Jeremiah 10:1-9
Expanded Bible
The Lord and the Idols
10 ·Family [L House] of Israel, ·listen to what [L hear the word that] the Lord says to you. 2 This is what he says:
“Don’t ·live like the people from [L learn the way/path of] other nations,
and don’t be ·afraid of [terrified by] special signs in the ·sky [heavens; C astrology],
even though the other nations are ·afraid [terrified] of them.
3 The ·customs [statutes; ordinances; requirements] of other people are ·worth nothing [meaningless; useless; L a breath].
·Their idols are just wood cut from the forest [L A tree from the forest is cut down],
shaped by a ·worker [craftsman] with his ·chisel [or ax; or adze; or blade].
4 They decorate their idols with silver and gold.
With hammers and nails they fasten them down
so they ·won’t fall over [can’t move].
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in ·melon [or cucumber] fields;
they cannot talk.
Since they cannot walk,
they must be carried.
Do not be afraid of those idols,
because they can’t hurt you,
and they ·can’t help you either [have no power to do good; Is. 40:18–20; 41:7, 29; 44:6–23; 46:5–7].”
6 Lord, there is no one like you.
You are great,
and your name is great and powerful.
7 ·Everyone should respect [L Who does not fear…?] you, King of the nations;
·you deserve respect [for it is your due].
Of all the wise people among the nations
and in all the kingdoms,
·none of them is as wise as you [L there is none like you].
8 Those wise people are stupid and foolish.
Their ·teachings [instructions] come from ·worthless [meaningless; useless] ·wooden idols [L pieces of wood].
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish [C Tarshish may have been in Spain (Tartessus) or an island in the eastern Mediterranean; Jonah 1:3]
and gold from Uphaz [C high quality],
so the idols are made by craftsmen and ·goldsmiths [smelters].
They put blue and purple clothes on the idols.
All these things are made by skilled workers.
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