Isaiah 44
44
Israel the Lord’s Chosen
1“But now hear, #See ch. 41:8O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
2Thus says the Lord who made you,
# ver. 24; ch. 49:15; [Ps. 71:6; Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1:15] who formed you from the womb and will help you:
# See ch. 43:5 Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
#
Deut. 32:15
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 #
Joel 2:28; John 7:38; Acts 2:18; See ch. 35:6 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4They shall spring up among the grass
# [Ps. 1:3] like willows by flowing streams.
5 # [ch. 14:1] This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’
another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and name himself by the name of Israel.”
Besides Me There Is No God
6Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and #See ch. 43:14 his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
# ch. 48:12; Rev. 1:8; See ch. 41:4 “I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7 # ch. 41:26, 27 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.#44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it?
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
8Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
# ch. 43:10 And you are my witnesses!
# ch. 45:5; Deut. 4:35, 39; 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:2; Joel 2:27 Is there a God besides me?
There is no #See ch. 30:29Rock; I know not any.”
The Folly of Idolatry
9 # ch. 41:24, 29 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10#[ch. 40:19, 20; 41:6, 7; 46:6, 7; Hab. 2:18]; See Jer. 10:3-5Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11#ch. 45:16; Ps. 115:8; See ch. 42:17Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 # [See ver. 10 above] The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.#44:13 Hebrew stylus He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. #See Ps. 115:5-7He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14#[ch. 40:20]He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. #[ch. 45:20]He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an #Deut. 27:15abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20#Hos. 12:1 He feeds on #[Job 13:12] ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not #Ps. 144:8; [Rom. 1:25]a lie in my right hand?”
The Lord Redeems Israel
21Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are #ch. 42:19; See ch. 42:1 my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
# [ch. 49:15] O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 # ch. 43:25 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
23 # ch. 49:13; [ch. 55:12; Ps. 69:34; Jer. 51:48] Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O #Ps. 63:9; [Hos. 2:21, 22] depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
# ch. 49:3; [ch. 55:5; 60:9] and will be glorified#44:23 Or will display his beauty in Israel.
24Thus says the Lord, #See ch. 43:14 your Redeemer,
# See ver. 2 who formed you from the womb:
# [ch. 42:5] “I am the Lord, who made all things,
# ch. 42:5; 45:12 who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
# [ch. 19:3, 14] who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 # [2 Chr. 36:22] who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
# [Jer. 32:15, 44] and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 # ch. 11:15; [ch. 51:10] who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
I will dry up your rivers’;
28who says of #ch. 45:1 Cyrus, ‘He is #[2 Sam. 5:2; Ps. 78:72] my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
# ch. 45:13; See 2 Chr. 36:22, 23; Ezra 1:1-3 and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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