Isaiah 44
1 And now, give ear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have taken for myself:
Yet now hear, O Jacob, my servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen;
2 The Lord who made you, forming you in your mother's body, the Lord, your helper, says, Have no fear, O Jacob my servant, and you, Jeshurun, whom I have taken for myself.
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Creator, He that formed thee, and hath helped thee from thy birth, Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, O Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will send water on the land needing it, and streams on the dry earth: I will let my spirit come down on your seed, and my blessing on your offspring.
For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground. I will pour out my spirit on thy children, And my blessing on thine offspring;
4 And they will come up like grass in a well-watered field, like water-plants by the streams.
And they shall grow up, as among grass; As willows by the water-brooks.
5 One will say, I am the Lord's; and another will give himself the name, Jacob; another will put a mark on his hand, I am the Lord's, and another will take the name of Israel for himself.
One shall say, “I belong to Jehovah”; Another shall call upon the name of Jacob; Another shall write upon his hand, Jehovah's! And praise the name of Israel.
6 The Lord, the King of Israel, even the Lord of armies who has taken up his cause, says, I am the first and the last, and there is no God but me.
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, His redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I the last, And besides me there is no God.
7 If there is one like me, let him come forward and say it, let him make it clear and put it in order before me: who has made clear in the past the things to come? let him make clear the future to me.
Who like me hath proclaimed the future, —Let him declare it, and set it in order before me!— Since I established the people of old? Let them make known the future, even that which is to come!
8 Have no fear, be strong in heart; have I not made it clear to you in the past, and let you see it? and you are my witnesses. Is there any God but me, or a Rock of whom I have no knowledge?
Fear ye not, neither be ye afraid! Have I not declared and made it known to you of old? Ye are my witnesses; Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no other rock; I know not any.
9 Those who make a pictured image are all of them as nothing, and the things of their desire will be of no profit to them: and their servants see not, and have no knowledge; so they will be put to shame.
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity, And their valued works are profitable for nothing; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor understand, So that they may be ashamed.
10 Whoever makes a god, makes nothing but a metal image in which there is no profit.
Who hath formed a god, And cast a graven image, that is profitable for nothing?
11 Truly, all those who make use of secret arts will be put to shame, and their words of power are only words of men: let them all come forward together; they will all be in fear and be put to shame.
Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed; The workmen are themselves mortal men; They shall all be assembled; they shall stand up; They shall tremble, and be put to shame together!
12 The iron-worker is heating the metal in the fire, giving it form with his hammers, and working on it with his strong arm: then for need of food his strength gives way, and for need of water he becomes feeble.
The smith prepareth an axe in the coals, And fashioneth it with hammers, And worketh it with his strong arm; He becometh hungry, and his strength faileth; He drinketh no water, and is faint.
13 The woodworker is measuring out the wood with his line, marking it out with his pencil: after smoothing it with his plane, and making circles on it with his instrument, he gives it the form and glory of a man, so that it may be placed in the house.
The carpenter stretcheth out the line; He marketh out the form of it with the sharp tool; He formeth it with planes; He marketh it with the compass; He maketh it in the figure of a man, With the beauty of a man, To dwell in a house.
14 He has cedars cut down for himself, he takes an oak and lets it get strong among the trees of the wood; he has an ash-tree planted, and the rain gives it growth.
He heweth him down cedars; He taketh the ilex and the oak; He chooseth for himself among the trees of the forest; He planteth the ash, and the rain matureth it;
15 Then it will be used to make a fire, so that a man may get warm; he has the oven heated with it and makes bread: he makes a god with it, to which he gives worship: he makes a pictured image out of it, and goes down on his face before it.
These are fuel for man; He taketh thereof and warmeth himself; He kindleth with it, and baketh bread; A god also he formeth of it, and worshippeth it; A graven image, and falleth down before it.
16 With part of it he makes a fire, and on the fire he gets meat cooked and takes a full meal: he makes himself warm, and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire:
Half of it he burneth with fire; With half of it he eateth flesh; He roasteth meat, and satisfieth himself; He also warmeth himself, and saith, Aha! I am warm; I feel the fire.
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, even his pictured image: he goes down on his face before it, giving worship to it, and making prayer to it, saying, Be my saviour; for you are my god.
Of the residue he maketh a god, even his graven image; He falleth down before it and worshippeth it, And prayeth to it, and saith, “Deliver me, for thou art my God!”
18 They have no knowledge or wisdom; for he has put a veil over their eyes, so that they may not see; and on their hearts, so that they may not give attention.
They know not, neither understand; For their eyes are closed up, that they cannot see, And their hearts, that they cannot understand.
19 And no one takes note, no one has enough knowledge or wisdom to say, I have put part of it in the fire, and made bread on it; I have had a meal of the flesh cooked with it: and am I now to make the rest of it into a false god? am I to go down on my face before a bit of wood?
None considereth in his mind, Or hath knowledge and understanding to say: “Half of it I have burned with fire; I have also baked bread on the coals of it; I have roasted flesh and have eaten; And shall I make the remnant an abomination? Shall I fall down before the stock of a tree?”
20 As for him whose food is the dust of a dead fire, he has been turned from the way by a twisted mind, so that he is unable to keep himself safe by saying, What I have here in my hand is false.
He toileth for ashes; A deluded heart turneth him aside, So that he cannot deliver himself, and say “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
21 Keep these things in mind, O Jacob; and you Israel, for you are my servant: I have made you; you are my servant; O Israel, I will not let you go out of my memory.
Remember these things, O Jacob, O Israel, for thou art my servant! I formed thee; thou art my servant; O Israel, I will not forget thee.
22 I have put your evil doings out of my mind like a thick cloud, and your sins like a mist: come back to me; for I have taken up your cause.
I have caused thy transgressions to vanish like a cloud, And thy sins like a mist; Return to me, for I have redeemed thee!
23 Make a song, O heavens, for the Lord has done it: give a loud cry, you deep parts of the earth: let your voices be loud in song, you mountains, and you woods with all your trees: for the Lord has taken up the cause of Jacob, and will let his glory be seen in Israel.
Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it; Shout, O ye depths of the earth! Break forth into song, ye mountains! Thou forest, and every tree therein! For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, And glorified himself in Israel.
24 The Lord, who has taken up your cause, and who gave you life in your mother's body, says, I am the Lord who makes all things; stretching out the heavens by myself, and giving the earth its limits; who was with me?
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, Even he that formed thee from the womb; I am Jehovah, who made all things; Who stretched out the heavens alone; Who spread out the earth by myself;
25 Who makes the signs of those who give word of the future come to nothing, so that those who have knowledge of secret arts go off their heads; turning the wise men back, and making their knowledge foolish:
Who frustrateth the signs of deceivers, And maketh the diviners mad; Who putteth the wise men to shame, And maketh their knowledge folly;
26 Who makes the word of his servants certain, and gives effect to the purposes of his representatives; who says of Jerusalem, Her people will come back to her; and of the towns of Judah, I will give orders for their building, and will make her waste places fertile again:
Who establisheth the word of his servant, And performeth the purpose of his messengers; Who saith of Jerusalem, “She shall be inhabited,” And of the cities of Judah, “They shall be built,” And, “Her desolated places I will restore.”
27 Who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will make your rivers dry:
Who saith to the deep, “Be dry! I will dry up thy streams!”
28 Who says of Cyrus, He will take care of my sheep, and will do all my pleasure: who says of Jerusalem, I will give the word for your building; and of the Temple, Your bases will be put in place.
Who saith of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd; He shall perform all my pleasure”; Who saith of Jerusalem, “She shall be built,” And of the temple, “Her foundation shall be laid.”
