Isaiah 44
44
God’s Blessing on Israel
1“Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
2Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
4They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
5One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.
There Is No Other God
6“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
#Is. 41:4; (Rev. 1:8, 17; 22:13)‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
7And #Is. 41:4, 22, 26who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
8Do not fear, nor be afraid;
#Is. 41:22Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
#Is. 43:10, 12You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed #Deut. 4:35; 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 22:32; Is. 45:5; Joel 2:27there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”
Idolatry Is Foolishness
9#Is. 41:24Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
#Ps. 115:4They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10Who would form a god or mold an image
#Is. 41:29; Jer. 10:5; Hab. 2:18; Acts 19:26That profits him nothing?
11Surely all his companions would be #Ps. 97:7; Is. 1:29; 42:17ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.
12#Is. 40:19; Jer. 10:3–5The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18#Is. 45:20They do not know nor understand;
For #(Ps. 81:12); Is. 6:9, 10; 29:10; 2 Thess. 2:11He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot #Jer. 10:14understand.
19And no one #Is. 46:8considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
20He feeds on ashes;
#Job 15:31; Hos. 4:12; Rom. 1:21, 22; 2 Thess. 2:11; 2 Tim. 3:13A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a #Is. 57:11; 59:3, 4, 13; Rom. 1:25lie in my right hand?”
Israel Is Not Forgotten
21“Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be #Is. 49:15forgotten by Me!
22#Is. 43:25I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for #Is. 43:1; 1 Cor. 6:20; (1 Pet. 1:18, 19)I have redeemed you.”
23#Ps. 69:34; Is. 42:10; 49:13; Jer. 51:48; Rev. 18:20Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And #Is. 49:3; 60:21glorified Himself in Israel.
Judah Will Be Restored
24Thus says the Lord, #Is. 43:14your Redeemer,
And #Is. 43:1He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
#Job 9:8Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
25Who #Is. 47:13frustrates the signs #Jer. 50:36of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
#2 Sam. 15:31; Job 5:12–14; Ps. 33:10; Is. 29:14; Jer. 51:57; 1 Cor. 1:20, 27And makes their knowledge foolishness;
26#Zech. 1:6; Matt. 5:18Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
27#Jer. 50:38; 51:36Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
28Who says of #2 Chr. 36:22; Ezra 1:1; Is. 45:13Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, #Ezra 6:7“You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
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Isaiah 44: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 44
44
1“But now hear, O Ya‛aqoḇ My servant, and Yisra’ĕl whom I have chosen.
2Thus said יהוה who made you and formed you from the womb, who helps you, ‘Do not fear, O Ya‛aqoḇ My servant, and Yeshurun,#A poetical title for Yisra’ĕl, meaning the Straight One or the Upright One. This poetical title is also found in Deu. 32:15; Deu. 33:5; Deu. 33:26 whom I have chosen.
3For I pour water on the thirsty, and floods on the dry ground. I pour My Spirit on your seed, and My blessing on your offspring,
4and they shall spring up among the grass like willows by streams of water.’
5“One says, ‘I belong to יהוה; another calls himself by the name of Ya‛aqoḇ; another writes with his hand, ‘Unto יהוה,’ and names himself by the name of Yisra’ĕl.
6“Thus said יהוה, Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, and his Redeemer, יהוה of hosts, ‘I am the First and I am the Last, besides Me there is no Elohim.
7And who is like Me? Let him call and declare it, and lay it before Me, since I appointed the everlasting people. And the events that are coming and those that do come, let them declare these to them.
8Do not fear, nor be afraid. Have I not since made you hear, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there an Eloah besides Me? There is no other Rock, I know not one.’ ”
9Those who make an idol, all of them are emptiness, and their delights do not profit. And they are their own witnesses; they neither see nor know, so that they are put to shame.
10Who would form a mighty one or cast an idol that is of no value?
11See, all his companions are ashamed, and the workmen, they are but men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up, let them fear, let them be put to shame, altogether.
12The craftsman in iron with the tools works one in the coals, and fashions it with hammers, and works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he shall be hungry, and has no strength; he drinks no water and is weary.
13The carpenter stretches out his rule, he outlines it with chalk; he fashions it with a plane, and he outlines it with the compass, and makes it like the figure of a man, according to the comeliness of a man, to remain in the house.
14He cuts down cedars for himself, and takes cypress and oak, which he raised among the trees of the forest. He has planted a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15And it shall be for a man to burn, for he takes some of it and warms himself. He also kindles it and shall bake bread. He also makes a mighty one and bows himself to it – has made it a carved image and falls down before it.
16Half of it he shall burn in the fire; with this half he eats meat. He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.”
17And the rest of it he makes into a mighty one, his carved image. He falls down before it and worships, prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my mighty one.”
18They do not know nor understand, for He has smeared their eyes from seeing, and their hearts from understanding.
19And no one recalls it to his heart, nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, and I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Should I fall down before a log of wood?”
20Feeding on ashes, a deceived heart turns him aside, and he does not deliver his being, nor says, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
21“Remember these matters, O Ya‛aqoḇ, and Yisra’ĕl, for you are My servant! I have formed you, you are My servant, O Yisra’ĕl, do not forget Me!
22“I shall wipe out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I shall redeem you.”
23Sing, O heavens, for יהוה shall do it! Shout, O depths of the earth! Break forth into singing, O mountains, forest, and every tree in it! For יהוה shall redeem Ya‛aqoḇ, and make Himself clear in Yisra’ĕl.
24Thus said יהוה, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb, “I am יהוה, doing all, stretching out the heavens all alone, spreading out the earth, with none beside Me,
25frustrating the signs of the babblers, and driving diviners mad, turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish,
26confirming the word of His servant, and completing the counsel of His messengers, who says of Yerushalayim, ‘Be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Yehuḏah, ‘They shall be built, and her ruins raised up by Me,’
27who is saying to the deep, ‘Be dry, and your rivers I dry up,’
28who is saying of Koresh, ‘He is My shepherd, and he completes all My pleasure, even saying to Yerushalayim, “Let her be built,” and to the Hĕḵal, “Let her foundation be laid.” ’
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