Idolatry Is Ridiculous

9 All those who form an idol are nothing,

and their delightful things do not profit.

And their witnesses do not see or know,

so they will be ashamed.

10 Who would form a god

and cast an image of which he cannot profit?

11 Look! all his companions shall be ashamed,

and the artisans are human!

Let all of them assemble;

let them stand up.

They shall tremble;i

they shall be ashamed together.

12 The ⌊ironsmith⌋j works in the coals with his tool

and forms it with hammers.

And he makes it with ⌊his strong arm⌋;k

indeed, he becomes hungry, and ⌊he lacks⌋l strength;

he does not drink water, and he is faint.

13 The ⌊woodworker⌋m stretches out a line;

he makes an outline of it with a marker.

He makes it with a knife

and makes an outline of it with a compass.

He makes it like the image of a man,

like the beauty of a human, to dwell in a temple.n

14 Cutting down cedars for himself,

he ⌊chooses⌋o a holm tree and an oak,

and he lets it grow strong for him among the trees of the forest.

He plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow.

15 And it ⌊becomes fuel for a human⌋,p

and he takes some of it and grows warm;

also, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

Also, he makes a god and bows in worship;

he makes himself an image and bows down to it!

16 He burns half of it in the fire;

he eats meat over half of it;

he roasts a roast and is satisfied.

Also he grows warm and says, “Ah!

I am warm! I see the fire!”

17 And he makes the remainder of it into a god!

He bows down to his idol,

and he bows in worship and prays to him,

and he says, “Save me, for you are my god!”

18 They do not know,

and they do not understand,

for their eyes are besmeared ⌊so that they cannot see⌋,q

their ⌊minds⌋r ⌊so that they have no insight⌋.s

19 And ⌊no one takes it to heart⌋,t and there is no knowledge

and no understanding to say, “I burned half of it in the fire

and also I baked bread on its coals;

I roasted meat, and I have eaten.

And I shall make the rest of it into an abomination!

I shall bow down to a block of wood!”

20 He feeds on ashes; a ⌊deceived mind⌋u misleads him.

And he cannot save ⌊himself⌋,v and he cannot say,

“Is this not an illusion in my right hand?”