nations accustom not yourselves, And by the signs of the heavens be not affrighted, For the nations are affrighted by them.

3 F or the customs and ordinances of the peoples are false, empty, and futile; it is but a tree which one cuts out of the forest, the work of the hands of the craftsman with the ax or other tool.

For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, For a tree from a forest hath one cut, Work of the hands of an artificer, with an axe,

4 T hey deck with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers so it will not fall apart or move around.

With silver and with gold they beautify it, With nails and with hammers they fix it, And it doth not stumble.

5 a re like pillars of turned work, like scarecrows in a cucumber field; they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it possible for them to do good.

As a palm they stiff, and they speak not, They are surely borne, for they step not, Be not afraid of them, for they do no evil, Yea, also to do good is not in them.

6 N one at all is like You, O Lord; You are great, and Your name is great in might.

Because there is none like Thee, O Jehovah, Great Thou, and great Thy name in might.

7 W ho would not fear You, O King of the nations? For it is fitting to You and Your due! For among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.

Who doth not fear Thee, king of the nations? For to Thee it is becoming, For among all the wise of the nations, And in all their kingdom there is none like Thee.

8 B ut they are altogether irrational and stupid and foolish. Their instruction is given by idols who are but wood!

And in one they are brutish and foolish, An instruction of vanities the tree itself.

9 S ilver beaten is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; the clothing is violet and purple—they are all the work of skillful men.

Spread-out silver from Tarshish is brought, And gold from Uphaz, Work of an artizan, and of the hands of a refiner, Blue and purple their clothing, Work of the skilful -- all of them.

10 B ut the Lord is the true God and the God of truth (the God Who is Truth). He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations are not able to bear His indignation.

And Jehovah a God of truth, He a living God, and a king age-during, From His wrath shake doth the earth, And nations endure not His indignation.

11 T hus shall you say to them: The gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.

Thus do ye say to them, The gods Who the heavens and earth have not made, They do perish from the earth, And from under these heavens.

12 G od made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and by His understanding and skill stretched out the heavens.

The maker of the earth by His power, The establisher of the world by His wisdom, Who, by His understanding, stretched forth the heavens,

13 W hen He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind out from His treasuries and from His storehouses.

At the voice He giveth forth, A multitude of waters in the heavens, And He causeth vapours to come up from the end of the earth, Lightnings for rain He hath made, And bringeth out wind from His treasures.

14 E very man has become like a brute, irrational and stupid, without knowledge; every goldsmith is brought to shame by his graven idols; for his molten images are frauds and falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

Brutish is every man by knowledge, Put to shame is every refiner by a graven image, For false his molten image. And there is no breath in them.

15 T hey are devoid of worth, usefulness, or truth, a work of delusion and mockery; in their time of trial and punishment they shall perish.

Vanity they, work of erring ones, In the time of their inspection they perish.

16 T he Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Fashioner and Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance—the Lord of hosts is His name.

Not like these the Portion of Jacob, For framer of all things He, And Israel the rod of His inheritance, Jehovah of Hosts His name.

17 G ather up your bundle from the ground, O you who dwell under siege.

Gather from the land thy merchandise, O dweller in the bulwark,

18 F or thus says the Lord: Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time and will bring distress on them, that they may feel it and find it.

For thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, And have been an adversary to them, So that they are found out.

19 W oe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous and incurable. But I said, Surely this sickness and suffering and grief are mine, and I must endure, tolerate, and bear them.

Wo to me for my breaking, Grievious hath been my smiting, And I said, Only, this my sickness, and I bear it.

20 M y tent (home) is taken by force and plundered, and all my cords are broken. My children have gone forth from me, and they are no more; there is no one to stretch forth my tent any more and to set up my curtains.

My tent hath been spoiled, And all my cords have been broken, My sons have gone out from me, and they are not, There is none stretching out any more my tent, And raising up my curtains.

21 F or the shepherds have become like brutes, irrational and stupid, and have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him or required Him. Therefore they have not dealt prudently and have not prospered, and all their flocks are scattered.

For the shepherds have become brutish, And Jehovah they have not sought, Therefore they have not acted wisely, And all their flock is scattered.

22 H ark, the sound of a rumor! comes!—a great commotion out of the north country—to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling place of jackals.

A voice of a report, lo, it hath come, Even a great shaking from the north country, To make the cities of Judah a desolation, A habitation of dragons.

23 O Lord, I know that the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man to direct his steps.

I have known, O Jehovah, that not of man his way, Not of man the going and establishing of his step.

24 O Lord, correct, instruct, and chastise me, but with judgment and in just measure—not in Your anger, lest You diminish me and bring me to nothing.

Chastise me, O Jehovah, only in judgment, Not in Thine anger, lest Thou make me small.

25 P our out Your wrath upon the nations that do not know or recognize You and upon the peoples that do not call upon Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, yes, devoured him and consumed him and made his habitation a desolate waste.

Pour out Thy fury on the nations that have not known Thee, And on the families that have not called in Thy name, For they have eaten up Jacob, Yea, they have eaten him up, yea, they consume him, And his habitation they have made desolate!