1 H ear ye the word, O house of Israel, That Jehovah hath spoken for you.

Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 T hus 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.

Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

3 F or 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,

For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.

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

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

5 A s 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.

They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.”

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

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might),

7 W ho 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.

Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.

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

But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.

9 S pread-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.

Silver is beaten into plates; It is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman And of the hands of the metalsmith; Blue and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skillful men.

10 A nd 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.

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

11 T hus 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.

Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

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

He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.

13 A t 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.

When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”

14 B rutish 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.

Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.

15 V anity they, work of erring ones, In the time of their inspection they perish.

They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.

16 N ot like these the Portion of Jacob, For framer of all things He, And Israel the rod of His inheritance, Jehovah of Hosts His name.

The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of hosts is His name. The Coming Captivity of Judah

17 G ather from the land thy merchandise, O dweller in the bulwark,

Gather up your wares from the land, O inhabitant of the fortress!

18 F or 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.

For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will throw out at this time The inhabitants of the land, And will distress them, That they may find it so. ”

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

Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, “Truly this is an infirmity, And I must bear it.”

20 M y 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.

My tent is plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are no more. There is no one to pitch my tent anymore, Or set up my curtains.

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

For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.

22 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.

Behold, the noise of the report has come, And a great commotion out of the north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, a den of jackals.

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

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

24 C hastise me, O Jehovah, only in judgment, Not in Thine anger, lest Thou make me small.

O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.

25 P our 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!

Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, who do not know You, And on the families who do not call on Your name; For they have eaten up Jacob, Devoured him and consumed him, And made his dwelling place desolate.