Isaiah 46
46
XLVI
1Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth;
Their idols are laid upon the beasts, and upon the cattle:
What were borne by you are made into loads,
A burden to the weary beast.
2They stoop, they bow down together:
They are not able to deliver the burden;
But they themselves go into captivity.
3Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel;
Ye that have been borne by me from the belly,
That have been carried from the womb.
4And even to your old age, I am the same;
And even to your gray hairs, I will carry you:
I have made, arid I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5To whom will ye liken me, and equal me?
And to whom will ye compare me, that we may be like?
6They lavish gold out of the bag,
And weigh silver in the balance;
They hire a goldsmith, and he maketh it a god:
They fall down; yea, they worship him.
7They bear him upon the shoulder; they carry him about;
They set him down in his place, and he standeth:
From his place shall he not remove;
Yea, one shall cry unto him, but he will not answer;
Nor save him from his trouble.
8Remember this, and shew yourselves men:
Bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
9Remember the former things, of old time:
For I am God, arid there is none else;
I am God, and there is none like me:
10Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times, the things that are not yet done;
Saying: My counsel shall stand:
And I will do all my pleasure:
11Calling a ravenous bird from the east,
And the man of my counsel from a far country:
Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass;
I have purposed it; I will also do it.
12Hearken unto me, ye stubborn in heart,
Ye that are far from righteousness:
13I will bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off;
And my salvation shall not tarry:
I will place salvation in Zion,
For Israel my glory.
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Isaiah 46: TEG
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Translated by Rev John Jones (Ioan Tegid).Published at Oxford in 1830, second edition 1842.
Isaiah 46
46
This Is Serious Business, Rebels
1-2The god Bel falls down, god Nebo slumps.
The no-god hunks of wood are loaded on mules
And have to be hauled off,
wearing out the poor mules—
Dead weight, burdens who can’t bear burdens,
hauled off to captivity.
3-4“Listen to me, family of Jacob,
everyone that’s left of the family of Israel.
I’ve been carrying you on my back
from the day you were born,
And I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old.
I’ll be there, bearing you when you’re old and gray.
I’ve done it and will keep on doing it,
carrying you on my back, saving you.
5-7“So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
Can you picture me without reducing me?
People with a lot of money
hire craftsmen to make them gods.
The artisan delivers the god,
and they kneel and worship it!
They carry it around in holy parades,
then take it home and put it on a shelf.
And there it sits, day in and day out,
a dependable god, always right where you put it.
Say anything you want to it, it never talks back.
Of course, it never does anything either!
8-11“Think about this. Wrap your minds around it.
This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart.
Remember your history,
your long and rich history.
I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have—
incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul,
I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’
Calling that eagle, Cyrus, out of the east,
from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it.
I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done.
12-13“Now listen to me:
You’re a hardheaded bunch and hard to help.
I’m ready to help you right now.
Deliverance is not a long-range plan.
Salvation isn’t on hold.
I’m putting salvation to work in Zion now,
and glory in Israel.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.