1 Hear ye the word which the LORD has spoken over you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus hath the LORD said, Do not learn the way of the Gentiles, and do not fear the signs of heaven, even though the Gentiles fear them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are vanity: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails, that it not move. 5 They compare them to the palm tree, and they do not speak: they must be carried, because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither do they have power to do good.
6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. 7 Who would not fear thee, O King of the Gentiles? for unto thee does it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the Gentiles and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. 8 But they shall become altogether carnal and foolish. The stock is a doctrine of vanities. 9 Silver spread into plates shall be brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, shall the workman work and the hands of the founder: they shall dress them in blue and purple: they are all the work of cunning men. 10 But the LORD God is the Truth, he himself is Living God and Everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembles, and the Gentiles shall not be able to abide his indignation.
11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens or the earth, even they shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.
12 He that makes the earth by his power, he that orders the world with his wisdom and extends the heavens with his intelligence: 13 at his voice, there is given a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth; he makes the lightnings with the rain and brings forth the wind out of his treasures.
14 Every man is carnal in his knowledge: let every founder be ashamed of his graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no spirit in them. 15 They are vanity and the work of scorn: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. 16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the Former of all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of the hosts is his name.
17 Gather up thy wares out of the lands, O inhabitant of the fortress.
18 For thus hath the LORD said, Behold, that this time I will throw out the inhabitants of the land with a sling and will afflict them, that they may find it.
19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous, but I said, Truly this is my sickness, and I must bear it. 20 My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken: my sons were taken from me, and they are lost; there is no one to stretch forth my tent any more and to set up my curtains. 21 For the pastors are become carnal and have not sought the LORD; therefore they did not understand, and all their flocks scattered. 22 Behold, the voice of the rumour is come, and a great commotion out of the land of the north wind to make the cities of Judah desolate and a den of dragons.
23 O LORD, I know that man is not the lord of his own way: it is not in man that walks to order his steps. 24 O LORD, chastise me, but with judgment; not with thine anger lest thou bring me to nothing. 25 Pour out thy fury upon the Gentiles that do not know thee and upon the nations that do not call on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob and devoured him and consumed him and have destroyed his habitation.