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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.
10 But the Lord is the only true God.
He is the only living God, the King forever.
The earth ·shakes [trembles] when he is angry,
and the nations cannot ·stand up to [endure] his anger.
11 “Tell them this message: ‘These gods did not make heaven and earth; they will ·be destroyed and disappear [perish] from heaven and earth [C this verse is in Aramaic, indicating it was a well known saying].’”
12 God made the earth by his power.
He used his wisdom to ·build [L establish] the world
and his understanding to stretch out the ·skies [heavens].
13 When he ·thunders [L gives forth his voice], the waters in the ·skies [heavens] ·roar [are in tumult].
He makes ·clouds [or mist] rise ·in the sky all over the earth [L from the ends of the earth].
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14 People are so stupid and know so little.
·Goldsmiths [Smelters] are ·made ashamed [humiliated] by their idols,
because those ·statues are only false gods [L images are false].
They have no breath in them.
15 They are ·worth nothing [useless; meaningless; L a breath]; ·people make fun of them [laughable; a derision].
When they are judged, they will ·be destroyed [perish].
16 But Jacob’s [C another name for Israel] Portion [C referring to the Lord; God gives himself to Israel] is not like ·the idols [L these].
He ·made [L formed] everything,
and ·he chose Israel to be his special people [L Israel is the tribe of his inheritance].
The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is his name.
Destruction Is Coming
17 ·Get everything you own [L Gather your goods] ·and prepare to leave [or from the ground],
you people who are ·trapped by your enemies [L under siege].
18 This is what the Lord says:
“At this time I will ·throw [L sling] out the people who live in this land.
I will bring ·trouble [distress] to them
so that they may be ·captured [L squeezed].”
19 ·How terrible it will be for me [Woe to me] because of my ·injury [fracture].
My wound ·cannot be healed [is severe].
Yet I told myself,
“This is my ·sickness [or punishment]; I must ·suffer through [endure] it.”
20 My tent is ·ruined [destroyed; desolated],
and all its ropes are broken.
My children have gone away and left me.
No one is left to ·put up [stretch out] my tent again
or to set up ·a shelter for me [L my curtains].
21 The shepherds are stupid
and don’t ·ask the Lord for advice [L seek the Lord].
So they do not have success,
and all their flocks are scattered.
22 Listen! The news is coming.
A ·loud noise [great commotion] comes from the north [C the Babylonian army]
to make the towns of Judah an ·empty desert [desolation]
and a ·home [haunt] for wild dogs [jackals]!
Jeremiah’s Prayer
23 Lord, I know that ·our lives don’t really belong to us [L his way/path does not belong to people].
·We can’t control our own lives [L People as they walk cannot establish their steps].
24 Lord, ·correct [teach; instruct] me, but be ·fair [just].
Don’t punish me in your anger,
or you will ·destroy me [L make me dwindle].
25 Pour out your anger on other nations
that do not know you
and do not pray to you.
Those nations have ·destroyed [consumed] the people of Jacob.
They have ·eaten [consumed] them up completely
and ·destroyed [desolated] their homeland.
The Agreement Is Broken
11 These are the words that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah: 2 “Listen to the words of this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] and tell them to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the person who does not ·obey [listen to] the words of this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] 4 that I ·made with [L commanded] your ·ancestors [fathers] when I brought them out of Egypt [Ex. 19–24]. Egypt was like a furnace for melting iron!’ I told them, ‘·Obey me [L Listen to my voice] and do everything I command you. Then you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will ·keep [confirm] the ·promise [oath] I made to your ·ancestors [fathers] to give them a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8].’ ·And you are living in that country today [L …as it is today].”
I answered, “·Amen [So be it], Lord.”
6 The Lord said to me, “·Announce [Proclaim] ·this message [L all these words] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the words of this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] and ·obey [L do] them. 7 I warned your ·ancestors [fathers] to obey me when I brought them out of Egypt [Ex. 12–15]. I have warned them again and again to this very day: “·Obey me [L Listen to my voice]!” 8 But your ·ancestors [fathers] did not ·listen [obey] or ·pay attention [L bend their ear] to me. They ·were stubborn and did what their own evil hearts wanted [L walked in the stubborness of their evil hearts]. So I made all the ·curses [L words] of this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] come upon them [Deut. 28:15–68]. I commanded them to obey the ·agreement [covenant; agreement], but they did not.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “I know the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem have made ·secret plans [a conspiracy]. 10 They have ·gone back [returned] to the ·same sins their ancestors did [iniquity of their fathers of old]. ·Their ancestors [L They] refused to listen to my ·message [L words] and ·followed and worshiped [L went after and served] other gods instead [Ex. 20:3]. The ·families [L house] of Israel and [L the house of] Judah have broken the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I ·made [L cut] with their ·ancestors [fathers]. 11 So this is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon bring ·a disaster [harm; evil] on them [C the people of Judah] which they will not be able to escape. They will cry to me for help, but I will not listen to them. 12 The ·people living in the towns [L towns] of Judah and the ·city [L inhabitants] of Jerusalem will ·pray [L cry for help] to ·their idols [L the gods] to whom they burn incense. But ·those idols [L they] will not be able to ·help [save them] when ·disaster [harm; evil] comes. 13 Look, people of Judah, you have as many ·idols [L gods] as there are towns in Judah. You have built as many altars to burn incense to that shameful god Baal as there are streets in Jerusalem.’
14 “As for you [C Jeremiah], don’t pray for these people or cry out for them or ask anything for them. I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their ·trouble [disaster; harm; evil].
15 “What is my beloved [C Judah; 12:7; Deut. 33:12; Ps. 60:5; 108:6; 127:2; Is. 5:1] doing in my ·Temple [L house]
when she makes many evil plans [C their idolatry cancels their right to be there]?
Do you think ·animal sacrifices [L sacred meat] will stop your ·punishment [disaster; harm; evil]?
Can you then be happy?”
16 The Lord called you “a ·leafy [green] olive tree,
with beautiful fruit and shape [Hos. 14:6].”
But with the roar of a ·strong storm [tempest]
he will set that tree on fire,
and its branches will be burned up.
17 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who planted you, has announced that ·disaster [harm; evil] will come to you. This is because the ·families [L houses] of Israel and Judah have done evil and have made him angry by burning incense to Baal.
Evil Plans Against Jeremiah
18 The Lord ·showed [L made known to] me that people were making plans against me. Because he showed me what they were doing [C their evil deeds], I knew they were against me. 19 Before this, I was like a gentle lamb waiting to be ·butchered [slaughtered; Is. 53:7; John 1:29, 36]. I did not know they had made plans against me, saying:
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit.
Let’s ·kill him [L cut him off from the land of the living] so ·people will forget him [L his name will no longer be remembered].”
20 But, Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], you ·are a fair judge [judge righteously].
You know how to test peoples’ ·hearts and minds [motives and thoughts].
I have ·told you what I have against them [committed my cause to you].
So let me see you give them the ·punishment [revenge] they deserve.
21 So the Lord speaks about the people from Anathoth [C Jeremiah’s hometown; 1:1; 12:6] who ·plan to kill Jeremiah [L seek your life] and say, “Don’t prophesy in the name of the Lord, or ·we will kill you [L you will die by our hand]!” 22 So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “I will soon punish the men [C from Anathoth]. Their young men will die ·in war [L by the sword]. Their sons and daughters will die from ·hunger [famine]. 23 ·No one from the city of Anathoth will be left alive [L They will have no remnant], because I will cause ·a disaster [harm; evil] to happen to them that year.”
Your New Life with Other People
18 Wives, ·yield to the authority of [submit to] your husbands, because this is ·the right thing to do [appropriate; fitting] in the Lord [Eph. 5:22–24; 1 Pet. 3:1–6].
19 Husbands, love your wives and ·be gentle with [L don’t be harsh toward/embittered against] them [Eph. 5:25–33; 1 Pet. 3:7].
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, because this pleases the Lord [Eph. 6:1–3].
21 Fathers [or Parents; Heb. 11:23], do not ·nag [aggravate; exasperate; provoke] your children [Eph. 6:4]. If you are too hard to please, they may ·want to stop trying [become discouraged; lose heart].
22 ·Slaves [Bondservants], obey your ·human [earthly] masters in all things [Eph. 6:5–9; 1 Pet. 2:18–25]. Do not obey just ·when they are watching you [L with eye-service], ·to gain their favor [L as people-pleasers], but serve them ·honestly [with a sincere heart], because you ·respect [reverence; fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7]. 23 In all the work you are doing, ·work the best you can [do it heart and soul; L from the soul]. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. 24 ·Remember [L …knowing] that you will receive from the Lord the reward ·which he promised to his people [L of an inheritance]. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 But remember that anyone who does wrong will be ·punished [repaid] for that wrong, and ·the Lord treats everyone the same [L there is no favoritism/partiality].
4 Masters, give what is good and fair to your slaves. Remember that you have a Master in heaven.
What the Christians Are to Do
2 ·Continue praying [Be devoted to prayer], keeping alert, and always thanking God. 3 Also pray for us that God will ·give us an opportunity [L open a door for us] to tell people his ·message [word]. Pray that we can preach the ·secret that God has made known about Christ [L mystery of Christ; 1:26]. This is why I am in ·prison [chains; C Paul is probably writing from house arrest in Rome, about ad 60; see Acts 28:30–31]. 4 Pray that I can speak in a way that will make it clear, as I should.
5 Be wise in the way you ·act with [behave towards] people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. 6 When you talk, you should always be ·kind [gracious] and ·pleasant [winsome; engaging; or wholesome; L seasoned with salt] so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.
News About the People with Paul
7 Tychicus [Acts 20:4; Eph. 6:21; 2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12] is my ·dear [beloved] brother in Christ and a faithful ·minister [servant] and ·servant with me [fellow slave/bondservant] in the Lord. He will tell you all the things that are happening to me. 8 This is why I am sending him: so you may know how we are[a] and he may encourage ·you [L your hearts]. 9 I send him with Onesimus [Philem. 10], a faithful and ·dear [beloved] ·brother in Christ [L brother], and one of your ·group [or own people; or fellow-citizens]. They will tell you all that has happened here.
10 Aristarchus [Acts 19:29; 20:4; Philem. 24], a prisoner with me, and Mark [Acts 12:25; 13:13; 15:37–39], the cousin of Barnabas [Acts 4:36; 9:26–27; 11:22, 25, 30; 13:2–4; 15:36–39], greet you. (·I have already told you what to do [L You have received instructions] about Mark. If he comes, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are the only ·Jewish believers [L ones of the circumcision] who work with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
12 Epaphras [1:7], a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Jesus Christ, from your ·group [or people; or city], also greets you. He always ·prays [prays earnestly; L wrestles/struggles in prayer] for you that you will ·grow to be spiritually mature [or stand complete/perfect] and ·confident that you are in God’s will [L fully assured in all the will of God]. 13 I ·know [can testify/bear witness that] he has worked hard for you and ·the people [or the churches; L those] in Laodicea [2:1] and in Hierapolis [C a city north of Colossae, in present-day southwest Turkey]. 14 Demas [2 Tim. 4:10; Philem. 24] and our ·dear [beloved] friend Luke [2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24], the doctor, greet you.
15 Greet the brothers and sisters in Laodicea [2:1]. And greet Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 16 After this letter is read to you, be sure it is also read to the church in Laodicea. And you read the letter ·that I wrote to [L from] Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus [Philem. 2], “Be sure to ·finish [fulfill] the ·work [ministry; service] ·the Lord gave you [L you received in the Lord].”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember ·me in prison [L my chains]. Grace be with you.
56 But they tested God
and ·turned [rebelled] against God Most High;
they did not ·keep [observe; guard] his ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
57 They ·turned away [recoiled] and were disloyal just like their ·ancestors [fathers].
They ·were like [turned into] a ·crooked bow that does not shoot straight [slack bow; C unreliable and ineffective].
58 They made God angry ·by building places to worship gods [L with their high places; C worship sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God; Deut. 12:2–3];
they made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he became very angry
and rejected the people of Israel completely.
60 He ·left [cast off] his dwelling at Shiloh,
the Tent where he lived among the people.
61 He let his ·Power [Strength; C the Ark] be captured;
he let his ·glory [beauty; C the Ark] be taken by ·enemies [L the hand of the foe; 1 Sam. 4–5].
62 He ·let his people be killed [L handed his people over to the sword];
he was very angry with his ·children [L inheritance].
63 The young men ·died [L were consumed] by fire,
and the young women ·had no one to marry [had no wedding songs; or could not sing a lament for them].
64 Their priests fell by the sword [1 Sam. 4:12–22],
but their widows were not allowed to cry.
65 Then the Lord ·got up [awoke] as if he had been asleep;
·he awoke like a man [L like a soldier] who had been ·drunk with [shouting/singing because of] wine.
66 He struck ·down [L back] his enemies
and ·disgraced them forever [L placed on them eternal scorn/reproach].
67 But God rejected the ·family [L tent] of Joseph [C the tribe of Ephraim];
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim [C the most important northern tribe, here representing the house of Saul].
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple], which he loves.
69 And he built his ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place] ·high like the mountains [or like the high heavens].
Like the earth, ·he built it to last [L its foundations are] forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant
and took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending the ·sheep [L ewes]
so he could ·lead the flock, [shepherd] the people of Jacob,
his ·own people [inheritance], the people of Israel.
72 And David ·led [shepherded] them with an ·innocent [blameless] heart
and guided them with skillful hands.
28 Don’t ·testify [witness] against your neighbor for no good reason.
Don’t ·say things that are false [L deceive with your lips].
29 Don’t say, “·I’ll get even [L As they did to me so I will do to them];
I’ll ·do to him what he did to me [repay them according to their actions].”
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