Isaiah 44
44
You are my witnesses
1But now hear this, Jacob my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2The LORD your maker,
who formed you in the womb and will help you, says:
Don’t fear, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3I will pour out water upon thirsty ground
and streams upon dry land.
I will pour out my spirit upon your descendants
and my blessing upon your offspring.
4They will spring up from among the reeds
like willows by flowing streams.
5This one will say, “I am the LORD’s,”
and that one will be named after Jacob.
Another will write on his hand, “The LORD’s”
and will take the name Israel.
6The LORD, Israel’s king and redeemer,
the LORD of heavenly forces, says:
I am the first, and I am the last,
and besides me there are no gods.
7Who is like me?
Let them speak up, explain it, and lay it out for me.
Who announced long ago what is to be?#44.7 Or Since I placed an ancient people and coming things
Let them tell us#44.7 Or them what is to come.
8Don’t tremble; have no fear!
Didn’t I proclaim it?
Didn’t I inform you long ago?
You are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no other rock; I know of none.
Idol-makers mocked
9Idol-makers are all as nothing;
their playthings do no good.
Their promoters neither see nor know anything,
so they ought to be ashamed.
10Who would form a god or cast an idol
that does no good?
11All its worshippers will be ashamed,
and its artisans, who are only human.
They will all gather and stand,
tremble and be ashamed together.
12A blacksmith with his tools
works it over coals,
and shapes it with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
He even becomes hungry and weak.
If he didn’t drink water, he’d pass out.
13A carpenter stretches out a string,
marks it out with a stylus,
fashions it with carving tools,
and marks it with a compass.
He makes it into a human form,
like a splendid human,
to live in a temple.
14He cuts down cedars for himself,
or chooses a cypress#44.14 Species uncertain or oak,
selecting from all the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine,#44.14 Species uncertain and the rain makes it grow.
15It becomes suitable to burn for humans,
so he takes some of the wood and warms himself.
He kindles fire and bakes bread.
He fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16Half of it he burns in the fire;
on that half he roasts and eats meat, and he is satisfied.
He warms himself and says,
“Ah, I’m warm, watching the fire!”
17And the rest of it he makes into a god,
into his idol,
and he bows down, worships, and prays to it, saying, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18They don’t know or comprehend,
for their eyes can’t see
and their minds can’t comprehend.
19He doesn’t think,
and has no knowledge or understanding to think:
Half of it I burned in the fire,
and I baked bread on its coals,
and roasted meat and ate.
Should I make the rest into something detestable?
Should I bow down to a block of wood?
20He’s feeding on ashes;
his deluded mind has led him astray.
He can’t save himself and say,
“Isn’t this thing in my hand a lie?”
Promises to Jacob and Jerusalem
21Remember these things, Jacob;
Israel, for you are my servant.
I formed you; you are my servant!
I won’t forget you, Israel.
22I swept away your rebellions like a cloud,
and your sins like fog.
Return to me,
because I have redeemed you.
23Sing, heavens, for the LORD has acted;
shout, depths of the earth!
Burst out with a ringing cry,
you mountains, forest, and every tree in it.
The LORD has redeemed Jacob,
and will glorify himself through Israel.
24The LORD your redeemer
who formed you in the womb says:
I am the LORD, the maker of all,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25who frustrates the omens of diviners
and makes a mockery of magicians,
who turns back the wise
and turns their knowledge into folly.
26But who confirms the word of my#44.26 Or his; also in next line servant,
and fulfills the predictions of my messengers;
who says about Jerusalem, “It will be resettled”;
and who says about the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,
and I will restore their ruins”;
27who says to the ocean depths,
“Dry up; I will dry your streams”;
28who says about Cyrus, “My shepherd—
he will do all that I want”;
who says about Jerusalem,
“She will be rebuilt”;
and who says about the temple,
“You will be founded once again.”
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Isaiah 44: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 44
44
The Blessings of Israel
1“But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2This is what the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you says,
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And Jeshurun (Israel, the upright one) whom I have chosen.
3For I will pour out water on him who is thirsty,
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;
4And they will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the streams of water.’
5One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And another will name himself after Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, ‘I am the Lord’s,’
And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel.
6“For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts says this,
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
And there is no God besides Me.
7Who is like Me? Let him proclaim it and declare it;
Yes, let him confront Me,
Since I established the people of antiquity.
And let them [those supposed gods] tell those people [who foolishly follow them] the things to come
And the events that are going to take place.
8Do not tremble nor be afraid [of the violent upheavals to come];
Have I not long ago proclaimed it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
There is no other Rock;
I know of none.’ ”
The Folly of Idolatry
9All who make carved idols are nothing. Their precious objects are worthless [to them], and their own witnesses (worshipers) fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10Who has made a god or cast an idol which is profitable for nothing? 11In fact, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble, let them stand up, let them be terrified, let them together be put to shame.
12The ironsmith shapes iron and uses a chisel and works it over the coals. He forms the [idol’s] core with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He also becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and grows tired. 13The carpenter stretches out a measuring line, he marks out the shape [of the idol] with red chalk; he works it with planes and outlines it with the compass; and he makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, that it may sit in a house. 14He cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain nourishes it. 15Then it becomes fuel for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god [from the same wood] and worships it. He makes it into a carved idol [with his own hands] and falls down and worships it! 16He burns half of the wood in the fire; over this half he [cooks and] eats meat, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17But from what is left of the wood he makes a god, his carved idol. He falls down before it, he worships it and prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18They do not know, nor do they understand, for God has muddied their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts (minds) as well so that they cannot understand. 19No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!” 20That kind of man (the idolater) feeds on ashes [and is satisfied with ashes]! A deceived mind has led him astray, so that he cannot save himself, or ask, “Is this thing [that I am holding] in my right hand not a lie?”
God Forgives and Redeems
21“Remember [the foolishness of] these things, O Jacob
And Israel, for you are My servant!
I formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
22I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
And your sins like a heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout in triumph, you depths of the earth;
Break forth into jubilant rejoicing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And He shows His glory in Israel.
24For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says this,
“I am the Lord, Maker of all things,
Who alone stretches out the heavens,
Who spreads out the earth #Lit who was with Me?by Myself,
25Frustrating the signs and confounding the omens of boasters (false prophets),
Making fools out of #The Hebrew is a synonym of diviner, referring to people who claimed to tell the future by such methods as casting lots and examining the livers of certain animals.fortune-tellers,
Counteracting the wise
And making their knowledge ridiculous,
26Confirming the word of His servant
And carrying out the plan of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall [again] be built.’
And I will raise up and restore her ruins.
27 It is I who says to the deep, ‘Be dried up!’
And I will make your rivers dry.
28 It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler),
And he will carry out all that I desire—’
Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.’ ”
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