Isaiah 46

Chapter 46

Babylon’s Idols and the True God

^1aBel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;

Their images are consigned to 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 burden,

But ¹have themselves ^agone into captivity.

³“^aListen to Me, O house of Jacob,

And all ^bthe remnant of the house of Israel,

You who have been ^cborne by Me from ¹birth

And have been carried from the womb;

⁴Even to your old age ^aI ¹will 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 deliver 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

Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;

They ^bbow down, indeed they worship it.

⁷“They ^alift it upon the shoulder and carry 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 deliver him from his distress.

⁸“^aRemember this, and be ¹assured;

^bRecall it to ²mind, 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,

¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, ‘^aMy purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

¹¹Calling a ^abird of prey from the ^beast,

The man of ¹My purpose from a far country.

Truly I have ^cspoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it, surely I will do it.

¹²“^aListen to Me, you ^bstubborn-minded,

Who are ^cfar from righteousness.

¹³“I ^abring near My righteousness, it is not far off;

And My salvation will not delay.

And I will grant ^bsalvation in Zion,

And My ^cglory for Israel.