Letter of Jeremiah
Introduction to the Letter of Jeremiah
| Ἀντίγραφον ἐπιστολῆς, ἧς ἀπέστειλεν Ἱερεμίας πρὸς τοὺς ἀχθησομένους αἰχμαλώτους εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ἀναγγεῖλαι αὐτοῖς καθότι ἐπετάγη αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. | A copy of the letter that Jeremiah sent to those who were about to be led away as captives to Babylon by the king of the Babylonians, to announce to them what had been commanded him by God. |
The Warning Concerning Exile and Imperial Pageantry
| 1 διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἃς ἡμαρτήκατε ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀχθήσεσθε εἰς Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμάλωτοι ὑπὸ Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως τῶν Βαβυλωνίων. 2 εἰσελθόντες οὖν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἔσεσθε ἐκεῖ ἔτη πλείονα καὶ χρόνον μακρὸν ἕως γενεῶν ἑπτά, μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐξάξω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν μετ' εἰρήνης. 3 νυνὶ δὲ ὄψεσθε ἐν Βαβυλῶνι θεοὺς ἀργυροῦς καὶ χρυσοῦς καὶ ξυλίνους ἐπ' ὤμοις αἰρομένους δεικνύντας φόβον τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. 4 εὐλαβήθητε οὖν μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀφομοιωθέντες τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἀφομοιωθῆτε καὶ φόβος ὑμᾶς λάβῃ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς 5 ἰδόντας ὄχλον ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν προσκυνοῦντας αὐτά, εἴπατε δὲ τῇ διανοίᾳ σοὶ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν, δέσποτα. 6 ὁ γὰρ ἄγγελός μου μεθ' ὑμῶν, ἐστιν αὐτός τε ἐκζητῶν τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν. |
1 Because of the sins you have committed before God, you will be led away as captives to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians. 2 So, when you enter Babylon, you will remain there for many years and for a long period of time—up to seven generations. But after that, I will bring you out from there in peace.
3 But now, you will see in Babylon gods made of silver, gold, and wood being carried on men's shoulders, displaying a terrifying sight to the nations. 4 Be careful, then, that you do not become like these foreigners; do not let fear seize you when you look at them. 5 When you see a crowd before them and behind them bowing down in worship, say in your mind: "It is You alone, O Sovereign, whom we must worship." 6 For My angel is right there with you; he is the one watching over your lives. |
The Manufactured Nature of Idols
| 7 γλῶσσα γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν κατεξυσμένη ὑπὸ τέκτονος, αὐτά τε περίχρυσα καὶ περιάργυρα, ψευδῆ δ' ἐστὶν καὶ οὐ δύνανται λαλεῖν. 8 καὶ ὥσπερ παρθένῳ φιλοκόσμῳ λαμβάνοντες χρυσίον κατασκευάζουσιν στεφάνους ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν· 9 ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὅτε ὑφαιρούμενοι οἱ ἱερεῖς ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον εἰς ἑαυτοὺς καταναλώσουσιν, δώσουσιν δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν καὶ ταῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ τέγους πόρναις. 10 κοσμοῦσί τε αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀνθρώπους τοῖς ἐνδύμασιν, θεοὺς ἀργυροῦς καὶ χρυσοῦς καὶ ξυλίνους· οὗτοι δὲ οὐ διασῴζονται ἀπὸ ἰοῦ καὶ βρωμάτων. 11 περιβεβλημένων αὐτῶν ἱματισμὸν πορφυροῦν, ἐκμάσσονται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν διὰ τὸν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας κονιορτόν, ὅς ἐστιν πλείων ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. 12 καὶ σκῆπτρον ἔχει ὡς ἄνθρωπος κριτὴς χώρας, ὃς τὸν εἰς αὐτὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα οὐκ ἀνελεῖ. 13 ἔχει δὲ ἐγχειρίδιον ἐν δεξιᾷ καὶ πέλεκυν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐκ πολέμου καὶ λῃστῶν οὐκ ἐξελεῖται. 14 ὅθεν γνώριμοί εἰσιν οὐκ ὄντες θεοί· μὴ οὖν φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς. |
7 For their tongues are polished smooth by a carpenter; they are overlaid with gold and silver, but they are frauds and completely unable to speak. 8 Just like people dressing up a vain young girl who loves jewelry, the Babylonians take gold and fashion crowns for the heads of their gods. 9 Sometimes the priests even secretly skim gold and silver off their gods to spend on themselves; they even give portions of it to the prostitutes working on the temple roofs!
10 They dress these gods up in clothing like real human beings—these gods of silver, gold, and wood. Yet these things cannot save themselves from rust and the jaws of insects. 11 Even though they are wrapped in luxurious purple robes, the priests have to wipe the heavy dust off the idols' faces because of the thick grime that settles in the temple. 12 One idol holds a scepter like a human judge of a district, yet it cannot execute anyone who offends it. 13 Another holds a dagger in its right hand and a battle-axe, yet it cannot defend itself against war or bandits. 14 By all of this, it is perfectly obvious that they are not gods. Therefore, do not fear them! |
| MATERIAL ILLUSION | PHYSICAL IMPOTENCE |
|---|---|
| Smoothed by carpenters | Blinded by temple dust |
| Overlaid with gold/silver | Eaten by rust and insects |
| Dressed in purple robes | Defenseless against thieves |
The Domestic Comedy of the Shrines
| 15 ὥσπερ γὰρ σκεῦος ἀνθρώπου συντριβὲν ἀχρεῖον γίνεται, τοιοῦτοι ὑπάρχουσιν οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν, καθιδρυμένων αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις. 16 οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν πλήρεις εἰσὶν κονιορτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν τῶν εἰσπορευομένων. 17 καὶ ὥσπερ τινὶ ἠδικηκότι βασιλέα περιπεφραγμέναι εἰσὶν αἱ αὐλαὶ ὡς ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἀπηγμένῳ, τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ὀχυροῦσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς θυρώμασίν τε καὶ κλείθροις καὶ μοχλοῖς, ὅπως ὑπὸ τῶν λῃστῶν μὴ συληθῶσι. 18 λύχνους καίουσιν καὶ πλείους ἢ ἑαυτοῖς, ὧν οὐδένα δύνανται ἰδεῖν. 19 ἔστιν μὲν ὥσπερ δοκὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας, τὰς δὲ καρδίας αὐτῶν φασιν ἐκλείχεσθαι, τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἑρπετῶν κατεσθόντων αὐτούς τε καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτῶν οὐκ αἰσθάνονται. 20 μεμελανωμένοι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ καπνοῦ τοῦ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας. 21 ἐπὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐφίπτανται νυκτερίδες, χελιδόνες καὶ τὰ ὄρνεα, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ οἱ αἴλουροι. 22 ὅθεν γνώσεσθε ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν θεοί· μὴ οὖν φοβεῖσθε αὐτά. |
15 For just as a person’s clay pot becomes utterly useless once it is broken, so are their gods when enshrined in their temples. 16 Their eyes are filled with the dust kicked up by the feet of those who enter. 17 And just as the courtyard gates are securely barred against someone who has offended a king and is being led out to execution, so the priests fortify their temple rooms with heavy doors, locks, and bars, so that their gods will not be plundered by robbers.
18 The priests light lamps for them—even more lamps than they burn for themselves—yet the idols cannot see a single one of them. 19 They are just like one of the timber beams inside the temple. Their hearts are said to be licked clean, while creeping insects from the earth eat them and their clothing away, and they do not even notice it! 20 Their faces are blackened by the thick smoke that pours out of the temple kitchens. 21 Bats, swallows, and wild birds fly all over their bodies and perch on their heads, and even cats crawl over them. 22 From these things you will know with absolute certainty that they are not gods; do not fear them. |
Impotence in Public and Private Life
| 23 τὸ γὰρ χρυσίον, ὃ περίκεινται εἰς κάλλος, ἐὰν μή τις ἐκμάξῃ τὸν ἰόν, οὐ μὴ στίλψωσιν· οὐδὲ γάρ, ὅτε ἐχωνεύοντο, ᾐσθάνοντο. 24 ἐκ πάσης τιμῆς ἠγορασμένα ἐστίν, ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν πνεῦμα. 25 ἄνευ ποδῶν ἐπ' ὤμοις φέρονται ἐνδεικνύμενοι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀτιμίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, αἰσχύνονταί τε καὶ οἱ θεραπεύοντες αὐτὰ διὰ τό, μήποτε ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν πέσῃ, δι' αὐτῶν ἀνίστασθαι· 26 μήτε ἐάν τις αὐτὸ ὀρθὸν στήσῃ, δι' ἑαυτοῦ κινηθήσεται, μήτε ἐὰν κλιθῇ, οὐ μὴ ὀρθωθῇ, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ νεκροῖς τὰ δῶρα αὐτοῖς παρατίθεται. 27 τὰς δὲ θυσίας αὐτῶν ἀποδόμενοι οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῶν καταχρῶνται· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ταριχεύουσαι οὔτε πτωχῷ οὔτε ἀδυνάτῳ μεταδιδόασιν· τῶν θυσιῶν αὐτῶν ἀποκαθημένη καὶ λεχὼ ἅπτονται. 28 γνόντες οὖν ἀπὸ τούτων ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν θεοί, μὴ φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς. |
23 As for the gold that coats them for beauty—if someone does not wipe away the rust, they will never shine on their own. Even when they were being cast in the furnace, they felt absolutely nothing. 24 They were purchased at an exorbitant price, yet there is no breath inside them. 25 Having no feet, they must be carried around on men's shoulders, parading their own public disgrace to anyone watching. Even their own caretakers are utterly embarrassed by them! 26 For if an idol ever falls to the ground, it cannot stand up on its own. If someone sets it upright, it cannot move itself; if it tips over, it cannot straighten itself. Instead, gifts are set before them as if they were corpses.
27 Their priests sell off the sacrifices offered to them and misuse the profits. Likewise, their wives pickle the leftover sacrificial meat, sharing absolutely nothing with the poor or the vulnerable. 28 Women who are menstruating or who have just given birth touch their sacrifices. Knowing clearly from these facts that they are not gods, do not fear them! |
The Social and Ritual Extravagance
| 29 πόθεν γὰρ κληθείησαν θεοί; ὅτι γυναῖκες παρατιθέασιν θεοῖς ἀργυροῖς καὶ χρυσοῖς καὶ ξυλίνοις· 30 καὶ ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις αὐτῶν οἱ ἱερεῖς διφρεύουσιν ἔχοντες τοὺς χιτῶνας διερρωγότας καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς καὶ τοὺς πώγωνας ἐξυρημένους, ὧν αἱ κεφαλαὶ ἀκάλυπτοί εἰσιν, 31 ὠρύονται δὲ βοῶντες ἐναντίον τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν ὥσπερ τινὲς ἐν περιδείπνῳ νεκροῦ. 32 ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματισμοῦ αὐτῶν ἀφελόμενοι οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐνδύουσιν τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ παιδία. 33 οὔτε ἐὰν κακὸν πάθωσιν ὑπό τινος οὔτε ἐὰν ἀγαθόν, δυνήσονται ἀνταποδοῦναι· οὔτε καταστῆσαι βασιλέα δύνανται οὔτε ἀφελέσθαι. 34 ὡσαύτως οὔτε πλοῦτον οὔτε χαλκὸν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται διδόναι· ἐάν τις αὐτοῖς εὐχὴν εὐξάμενος μὴ ἀποδῷ, οὐ μὴ ἐπιζητήσωσιν. 35 ἐκ θανάτου ἄνθρωπον οὐ μὴ ῥύσωνται οὔτε ἥττονα ἀπὸ ἰσχυροῦ οὐ μὴ ἐξέλωνται. 36 ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν εἰς ὅρασιν οὐ μὴ περιστήσωσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ἄνθρωπον ὄντα οὐ μὴ ἐξέλωνται. 37 χήραν οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσωσιν οὔτε ὀρφανὸν εὖ ποιήσουσιν. 38 τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους λίθοις ὡμοιωμένοι εἰσὶν τὰ ξύλινα καὶ τὰ περίχρυσα καὶ τὰ περιάργυρα, οἱ δὲ θεραπεύοντες αὐτὰ καταισχυνθήσονται. 39 πῶς οὖν νομιστέον ἢ κλητέον αὐτοὺς ὑπάρχειν θεούς; |
29 For how could they ever be called gods? Women are the ones who set out food before these gods of silver, gold, and wood! 30 And inside their shrines, the priests lounge about with torn tunics, their heads and beards shaved bare, and their heads completely uncovered. 31 They howl and scream in front of their gods like people roaring at a funeral feast for a dead man. 32 The priests strip the clothing off the idols to dress up their own wives and children.
33 Whether these objects suffer wrong from someone or receive a benefit, they are completely powerless to retaliate. They can neither set up a king nor dethrone one. 34 Similarly, they can grant neither wealth nor copper coins. If someone makes a religious vow to them and fails to keep it, they cannot demand payment. 35 They can never rescue a man from death, nor can they deliver the weak from the grip of the powerful. 36 They cannot restore sight to a blind man, nor can they rescue someone trapped in an emergency. 37 They show zero mercy to a widow and do no good for an orphan. 38 These wooden things overlaid with gold and silver are exactly like boulders quarried from a mountain, and those who serve them will be thoroughly disgraced. 39 How then can anyone think or claim that they are gods? |
The Reluctant Witnesses: Babylonians Themselves
| 40 ἔτι δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν Χαλδαίων ἀτιμαζόντων αὐτά, οἵ, ὅταν ἴδωσιν ἐνεὸν οὐ δυνάμενον λαλῆσαι, προσενεγκάμενοι τὸν Βῆλον ἀξιοῦσιν φωνῆσαι, ὡς δυνατοῦ ὄντος αὐτοῦ αἰσθέσθαι, 41 καὶ οὐ δύνανται αὐτοὶ νοήσαντες καταλιπεῖν αὐτά αἴσθησιν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχουσιν. 42 αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες περιθέμεναι σχοινία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἐγκάθηνται θυμιῶσαι τὰ πίτυρα· 43 ὅταν δέ τις αὐτῶν ἐφελκυσθεῖσα ὑπό τινος τῶν παραπορευομένων κοιμηθῇ, τὴν πλησίον ὀνειδίζει, ὅτι οὐκ ἠξίωται ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτὴ οὔτε τὸ σχοινίον αὐτῆς διερράγη. 44 πάντα τὰ γινόμενα αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ψευδῆ· πῶς οὖν νομιστέον ἢ κλητέον ὥστε θεοὺς αὐτοὺς ὑπάρχειν; |
40 What is worse, even the Chaldeans themselves disgrace them! For when they see a mute person who cannot speak, they bring him before Bel and demand that the idol make him talk—as if the idol actually had the consciousness to perceive it! 41 Yet they themselves are entirely incapable of reflecting on this and abandoning these idols, because they lack true perception.
42 Furthermore, women wrap themselves in cords and sit along the public roads, burning bran as incense. 43 And whenever one of them is pulled aside by a passerby to be slept with, she taunts her neighbor, mocking her because she wasn't deemed attractive enough to have her cord broken yet. 44 Every single thing happening around these objects is a lie. How then can anyone think or claim that they are gods? |
The Ultimate Ontological Failure
| 45 ὑπὸ τεκτόνων καὶ χρυσοχόων κατεσκευασμένα εἰσίν· οὐθὲν ἄλλο μὴ γένωνται ἢ ὃ βούλονται οἱ τεχνῖται αὐτὰ γενέσθαι. 46 αὐτοί τε οἱ κατασκευάζοντες αὐτὰ οὐ μὴ γένωνται πολυχρόνιοι· πῶς τε δὴ μέλλει τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν κατασκευασθέντα εἶναι θεοί; 47 κατέλιπον γὰρ ψεύδη καὶ ὄνειδος τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις. 48 ὅταν γὰρ ἐπέλθῃ ἐπ' αὐτὰ πόλεμος καὶ κακά βουλεύονται πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ἱερεῖς ποῦ συναποκρυβῶσι μετ' αὐτῶν. 49 πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν αἰσθέσθαι ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν θεοί, οἳ οὔτε σῴζουσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκ πολέμου οὔτε ἐκ κακῶν; 50 ὑπάρχοντα γὰρ ξύλινα καὶ περίχρυσα καὶ περιάργυρα γνωσθήσεται μετὰ ταῦτα ὅτι ἐστὶν ψευδῆ· τοῖς ἔθνεσι πᾶσι τοῖς τε βασιλεῦσι φανερὸν ἔσται ὅτι οὔκ εἰσι θεοὶ ἀλλὰ ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ οὐδὲν θεοῦ ἔργον ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν. 51 τίνι οὖν γνωστέον ἐστὶν ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν θεοί; | 45 They are fabricated by carpenters and goldsmiths; they can never become anything other than what the craftsmen intended them to be. 46 The very men who manufacture them do not live long lives themselves; how then are the things made by them supposed to be gods? 47 They leave behind nothing but a fraud and a disgrace for the generations to come. 48 For whenever war or calamity breaks out against them, the priests huddle together to plot where they can hide themselves along with their idols. 49 How can people fail to see that these are not gods—things that cannot even save themselves from war or human disasters? 50 Since they are nothing but wood overlaid with gold and silver, it will eventually become clear to everyone that they are a total illusion. It will be manifest to all nations and kings that they are not gods, but the mere work of human hands, and that there is zero divine activity within them. 51 To whom, then, is it not obvious that they are not gods? |
The Contrast with the Living Cosmos
| 52 βασιλέα γὰρ χώρας οὐ μὴ ἀναστήσωσιν οὔτε ὑετὸν ἀνθρώποις οὐ μὴ δῶσιν 53 κρίσιν τε οὐ μὴ διακρίνωσιν αὐτῶν οὐδὲ μὴ ῥύσωνται ἀδικούμενον ἀδύνατοι ὄντες· ὥσπερ γὰρ κορῶναι ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς. 54 καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ἐμπεσῇ εἰς οἰκίαν θεῶν ξυλίνων ἢ περιχρύσων ἢ περιαργύρων πῦρ, οἱ μὲν ἱερεῖς αὐτῶν φεύξονται καὶ διασωθήσονται, αὐτοὶ δὲ ὥσπερ δοκοὶ μέσοι κατακαυθήσονται. 55 βασιλεῖ δὲ καὶ πολεμίοις οὐ μὴ ἀντιστῶσιν. 56 πῶς οὖν ἐκδεκτέον ἢ νομιστέον ὅτι εἰσὶν θεοί; 57 οὔτε ἀπὸ κλεπτῶν οὔτε ἀπὸ λῃστῶν οὐ μὴ διασωθῶσιν θεοὶ ξύλινοι καὶ περιάργυροι, καὶ περίχρυσοι ὧν οἱ ἰσχύοντες περιελοῦνται τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν τὸν περικείμενον αὐτοῖς ἀπελεύσονται ἔχοντες, οὔτε ἑαυτοῖς οὐ μὴ βοηθήσωσιν· 58 ὥστε κρεῖσσον εἶναι βασιλέα ἐπιδεικνύμενον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀνδρείαν ἢ σκεῦος ἐν οἰκίᾳ χρήσιμον, ἐφ' ᾧ χρήσεται ὁ κεκτημένος, ἢ οἱ ψευδεῖς θεοί· ἢ καὶ θύρα ἐν οἰκίᾳ διασῴζουσα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ὄντα ἢ οἱ ψευδεῖς θεοί, καὶ ξύλινος στῦλος ἐν βασιλείοις ἢ οἱ ψευδεῖς θεοί. 59 ἥλιος μὲν γὰρ καὶ σελήνη καὶ ἄστρα ὄντα λαμπρὰ καὶ ἀποστελλόμενα ἐπὶ χρείας εὐήκοά εἰσιν· 60 ὡσαύτως καὶ ἀστραπή, ὅταν ἐπιφανῇ, εὔοπτός ἐστιν· τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ πνεῦμα ἐν πάσῃ χώρᾳ πνεῖ· 61 καὶ νεφέλαις ὅταν ἐπιταγῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιπορεύεσθαι ἐφ' ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην, συντελοῦσι τὸ ταχθέν· τὸ τε πῦρ ἐξαποσταλὲν ἄνωθεν ἐξαναλῶσαι ὄρη καὶ δρυμοὺς ποιεῖ τὸ συνταχθέν. 62 ταῦτα δὲ οὔτε ταῖς ἰδέαις οὔτε ταῖς δυνάμεσιν αὐτῶν ἀφωμοιωμένα ἐστίν. 63 ὅθεν οὔτε νομιστέον οὔτε κλητέον ὑπάρχειν αὐτοὺς θεούς, οὐ δυνατῶν ὄντων αὐτῶν οὔτε κρίσιν κρῖναι οὔτε εὖ ποιεῖν ἀνθρώποις. 64 γνόντες οὖν ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν θεοί, μὴ φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς. 65 οὔτε γὰρ βασιλεῦσιν οὐ μὴ καταράσωνται οὔτε μὴ εὐλογήσωσι. 66 σημεῖά τε ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἐν οὐρανῷ οὐ μὴ δείξωσιν οὐδὲ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος λάμψουσιν οὐδὲ φωτίσουσιν ὡς σελήνη. 67 τὰ θηρία ἐστὶν κρείττω αὐτῶν, ἃ δύνανται ἐκφυγόντα εἰς σκέπην ἑαυτὰ ὠφελῆσαι. 68 κατ' οὐδένα οὖν τρόπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν φανερὸν ὅτι εἰσὶν θεοί· διὸ μὴ φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς. |
52 They can never establish a king over a country, nor can they give rain to humanity. 53 They cannot settle their own legal disputes, nor can they deliver someone who is being wronged—they are completely helpless! They are like crows suspended between heaven and earth. 54 For when fire falls upon the temple of these wooden, gold-plated, and silver-plated gods, their priests will flee and escape to safety, but the idols themselves will burn to ash right in the middle like structural beams. 55 They cannot withstand a king or an invading army.
56 How then can it be supposed or believed that they are gods? For these wooden, silver-plated, and gold-plated gods cannot save themselves from either thieves or bandits. 57 Those who are strong will strip off their gold and silver, and will march away with the very clothing wrapped around them; the idols cannot help themselves in the slightest. 58 Therefore, it is far better to be a king who displays his own courage, or even a useful household vessel that its owner can actually use, than to be these false gods; or even a door in a house that keeps the things inside safe, than to be these false gods; or a simple wooden pillar in a palace, than to be these false gods. 59 For the sun, the moon, and the stars are brilliant; they are dispatched to perform specific duties, and they obey completely. 60 In the same way, the flash of lightning is beautiful to look at when it appears; the wind blows across every country; 61 and when the clouds are commanded by God to travel over the entire world, they carry out what was ordered. The fire sent down from above to consume mountains and forests does exactly what it was told to do. 62 But these idols cannot compare to them in either appearance or power. 63 Therefore, it must not be thought or claimed that they are gods, since they have no power to render judgment or to do good for humanity. 64 Knowing therefore that they are not gods, do not fear them! 65 For they can neither curse nor bless kings. 66 They cannot display miraculous signs in the heavens for the nations, nor can they shine like the sun or give light like the moon. 67 Wild animals are actually better than they are, because an animal can at least flee into a shelter and take care of itself! 68 So, in no way whatsoever is it clear to us that they are gods. Therefore, do not fear them! |
The Final Verdict: The Scarecrow and the Dead Body
| 69 ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν σικυηράτῳ προβασκάνιον οὐδὲν φυλάσσον, οὕτως οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν εἰσιν ξύλινοι καὶ περίχρυσοι καὶ περιάργυροι. 70 τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τῇ ἐν κήπῳ ῥάμνῳ, ἐφ' ἧς πᾶν ὄρνεον ἐπικάθηται, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ νεκρῷ ἐρριμμένῳ ἐν σκότει ἀφωμοίωνται οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν ξύλινοι καὶ περίχρυσοι καὶ περιάργυροι. 71 ἀπό τε τῆς πορφύρας καὶ τῆς μαρμάρου τῆς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς σηπομένης γνώσεσθε ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν θεοί· αὐτά τε ἐξ ὑστέρου βρωθήσονται, καὶ ἔσται ὄνειδος ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ. 72 κρείσσων οὖν ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος οὐκ ἔχων εἴδωλα, ἔσται γὰρ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ. | 69 For just like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch that guards absolutely nothing, so are their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver. 70 In the exact same way, their wooden, gold-plated, and silver-plated gods are like a thorny bush in a garden where every bird perches, or like a corpse cast out into the dark. 71 From the luxury purple and the fine linen rotting away on their frames, you will know that they are not gods. Eventually, they will be entirely eaten away, becoming a national disgrace to the country. 72 Better, therefore, is the righteous person who has no idols at all, for he will remain far removed from such disgrace. |
Insights & Observations
1. Satire as Counter-Hegemonic Propaganda
The author uses brutal, relentless satire to strip away the psychological intimidation of the Babylonian imperial machine. To a conquered refugee population, Babylon’s temples (like the Esagila of Marduk) would have looked terrifyingly massive, wealthy, and permanent. The writer combats this psychological shock by dragging the majestic down into the mud: focusing on temple dust (v. 11), bat droppings (v. 21), and the fact that these grand deities are essentially glorified, expensive insect food (v. 19). By turning awe into comedy, the text breaks the psychological spell of imperial supremacy.
2. The Irony of the Divine Security System
One of the sharpest logical contradictions highlighted by the author is the sheer vulnerability of the idols (v. 17). The priests must build deadbolts, heavy doors, and structural bars to protect their gods from being robbed. The theological irony is devastating: a human being must act as the protector of the deity. If a god requires human security guards and structural engineering just to avoid being melted down by common street bandits, it cannot logically possess the agency to safeguard an entire nation or alter the trajectory of human history.
3. The Entanglement of Idolatry and Economic Injustice
The text directly connects religious error with systemic socio-economic corruption (v. 27-28). The priests do not treat the temple goods as sacred trust; they use them to finance their own families, provide for local prostitutes, and allow their wives to hoard and pickle sacrificial meat while ignoring the starving poor and vulnerable. This exposes a foundational biblical insight: the manufacture of false gods is almost always an economic engine designed to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of an elite class.
4. Cosmic Mechanics vs. Static Forgeries
In verses 59–62, the author sets up a beautiful, dynamic contrast between the idols and the natural elements. The sun, moon, stars, lightning, and wind are praised because they have dynamic utility—they move, they respond to commands, and they actively execute a cosmic function. Conversely, the idols are entirely static, trapped inside their golden skins, and unable to move unless hoisted onto the strained shoulders of human labor (v. 25). True divine reflection in creation is marked by movement, power, and life, whereas idolatry is marked by immobility, heavy maintenance, and death.
5. The Ultimate Metaphor: The Cucumber Patch Scarecrow
The book culminates in the unforgettable image of a scarecrow in a cucumber patch (v. 69). A scarecrow works entirely on the basis of an illusion: it simulates human presence to terrify birds, but it possesses no actual life, power, or authority. The author argues that the entire complex of imperial paganism operates on the exact same psychological mechanism. It is a grand, expensive scarecrow designed to frighten the nations into submission. Once the illusion of its power is unmasked by practical reason and true faith, it loses all ability to intimidate.