195 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
195 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
Idolatry Brings Destruction
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# Chapter 10
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1. Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O Israel!
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2. This is what the LORD says:
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"Do not act like the other nations,
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who try to read their future in the stars.
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Do not be afraid of their predictions,
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even though other nations are terrified by them.
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3. Their ways are futile and foolish.
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They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
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4. They decorate it with gold and silver
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and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
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so it won't fall over.
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5. Their gods are like
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helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
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They cannot speak,
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and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
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Do not be afraid of such gods,
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for they can neither harm you nor do you any good."
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6. LORD, there is no one like you!
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For you are great, and your name is full of power.
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7. Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
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That title belongs to you alone!
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Among all the wise people of the earth
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and in all the kingdoms of the world,
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there is no one like you.
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8. People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.
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The things they worship are made of wood!
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9. They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish
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and gold from Uphaz,
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and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen
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who make their idols.
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Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes
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made by expert tailors.
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10. But the LORD is the only true God.
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He is the living God and the everlasting King!
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The whole earth trembles at his anger.
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The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.
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11. Say this to those who worship other gods: "Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens."
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12. But the LORD made the earth by his power,
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and he preserves it by his wisdom.
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With his own understanding
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he stretched out the heavens.
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13. When he speaks in the thunder,
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the heavens roar with rain.
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He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
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He sends the lightning with the rain
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and releases the wind from his storehouses.
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14. The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
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The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
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for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
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These idols have no breath or power.
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15. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
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On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
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16. But the God of Israel is no idol!
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He is the Creator of everything that exists,
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including Israel, his own special possession.
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The LORD of Heaven's Armies is his name!
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The Coming Destruction
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17. Pack your bags and prepare to leave;
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the siege is about to begin.
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18. For this is what the LORD says:
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"Suddenly, I will fling out
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all you who live in this land.
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I will pour great troubles upon you,
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and at last you will feel my anger."
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19. My wound is severe,
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and my grief is great.
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My sickness is incurable,
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but I must bear it.
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20. My home is gone,
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and no one is left to help me rebuild it.
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My children have been taken away,
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and I will never see them again.
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21. The shepherds of my people have lost their senses.
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They no longer seek wisdom from the LORD.
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Therefore, they fail completely,
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and their flocks are scattered.
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22. Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies
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as they roll down from the north.
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The towns of Judah will be destroyed
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and become a haunt for jackals.
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Jeremiah's Prayer
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23. I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own.
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We are not able to plan our own course.
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24. So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle.
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Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
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25. Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you--
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on the peoples that do not call upon your name.
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For they have devoured your people Israel;
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they have devoured and consumed them,
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making the land a desolate wilderness.
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