1 Hear the word that the lord speaks to you, O Israel!
2 This is what the lord says:“Do not act like the other nations,who try to read their future in the stars.Do not be afraid of their predictions,even though other nations are terrified by them.
3 Their ways are futile and foolish.They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
4 They decorate it with gold and silverand then fasten it securely with hammer and nailsso it won’t fall over.
5 Their gods are likehelpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!They cannot speak,and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.Do not be afraid of such gods,for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”