Jeremiah 10:3-11

3The customs of those people are useless. They cut down a tree in the forest. A worker uses his tools to make it into an idol.

4He covers it with silver and gold to make it look beautiful. He uses nails to fix it together so that it will not fall down.

5Those idols cannot speak. They are like scarecrows that a farmer puts in his field of vegetables. The idols cannot walk, so people have to carry them. So do not be afraid of them. They cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.’

6There is nobody like you, Lord. You are great and your name shows your power.

7Everyone should respect you, the King who rules all the nations. You deserve that people give you honour. There is nobody like you anywhere in the world. Among all the wise people of the nations and among all their kings, there is no one like you.

8The people of those nations are stupid and foolish. They think that wooden idols can teach them something!

9They bring thin silver from Spain. They bring gold from Uphaz. Workers who know how to use wood and metal make the idols look beautiful. They put valuable blue and purple clothes on the idols. Workers who have special skills do this.

10But the Lord is the only true God. He is the God who is alive. He is the King who rules for ever. When he is angry, the earth shakes. None of the nations can stop his anger.

11Tell the nations this: ‘Your gods did not make the earth or the sky. They will disappear completely from everywhere on earth and everywhere in the sky.’