Through the Bible – Day 297

Lies come from the mouths

of my people,

like arrows from a bow.

With each dishonest deed

their power increases,

and not one of them will admit

that I am God.

₄Jeremiah, all your friends

and relatives

tell lies about you,

so don't trust them.

₅They wear themselves out,

always looking for a new way

to cheat their friends.

₆Everyone takes advantage

of everyone else,

and no one will admit

that I am God.

₇And so I will purify

the hearts of my people

just as gold is purified

in a furnace.

I have no other choice.

₈They say they want peace,

but this lie is deadly,

like an arrow that strikes

when you least expect it.

₉Give me one good reason

not to punish them

as they deserve.

I, the LORD All-Powerful,

have spoken.

₁₀I weep for the pasture land

in the hill country.

It's so barren and scorched

that no one travels there.

No cattle can be found there,

and birds and wild animals

have all disappeared.

₁₁I heard the LORD reply,

“When I have finished,

Jerusalem and the towns of Judah

will be piles of ruins

where only jackals live.”

₁₇The LORD All-Powerful said,

“Send for the women

who are paid to weep

at funerals,

especially the women

who can cry the loudest.”

₁₈The people answered,

“Let them come quickly

and cry for us,

until our own eyes

are flooded with tears.

₁₉Now those of us on Zion cry,

‘We are ruined!

We can't stand the shame.

Our homes have been destroyed,

and we must leave our land.’

₂₀“We ask you women

to pay attention

to what the LORD says.

We will teach you a funeral song

that you can teach

your daughters and friends:

₂₁‘We were in our fortress,

but death sneaked in

through our windows.

It even struck down

children at play

and our strongest young men.’

₂₂“The LORD has told us

the ground will be covered

with dead bodies,

like stalks of ungathered grain

or like manure.”

Don't boast about your wisdom

or strength or wealth.

₂₄If you feel you must boast,

then have enough sense

to boast about worshipping me,

the LORD.

What I like best

is showing kindness,

justice, and mercy

to everyone on earth.

Listen to me,

you people of Israel.

Don't follow the customs

of those nations

who become frightened

when they see something strange

happen in the sky.

₃Their religion is worthless!

They chop down a tree,

carve the wood into an idol,

₄cover it with silver and gold,

and then nail it down

so it won't fall over.

₅An idol is no better

than a scarecrow.

It can't speak,

and it has to be carried,

because it can't walk.

Why worship an idol

that can't help or harm you?

₆Our LORD, great and powerful,

you alone are God.

₇You are King of the nations.

Everyone should worship you.

No human anywhere on earth

is wiser than you.

₈Idols are worthless,

and anyone who worships them

is a fool!

₉Idols are made by humans.

A carver shapes the wood.

A metalworker hammers out

a covering of gold from Uphaz

or of silver from Tarshish.

Then the idol is dressed

in blue and purple clothes.

₁₀You, LORD, are the only true

and living God.

You will rule for all time.

When you are angry

the earth shakes,

and nations are destroyed.

₁₁You told me to say

that idols did not create

the heavens and the earth,

and that you, the LORD,

will destroy every idol.

₁₂With your wisdom and power

you created the earth

and spread out the heavens.

₁₃The waters in the heavens roar

at your command.

You make clouds appear—

you send the winds

from your storehouse

and make lightning flash

in the rain.

₁₄People who make idols

are so stupid!

They will be disappointed,

because their false gods

are not alive.

₁₅Idols are merely a joke,

and when the time is right,

they will be destroyed.

₁₆But you, Israel's God,

created all things,

and you chose Israel

to be your very own.

Your name is the LORD

All-Powerful.

₁₇I said to the people of Judah,

“Gather your things;

you are surrounded.

₁₈The LORD said these troubles

will lead to your capture,

and he will throw you

from this land

like a stone from a sling.”

₁₉The people answered,

“We are wounded

and doomed to die.

Why did we say

we could stand the pain?

₂₀Our homes are destroyed;

our children are dead.

No one is left

to help us find shelter.”

₂₁But I told them,

“Our leaders were stupid failures,

because they refused

to listen to the LORD.

And so we've been scattered

like sheep.

₂₂“Sounds of destruction

rumble from the north

like distant thunder.

Soon our towns will be ruins

where jackals live.”

₂₃I know, LORD, that we humans

are not in control

of our own lives.

₂₄Correct me, as I deserve,

but not in your anger,

or I will be dead.

₂₅Our enemies refuse

to admit that you are God

or to worship you.

They have wiped out our people

and left our nation

lying in ruins.

So get angry

and sweep them away!