| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. | 1Hear the word that the LORD has spoken to you, house of Israel. |
| 2Thus says the LORD: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. | 2This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, |
| 3For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. | 3for the customs of the peoples are worthless. Someone cuts down a tree from the forest; it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. |
| 4They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. | 4He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won't totter. |
| 5They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.” | 5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm-- and they cannot do any good. |
| 6Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), | 6Yahweh, there is no one like You. You are great; Your name is great in power. |
| 7Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. | 7Who should not fear You, King of the nations? It is what You deserve. For among all the wise people of the nations and among all their kingdoms, there is no one like You. |
| 8But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine. | 8They are both stupid and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood! |
| 9Silver is beaten into plates; It is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of the craftsman And of the hands of the metalsmith; Blue and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skillful men. | 9Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz from the hands of a goldsmith, the work of a craftsman. Their clothing is blue and purple, all the work of skilled artisans. |
| 10But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. | 10But Yahweh is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His rage. |
| 11Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.” | 11You are to say this to them, "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens." |
| 12He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. | 12He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and spread out the heavens by His understanding. |
| 13When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.” | 13When He thunders, the waters in the heavens are in turmoil, and He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses. |
| 14Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them. | 14Everyone is stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his carved image, for his cast images are a lie; there is no breath in them. |
| 15They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish. | 15They are worthless, a work to be mocked. At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed. |
| 16The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name. | 16Jacob's Portion is not like these because He is the One who formed all things. Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; Yahweh of Hosts is His name. |
| 17Gather up your wares from the land, O inhabitant of the fortress! | 17Gather up your belongings from the ground, you who live under siege. |
| 18For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will throw out at this time The inhabitants of the land, And will distress them, That they may find it so.” | 18For this is what the LORD says: Look, I am slinging out the land's residents at this time and bringing them such distress that they will feel it. |
| 19Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, “Truly this is an infirmity, And I must bear it.” | 19Woe to me because of my brokenness-- I am severely wounded! I exclaimed, "This is my intense suffering, but I must bear it." |
| 20My tent is plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are no more. There is no one to pitch my tent anymore, Or set up my curtains. | 20My tent is destroyed; all my tent cords are snapped. My sons have departed from me and are no more. I have no one to pitch my tent again or to hang up my curtains. |
| 21For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered. | 21For the shepherds are stupid: they don't seek the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and their whole flock is scattered. |
| 22Behold, the noise of the report has come, And a great commotion out of the north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, a den of jackals. | 22Listen! A noise--it is coming-- a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made desolate, a jackals' den. |
| 23O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. | 23I know, LORD, that a man's way of life is not his own; no one who walks determines his own steps. |
| 24O LORD, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing. | 24Discipline me, LORD, but with justice-- not in Your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing. |
| 25Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, who do not know You, And on the families who do not call on Your name; For they have eaten up Jacob, Devoured him and consumed him, And made his dwelling place desolate. | 25Pour out Your wrath on the nations that don't recognize You and on the families that don't call on Your name, for they have consumed Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off and made his homeland desolate. |
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