Epistle/Letter of Jeremiah (also Baruch chapter 6)

6: 1 - 59 (translated by Edgar Goodspeed)
A copy of a letter which Jeremiah sent to the captives who were to be taken to Babylon by the king of Babylon, to report to them as he had been commanded by God.
Because of the sins which you have committed in the sight of God, you will be taken to Babylon as captives by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  So when you reach Babylon, you will stay there for many years, and for a long time, seven generations, but afterward I will bring you away from there in peace.  Now in Babylon you will see gods made of silver and gold and wood, carried on men's shoulders inspiring fear in the heathen.  So beware of becoming just like the foreigners, and being filled with awe at them, when you see the throng before and behind them worshiping them, but say in your heart, "Lord, we must worship You."  For an angel is with you, and he cares for your lives.
For their tongues are polished by a carpenter, and they are gilded and silvered, but they are deceptions and cannot speak.  And as though for a girl fond of ornament, they take gold and make crowns for the heads of their gods, and sometimes the priests secretly withdraw gold and silver from their gods and lavish it upon themselves, and give some of it even to the prostitutes upon the housetop.  And they adorn them with clothes, like men, these gods of silver, gold, and wood, though they cannot save themselves from being corroded with rust.  When they have dressed them in purple clothing, they wipe their faces because of the dust from the house which lies thick upon them.  He carries a scepter like a local human judge, though he cannot destroy anyone who sins against him.  He holds a dagger in his right hand and an ax, but he cannot save himself from war and robbers.  Therefore it is manifest that they are not gods, so you must not stand in awe of them.
For just as a man's dish is useless when it is broken, so are their gods, when they have been set down in their houses.  Their eyes are full of dust raised by the feet of those who come in.  And just as the courtyard doors are shut upon a man who has offended against a king, as though sentenced to death, the priests close their houses securely with doors and locks and bars, so that they will not be plundered by robbers.  They burn lamps, and more than they themselves need, though their gods can see none of them.  They are just like one of the beams of the house, but men say their hearts are eaten out, and when vermin from the ground devour them and their clothing, they do not perceive it; their faces are blackened by the smoke from the temple.  Bats, swallows, and birds light on their bodies and on their heads; so do cats also.  Therefore you may be sure they are not gods, so you must not stand in awe of them.
As for the gold which they wear for ornament, they will not shine unless someone wipes off the rust; for even when they were being cast, they did not feel it.  They are bought at great cost, but there is no breath in them.  As they have no feet, they are carried on men's shoulders, thus exposing their own disgrace to men.  Even those who attend them are ashamed, because if one of them falls on the ground, it cannot get up by itself.  And if someone sets it up, it cannot move of itself, and if it is tipped, it cannot straighten itself up; but gifts are offered  to them as if they were dead.  What is sacrificed to them their priests sell and use the proceeds of; and in like manner, their wives preserve some of them, but give none of them to the poor or the helpless.  A woman in her sickness or in childbed can touch their sacrifices.  Threfore, being assured from these facts that they are not gods, you must not stand in awe of them.
For how can they be called gods?  For women set the tables for gods of silver, gold, and wood; and in their temples the priests sit apart with their clothes torn open, and their heads and beards shaved and their heads uncovered, and they howl and shout before their gods as some do at a wake over a dead man.  The priests take some of their clothes from them and put them on their wives and children.  And if they experience any injury or any benefit from anyone, they cannot repay it;  they cannot set up a king, or put one down.  In like manner, they cannot bestow wealth or money; if someone makes a vow to them and does not fulfill it, they will not exact it.  They cannot save a man from death, nor rescue the weak from the strong.   They cannot restore a blind man's sight, they cannot deliver a man who is in distress.  They cannot take pity on a widow, or do good to an orphan.  These things made of wood and plated with gold or silver are like stones from the mountain, and those who attend them will be put to shame.  Why then should anyone think them gods or call them so?
Besides, even the Chaldeans themselves dishonor them, for when they see a dumb man, who cannot speak, they bring him to Bel and pray that he may speak -- as though Bel were able to understand.  Yet they cannot perceive this and abandon them,  for they have no understanding themselves.  And the women with ropes on, sit by the wayside, burning chaff for incense, and when one of them is dragged off by one of the passersby and lain with, she derides her companion, because she has not been as much desired as herself, and has not had her rope broken.  Everything that is done to them is a deception.  So why should anyone think them gods, or call them so?
They are made by carpenters and goldsmiths; they can be nothing but what the craftsmen wish them to be.  The very men who make them cannot last long; then how can the things that are made by them be gods?  For they have only deceptions and reproach for those who come after.  For when war or calamity overtakes them, the priests conslt together as to where they can hide themselves and their gods.  How therefore can one fail to see that they are not gods, since they cannot save themselves from war or disaster?  For since they are made of wood and covered with gold or silver, it wil eventually be found out that they are a deception.  It will be evident to all the heathen and their kings that they are not gods at all but the work of men's hands, and that there is no work of God in them.  Who then can be ignorant that they are not gods?
For they cannot set up a king over a country, or give men rain; they cannot decide a case, or give relief to a man who is wronged; for they have no power; for like crows they are between heaven and earth.  For when a temple of wooden gods, or gilded or silvered ones, catches fire, their priests flee and save themselves, but they themselves are burnt in two like beams.  They can offer no resistance to a king of any enemies. Why then should anyone believe or suppose that they are gods?
Gods made of wood, silvered or gilded, cannot save themselves from thieves or robbers, and the gold and silver on them, and the clothes they have on, those who are strong enough will strip from them and carry off, and they will not be able to help themselves.  So it is better to be a king who can show his courage, or a household dish, that serves its owner's purpose, thean such false gods; or even a house door that keeps what is in the house safe, than such false gods; or a wooden pillar in a palace, than such false gods.  For sun, moon, and stars shine, and when they are sent to perform a service, they obey; in like manner lightning when it flashes is widely visible, and in the same way the wind blows in every land; and when God commandes the clouds to spread over the whole world, they carry out His order.  And the fire sent from above to consume mountains and forests does as it is ordered.  But these cannnot be compared with them in their manifestations or their powers.  Therefore you must not think that they are gods, or call them so, since they are unable to decide cases or to benefit men.  So as you know that they are not gods, you must not stand in awe of them./
For they can neither curse kings nor bless them; they cannot show portents in the heavens before the nations, or shine like the sun, or give light like the moon.  The wild animals are better than they are, for they can flee to cover and help themselves.  So in no way is it evident to us that they are gods; therefore you must not stand in awe of them.
For just as a scarecrow in a cucumber bed gives no protection, their wooden, gilded, and silvered gods are like a white thorn in a garden, on which every bird settles; and like a corpse, thrown out into the darkness.  From the purple and fine linen that rot upon them, you can tell that they are not gods; and they will finally be consumed themselves and be despised in the land.  An upright man who has no idols is far better, for he will be far above reproach. /