Isaiah 46:1–9

Babylon’s Idols and the True God

^1aBel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;

Their images are on the beasts and the cattle.

The things ¹that you carry are burdensome,

A load for the weary beast.

²They stooped over, they have bowed down together;

They could not rescue the load,

But ¹have themselves ^agone into captivity.

³“^aHear Me, O house of Jacob,

And all ^bthe remnant of the house of Israel,

You who have been ^cburdening Me from ¹birth

And have been carried from the womb;

⁴Even to your old age ^1aI will be the same,

And even to your ^2bgraying years I will bear you!

I have ³done it, and I will carry you;

And I will bear you, and I will rescue you.

⁵“^aTo whom would you liken Me

And make Me equal and compare Me,

That we would be alike?

⁶“Those who ^alavish gold from the purse

And weigh silver on the scale,

They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;

They ^bfall down, indeed they worship it.

⁷“They ^acarry it upon the shoulder and bear it;

They set it in its place, and it stands there.

^bIt does not move from its place.

Though one may cry to it, it ^ccannot answer;

It ^dcannot save him from his distress.

⁸“^aRemember this, and be ¹assured;

^bCause it to return to your heart, you ^ctransgressors.

⁹“Remember the ^aformer things long past,

For I am God, and there is ^bno other;

I am God, and there is ^cno one like Me,