שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' עֲלֵיכֶם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

Hear the word that the Lord spoke to you, house of Israel.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֶל דֶּרֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם אַל־תִּלְמָדוּ וּמֵאֹתוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם אַל־תֵּחָתּוּ כִּי־יֵחַתּוּ הַגּוֹיִם מֵהֵמָּה

So said the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations, their customs, beliefs, and religious practices, and from the signs of the heavens do not be dismayed. Astrological signs need not worry you, for the other nations are dismayed by them. It may be fitting for the nations of the world to be afraid of these signs, but not for you.

כִּי־חֻקּוֹת הָעַמִּים הֶבֶל הוּא כִּי עֵץ מִיַּעַר כְּרָתוֹ מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי־חָרָשׁ בַּמַּעֲצָד

For the practices of the other peoples, their religions and the objects of their fear, are futility; for a tree from the forest he, the idol worshipper, cut and fashioned into idols that he proceeds to worship, although they are merely the handiwork of a craftsman with the adze.

בְּכֶסֶף וּבְזָהָב יְיַפֵּהוּ בְּמַסְמְרוֹת וּבְמַקָּבוֹת יְחַזְּקוּם – וְלוֹא יָפִיק

After fashioning the basic form of the idol, with silver and with gold he embellishes it, and then with nails and with hammers they reinforce them, the precious metals, so that it, the idol, will not move from its place.

כְּתֹמֶר מִקְשָׁה הֵמָּה וְלֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ נָשׂוֹא יִנָּשׂוּא כִּי־לֹא יִצְעָדוּ אַל־תִּירְאוּ מֵהֶם כִּי־לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְגַם־הֵיטֵיב אֵין אוֹתָם

They are like a date palm, like a block of wood or a scarecrow, and they, the idols, do not speak; they are carried because they do not walk. Therefore, do not fear them, as they do no evil to anyone, and neither is it in them to do good, since they are powerless.

מֵאֵין כָּמוֹךָ גָּדוֹל אַתָּה וְגָדוֹל שִׁמְךָ בִּגְבוּרָה

For there is none like You, Lord. Nothing is comparable to You. You are great, and Your name is great in might. Your mighty deeds are known in the world.

מִי לֹא יִרָאֲךָ מֶלֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם! כִּי לְךָ יָאָתָה כִּי בְכָל־חַכְמֵי הַגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל־מַלְכוּתָם מֵאֵין כָּמוֹךָ

Who would not fear You, King of the nations? For it befits You to be feared and honored, for among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdom there is none like You in wisdom or in mighty rule.

וּבְאַחַת יִבְעֲרוּ וְיִכְסָלוּ מוּסַר הֲבָלִים עֵץ הוּא

In one matter they will be ignorant and foolish: The futile rebuke that they give others when they encourage them to worship an idol, despite the fact that it is just wood. The idols may look splendid, and the rituals of their worship seem impressive, which is why people in various eras turn to them. However, in actual fact these idols are powerless.

כֶּסֶף מְרֻקָּע מִתַּרְשִׁישׁ יוּבָא וְזָהָב מֵאוּפָז מַעֲשֵׂה חָרָשׁ וִידֵי צוֹרֵף תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן לְבוּשָׁם מַעֲשֵׂה חֲכָמִים כֻּלָּם

Beaten silver is imported from Tarshish and gold from Ufaz, in order to fashion these images, which are the work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; sky-blue and purple wool is their garment, of the idols, all of them the work of the skilled. They may be works of art, but they are merely lifeless toys. It is possible that the Tarshish mentioned here is in Spain, where large silver mines were found even in ancient times, of the kind that do not exist in Israel or in the surrounding area.

וַה' אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת הוּא־אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים וּמֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם מִקִּצְפּוֹ תִּרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא־יָכִלוּ גוֹיִם זַעְמוֹ

But my Lord God is truth; He is the living God and the eternal King. From His wrath the earth quakes, and nations are unable to bear His fury. The idols might presently appear to be real, but when God grows angry, nothing will be left of them.

כִּדְנָה תֵּאמְרוּן לְהוֹם אֱלָהַיָּא דִּי־שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְקָא לָא עֲבַדוּ יֵאבַדוּ מֵאַרְעָא וּמִן־תְּחוֹת שְׁמַיָּא אֵלֶּה

The content of this verse is very similar to that of the previous one, but it is stated in an ancient Aramaic dialect. It may have been addressed to those living in distant lands, perhaps Babylonia. So you shall say to them, the nations: The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.

עֹשֵׂה אֶרֶץ בְּכֹחוֹ מֵכִין תֵּבֵל בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וּבִתְבוּנָתוֹ נָטָה שָׁמָיִם

The prophet returns to his own language, Hebrew, and continues his previous statement: God is the living God and the eternal King. He makes the earth with His might, He founds and establishes the world with His wisdom, and with His understanding He extended the heavens.

לקוֹל תִּתּוֹ הֲמוֹן מַיִם בַּשָּׁמַיִם וַיַּעֲלֶה נְשִׂאִים מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ בְּרָקִים למָּטָר עָשָׂה וַיּוֹצֵא רוּחַ מֵאֹצְרֹתָיו

To the sound of His placing the tumult of water in the heavens He raised clouds from the end of the earth, as the process of rainfall begins with the formation of clouds; He made lightning bolts for the approaching rain and brought out wind to blow from His storehouses.

נִבְעַר כָּל־אָדָם מִדַּעַת הֹבִישׁ כָּל־צוֹרֵף מִפָּסֶל כִּי שֶׁקֶר נִסְכּוֹ וְלֹא־רוּחַ בָּם

The prophet reiterates: Every man who engages in idolatry is ignorant of knowledge, even had many scholarly tomes been written on the subject, and every smith is shamed by the idols he has created; for his cast figure is falsehood, and no breath is in them.

הֶבֶל הֵמָּה מַעֲשֵׂה תַּעְתֻּעִים בְּעֵת פְּקֻדָּתָם יֹאבֵדוּ

They are futility, a work of deceit, of misleading imagination, and at the time of their reckoning they will perish.

לֹא־כְאֵלֶּה חֵלֶק יַעֲקֹב כִּי־יוֹצֵר הַכֹּל הוּא ויִשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁבֶט נַחֲלָתוֹ ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ

The portion of Jacob is not like these human creations, for He is the One who forms everything, and furthermore, Israel is the tribe of His inheritance, as He has chosen Israel and brought this nation uniquely close to Him. The Lord of hosts is His name, as He rules over the hosts of heaven and earth.

אִסְפִּי מֵאֶרֶץ כִּנְעָתֵךְ יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּמָּצוֹר

Zion, gather your merchandise from the land; collect all your property from the land and prepare for exile, you who dwell in the siege.

כִּי־כֹה אָמַר ה' הִנְנִי קוֹלֵעַ אֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת וַהֲצֵרֹתִי לָהֶם לְמַעַן יִמְצָאוּ

For so said the Lord: Behold, at this time I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land, and I will harass them and cause them suffering and distress, so that they will find the true path, since at present they are not even searching for it.

אוֹי לִי עַל־שִׁבְרִי נַחְלָה מַכָּתִי וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אַךְ זֶה חֳלִי וְאֶשָּׂאֶנּוּ

Woe to me over my injury, as my wound is grave; but initially I said: This is merely a temporary illness, and I will bear it. I did not know that this was not an illness but a punishment from God.

אָהֳלִי שֻׁדָּד וְכָל־מֵיתָרַי נִתָּקוּ בָּנַי יְצָאֻנִי וְאֵינָם אֵין־נֹטֶה עוֹד אָהֳלִי ומֵקִים יְרִיעוֹתָי

The prophet changes the metaphor from a sick person to a collapsing tent: My tent has been plundered, or smashed, and all my cords to support my tent have been severed, causing the tent to fall. My children have left me, and they are not; and therefore, there is no longer anyone to pitch my tent and to stretch and erect my hangings, the curtains of the tent.

כִּי נִבְעֲרוּ הָרֹעִים וְאֶת־ה' לֹא דָרָשׁוּ עַל־כֵּן לֹא הִשְׂכִּילוּ וְכָל־מַרְעִיתָם נָפוֹצָה

For the shepherds, the leaders of the people, have become ignorant, and they did not seek the Lord; therefore, they did not succeed, and all their flock was dispersed.

קוֹל שְׁמוּעָה הִנֵּה בָאָה וְרַעַשׁ גָּדוֹל מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן לָשׂוּם אֶת־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה שְׁמָמָה מְעוֹן תַּנִּים

The prophet again describes the upcoming destruction: Behold, the sound of a report is coming and a great tumult from the land of the north. The report is that the enemy is coming from the north to render the cities of Judah desolation, an abode of jackals.

יָדַעְתִּי ה' כִּי לֹא לָאָדָם דַּרְכּוֹ לֹא־לְאִישׁ הֹלֵךְ וְהָכִין אֶת־צַעֲדוֹ

Up to this point, Jeremiah has relayed the word of God about the impending calamity that will befall the land. Now the prophet speaks his own words: Lord, I know that a person’s way is not his, as he does not know the proper path to follow; it is not for a man to walk and know how to determine his step.

יַסְּרֵנִי ה' אַךְ בְּמִשְׁפָּט אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ פֶּן־תַּמְעִטֵנִי

Therefore, Lord, chastise me and instruct me, but do so with justice, taking into account my frailties and limitations; do not do so in Your wrath lest I will be unable to withstand it and You diminish me.

שְׁפֹךְ חֲמָתְךָ עַל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדָעוּךָ וְעַל מִשְׁפָּחוֹת אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁמְךָ לֹא קָרָאוּ כִּי־אָכְלוּ אֶת־יַעֲקֹב וַאֲכָלֻהוּ וַיְכַלֻּהוּ וְאֶת־נָוֵהוּ הֵשַׁמּוּ

Instead, pour Your anger upon the nations that do not know You, and upon the families, another word for nations, that do not call in Your name, as they have consumed Jacob; they have consumed him repeatedly and annihilated him, and they have rendered his abode desolate. They are therefore worthy of punishment.