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

2 T hus says the Lord, “ Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them;

3 F or the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.

4 “ They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.

5 “ Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.”

6 T here is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might.

7 W ho would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.

8 B ut they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion— their idol is wood!

9 B eaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skilled men.

10 B ut the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.

11 T hus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

12 I t is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.

13 W hen He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses.

14 E very man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.

15 T hey are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.

16 T he portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of hosts is His name.

17 P ick up your bundle from the ground, You who dwell under siege!

18 F or thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land At this time, And will cause them distress, That they may be found.”

19 W oe is me, because of my injury! My wound is incurable. But I said, “Truly this is a sickness, And I must bear it.”

20 M y tent is destroyed, And all my ropes are broken; My sons have gone from me and are no more. There is no one to stretch out my tent again Or to set up my curtains.

21 F or the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.

22 T he sound of a report! Behold, it comes— A great commotion out of the land of the north— To make the cities of Judah A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

23 I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

24 C orrect me, O Lord, but with justice; Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.

25 P our out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You And on the families that do not call Your name; For they have devoured Jacob; They have devoured him and consumed him And have laid waste his habitation.