Jeremiah 10:1-5

A Satire on Idolatry

¹Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. ²This is what the Lord says:

“Do not learn the way of the nations,

And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,

Although the nations are terrified by them;

3For the customs of the peoples are futile;

For it is wood cut from the forest,

The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.

4“They decorate the idol with silver and gold;

They fasten it with nails and hammers

So that it will not totter.

5“They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,

And they cannot speak;

They must be carried,

Because they cannot walk!

Do not fear them,

For they can do no harm,

Nor can they do any good.”