44 ‘Israelites, Jacob's descendants, listen to me!
I have chosen you to be my servant.’
2 The Lord created you. Before you were born, he was already taking care of you. He will continue to help you. He says to you,
‘Do not be afraid, my servant, Jacob.
I call you “Jeshurun”,
and I have chosen you to belong to me.
3 I will pour water onto land that is thirsty.
I will pour streams of water on the dry ground.
I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
and I will bless them.
4 They will grow up like fresh grass in a field.
They will grow like willow trees beside a river.
5 Someone will say, “I belong to the Lord .”
Another person will call himself by the name “Jacob”.
Someone else will write on his hand, “I am the Lord 's”,
and he will call himself “Israel”.’
6 The Lord is Israel's King and Redeemer. He is the Lord Almighty. He says,
‘I am the first and I am the last.
There is no God, except me.
7 Is there anyone like me? If there is, he should say so!
He must tell me why he thinks he is so great.
Long ago I made my people become a nation.
Let him say what he has done since then!
Let him tell us what will happen in future years!
8 My people, do not shake with fear.
Long ago I told you about things that would happen.
You can tell people the truth about me.
You know that I am the only true God.
There is no other Rock to keep you safe. [ a ]
There surely is no other God except me.’
9 All the people who make idols are fools.
The images which make them so happy are useless.
Those who worship idols cannot see the truth.
They do not understand what they are doing,
and they will be ashamed.
10 Only a fool makes an idol and thinks that it is his god.
An image cannot help him.
11 Those who work with him will all be ashamed.
Those workers with special skills are only human.
They should come together,
and they should stand in front of me.
That will make them very frightened.
They will realize how foolish they are!
12 This is how they make their idols:
A man who works with iron takes his tool. He makes the metal hot in the fire. Then he uses hammers to hit it with his strong arms. He hits it so that it has the right shape. But then he becomes hungry. He is too weak to work any more. He does not drink any water and so he feels tired.
13 A carpenter measures a piece of wood. Then he draws a shape for the image. He uses his tools to cut the wood. He carefully makes it have the right shape. He makes the image have the shape of a human. It looks like a beautiful person. Now it is ready to go in its special room.
14 He may cut down cedar trees to make something. He may cut down a cypress tree, or an oak tree. He takes these trees from the forest. Or he may plant his own pine tree, so that the rain helps it to grow well. 15 He uses some of the wood to burn. He makes himself warm beside the fire. He may light a fire and then he may bake bread on it. Then he uses some of the wood to make a god that he will worship! Yes, he makes an idol, and he bends down in front of it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire. He uses it to cook his meat, and he eats plenty of food. He makes himself warm and he says, ‘Good! Now I am warm as I look at the fire.’ 17 He uses the rest of the wood to make an idol to be his god. He bends down in front of it and he worships it. He prays to it and he says, ‘Save me, because you are my god!’
18 People like that are stupid. They do not understand anything. They cannot see the truth, as if they are blind. Their minds cannot think properly. 19 None of them think carefully about what they are doing. They do not say to themselves, ‘I burned half of the wood in the fire. I even baked bread and I cooked meat on it. It gave me food to eat. Then I used the rest of the wood to make a useless idol! I took a piece of wood and I worshipped it! Why did I do that?’
20 Someone like that is stupid enough to eat ashes. His mind has deceived him. He cannot save himself from his lies. He will not say to himself, ‘This thing that I hold in my right hand is completely false!’
21 The Lord says:
‘Jacob's descendants, remember these things,
because you, Israel, are my servant.
I created you to be my servant.
Israel, I will not forget you.
22 I have removed the guilt of your sins,
like the wind blows away a cloud.
When you turned against me,
I have quickly forgiven you.
Return to me now,
because I have rescued you.’
23 Sing aloud with joy, you heavens above us,
because the Lord has done it!
Shout as loudly as you can,
places deep below the earth.
You mountains, sing with joy,
and you forests and trees as well!
Be happy, because the Lord has redeemed his people.
He has rescued the Israelites, Jacob's descendants,
to show how great he is.
24 The Lord is your Redeemer. He took care of you before you were born. He says,
‘I am the Lord . I made everything.
I alone hung up the sky like a curtain.
I made the whole earth by myself.
25 I show that the false prophets speak useless messages.
I show that those who use magic to say what will happen are fools.
I cause the ideas of wise people to become useless.
People think that their advice is foolish.
26 But I do the things that my servants say will happen.
I show that my prophets' messages are true.
I say about Jerusalem, “People will live there again.”
I say about the towns in Judah, “I will cause people to build them again,
so that they are no longer heaps of stones.”
27 I say to the deep sea, “Become dry!”
and its streams become dry.
28 I say about King Cyrus,
“He is my shepherd. [ b ]
He will do what I want him to do.”
He will give a command about Jerusalem.
He will say, “Build the city again!”
He will say about the temple,
“Build its foundation.” ’
44 “Jacob, you are my servant. Israel, I chose you. Listen to me! 2 I am the Lord , and I made you. I am the one who created you. I have helped you since you were in your mother’s womb. Jacob, my servant, don’t be afraid. Jeshurun, [ a ] I chose you.
3 “I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless [ b ] your family. 4 They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.
5 “One man will call himself, ‘I am the Lord ’s.’ Another will use the name, ‘Jacob.’ Another man will sign his name as ‘The Lord ’s Hand.’ And another will use the name, ‘Israel.’”
6 The Lord is the king of Israel. The Lord All-Powerful is the one who will set Israel free. And he says, “I am the only God. There are no other gods. I am the Beginning and the End. 7 There is no other God like me. If there is, that god should speak now. Let him lay out everything he has done since the time I made these ancient people. Let him show me the signs he gave long ago that prove he knew what would happen in the future.
8 “Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry. I am the one who always told you what would happen. You are my proof. [ c ] There is no other God; I am the only one. There is no other ‘Rock’; I know I am the only one.”
9 Some people make idols, but they are worthless. They love their statues, which are useless. Those who serve as witnesses for these statues cannot even see. They don’t know enough to be ashamed.
10 Who made these false gods? Who covered these useless statues? 11 Workers made them, and the workers are only human. If they all would come together before me, we could discuss this. Then they would all be ashamed and afraid.
12 One worker uses his tools to heat iron over hot coals. Then he uses his hammer to beat the metal to shape it into a statue. He uses his own powerful arms, but when he gets hungry, he loses his strength. If he does not drink water, he becomes weak.
13 Another worker uses his string line [ d ] and compass [ e ] to draw lines on the wood to show where he should cut. Then he uses his chisels [ f ] and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers [ g ] to measure the statue. In this way the worker makes the wood look exactly like a man, and this statue of a man does nothing but sit in the house.
14 To split the cedar tree, the worker took some oak or cypress wedges . To make sure he had plenty of wood, he planted some pines. But it was the rain that made them grow.
15 When the man wanted a fire, he took some of the wood to keep him warm. He also used some of it to bake his bread. But then he used that same wood to make a statue to worship as a god! That god is only a statue that he made, but he bows down to it! 16 He burns half of the wood in the fire. He uses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat until he is full. He burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says, “Good! Now I am warm, and I can see by the light of the fire.” 17 There is a little of the wood left, so he makes a statue and calls it his god. He bows down before it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god, save me!”
18 People like that don’t know what they are doing! They don’t understand. It is as if they have mud in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot understand. 19 They don’t realize what they are doing. They aren’t smart enough to think, “I burned half of the wood in the fire. I used the hot coals to bake my bread and cook the meat I ate. And I used the wood that was left to make this terrible thing. I am worshiping a block of wood!”
20 Someone like that is deceived. They don’t know what they are doing. [ h ] They cannot save themselves, and they will not admit, “This statue I am holding is a lie!”
21 “Jacob, remember these things!
Israel, remember, you are my servant.
I made you, and you are my servant.
So, Israel, don’t forget me.
22 Your sins were like a big cloud,
but I wiped them all away.
Your sins are gone,
like a cloud that disappeared into thin air.
I rescued and protected you,
so come back to me.”
23 Skies, rejoice for what the Lord has done.
Earth, shout for joy down to your deepest parts!
Start singing, you mountains
and all you trees in the forest!
Yes, the Lord has saved Jacob.
He has shown his glory by rescuing Israel.
24 The one who rescued you is the Lord ,
the one who formed you in your mother’s womb.
He says, “I, the Lord , made everything.
I put the skies there myself.
I spread out the earth before me.”
25 False prophets tell lies, but the Lord shows that their lies are false. He makes fools of those who do magic. He confuses even the wise. They think they know a lot, but he makes them look foolish. 26 The Lord sends his servants to tell his messages to the people, and he makes those messages come true. He sends messengers to tell the people what they should do, and he proves that the advice is good.
The Lord says to Jerusalem, “People will live in you again.”
He says to the cities of Judah, “You will be rebuilt.”
He says to them, “I will repair your ruins.”
27 He tells the deep waters, “Become dry!
I will make your streams dry too.”
28 He says to Cyrus, “You are my shepherd.
You will do what I want.
You will say to Jerusalem, ‘You will be rebuilt!’
You will tell the Temple, ‘Your foundations will be put in place!’”
44 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
5 One shall say, I am the Lord 's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord , and surname himself by the name of Israel.
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall 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 shew unto them.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.
12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.
13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?
20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
24 Thus saith the Lord , thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:
28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
44 “But now listen, Jacob, My ( A ) servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 This is what the Lord says, He who made you
And ( B ) formed you from the womb, who ( C ) will help you:
‘ ( D ) Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And [ a ] ( E ) Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For ( F ) I will pour water on [ b ] the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will ( G ) pour out My Spirit on your ( H ) offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up [ c ] among the grass
Like ( I ) poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord ’ s ’;
And that one [ d ] will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will ( J ) write [ e ] on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord ,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.
6 “This is what the Lord says, He who is the ( K ) King of Israel and his ( L ) Redeemer, the Lord of armies:
‘I am the ( M ) first and I am the last,
And there is no God ( N ) besides Me.
7 Who is like Me? ( O ) Let him proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
[ f ] Beginning with My establishing of the ancient [ g ] nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
( P ) Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it ?
And ( Q ) you are My witnesses.
Is there any God ( R ) besides Me,
Or is there any other ( S ) Rock?
I know of none.’”
9 Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ( T ) put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to ( U ) no benefit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be ( V ) put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.
12 The ( W ) craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, [ h ] fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and [ i ] his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 ( X ) The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of ( Y ) mankind, so that it may sit in a ( Z ) house. 14 He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also ( AA ) makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and ( AB ) bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over 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.” 17 Yet the rest of it he ( AC ) makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also ( AD ) prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not ( AE ) know, nor do they understand, for He has ( AF ) smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one [ j ] remembers, nor is there ( AG ) knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it . Then [ k ] I make the rest of it into an ( AH ) abomination, [ l ] I bow down before a block of wood!” 20 He [ m ] ( AI ) feeds on ashes; a ( AJ ) deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save [ n ] himself, nor say, “ ( AK ) Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
21 “ ( AL ) Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are ( AM ) My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will ( AN ) not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have ( AO ) wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a [ o ] heavy mist.
( AP ) Return to Me, for I have ( AQ ) redeemed you.”
23 ( AR ) Shout for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done it !
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
( AS ) Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For ( AT ) the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He ( AU ) shows His glory.
24 This is what the Lord says, He who is your ( AV ) Redeemer, and the one who ( AW ) formed you from the womb:
“I, the Lord , am the maker of all things,
( AX ) Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth [ p ] alone,
25 ( AY ) Causing the [ q ] omens of diviners to fail,
[ r ] Making fools of fortune-tellers;
( AZ ) Causing wise men to turn back
And [ s ] making their knowledge ridiculous,
26 ( BA ) Confirming the word of His servant
And [ t ] carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the ( BB ) cities of Judah, ‘ ( BC ) They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again .
27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers ( BD ) dry up.
28 It is I who says of ( BE ) Cyrus, ‘ He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And [ u ] he says of Jerusalem, ‘ ( BF ) She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘ [ v ] Your foundation will be laid.’”
44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant, ( A )
Israel, whom I have chosen. ( B )
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made ( C ) you, who formed you in the womb, ( D )
and who will help ( E ) you:
Do not be afraid, ( F ) Jacob, my servant, ( G )
Jeshurun, [ a ] ( H ) whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water ( I ) on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground; ( J )
I will pour out my Spirit ( K ) on your offspring,
and my blessing ( L ) on your descendants. ( M )
4 They will spring up like grass ( N ) in a meadow,
like poplar trees ( O ) by flowing streams. ( P )
5 Some will say, ‘I belong ( Q ) to the Lord ’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ( R ) ‘The Lord ’s,’ ( S )
and will take the name Israel.
6 “This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King ( T ) and Redeemer, ( U ) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last; ( V )
apart from me there is no God. ( W )
7 Who then is like me? ( X ) Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretell ( Y ) what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim ( Z ) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God ( AA ) besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; ( AB ) I know not one.”
9 All who make idols ( AC ) are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless. ( AD )
Those who would speak up for them are blind; ( AE )
they are ignorant, to their own shame. ( AF )
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol, ( AG )
which can profit nothing? ( AH )
11 People who do that will be put to shame; ( AI )
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame. ( AJ )
12 The blacksmith ( AK ) takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm. ( AL )
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint. ( AM )
13 The carpenter ( AN ) measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form, ( AO )
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine. ( AP )
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, ( AQ ) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel ( AR ) for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships ( AS ) it;
he makes an idol and bows ( AT ) down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire. ( AU ) ”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships. ( AV )
He prays ( AW ) to it and says,
“Save ( AX ) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand ( AY ) nothing;
their eyes ( AZ ) are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding ( BA ) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel; ( BB )
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable ( BC ) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” ( BD )
20 Such a person feeds on ashes; ( BE ) a deluded ( BF ) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie? ( BG ) ”
21 “Remember ( BH ) these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant. ( BI )
I have made you, you are my servant; ( BJ )
Israel, I will not forget you. ( BK )
22 I have swept away ( BL ) your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return ( BM ) to me,
for I have redeemed ( BN ) you.”
23 Sing for joy, ( BO ) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth ( BP ) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains, ( BQ )
you forests and all your trees, ( BR )
for the Lord has redeemed ( BS ) Jacob,
he displays his glory ( BT ) in Israel.
I am the Lord ,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens, ( BX )
who spreads out the earth ( BY ) by myself,
25 who foils ( BZ ) the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners, ( CA )
who overthrows the learning of the wise ( CB )
and turns it into nonsense, ( CC )
26 who carries out the words ( CD ) of his servants
and fulfills ( CE ) the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ( CF ) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins, ( CG ) ‘I will restore them,’ ( CH )
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up ( CI ) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus, ( CJ ) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, ( CK ) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, ( CL ) “Let its foundations ( CM ) be laid.”’
