There is No Other God

6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,

And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:

a‘I am the First and I am the Last;

Besides Me there is no God.

7 And bwho can proclaim as I do?

Then let him 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 show these to them.

8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;

cHave I not told you from that time, and declared it?

dYou are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

Indeed ethere is no other Rock;

I know not one.’ ”

Idolatry is Foolishness

9 fThose who make an image, all of them are useless,

And their precious things shall not profit;

They are their own witnesses;

gThey neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

10 Who would form a god or mold an image

hThat profits him nothing?

11 Surely all his companions would be iashamed;

And the workmen, they are mere men.

Let them all be gathered together,

Let them stand up;

Yet they shall fear,

They shall be ashamed together.

12 jThe blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,

Fashions it with hammers,

And works it with the strength of his arms.

Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;

He drinks no water and is faint.

13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,

He marks one out with chalk;

He fashions it with a plane,

He marks it out with the compass,

And makes it like the figure of a man,

According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.

14 He cuts down cedars for himself,

And takes the cypress and the oak;

He 1secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.

He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,

For he will take some of it and warm himself;

Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;

Indeed he makes a god and worships it;

He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.

16 He burns half of it in the fire;

With this half he eats meat;

He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.

He even warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm,

I have seen the fire.”

17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,

His carved image.

He falls down before it and worships it,

Prays to it and says,

“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

18 kThey do not know nor understand;

For lHe has 2shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,

And their hearts, so that they cannot munderstand.

19 And no one nconsiders in his heart,

Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,

“I have burned half of it in the fire,

Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;

I have roasted meat and eaten it;

And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?

Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

20 He feeds on ashes;

oA deceived heart has turned him aside;

And he cannot deliver his soul,

Nor say, “Is there not a plie in my right hand?”

Israel is Not Forgotten

21 “Remember these, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are My servant;

I have formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be qforgotten by Me!

22 rI have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,

And like a cloud, your sins.

Return to Me, for sI have redeemed you.”

23 tSing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!

Shout, you lower parts of the earth;

Break forth into singing, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!

For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,

And uglorified Himself in Israel.

Judah Will Be Restored

24 Thus says the Lord, vyour Redeemer,

And wHe who formed you from the womb:

“I am the Lord, who makes all things,

xWho stretches out the heavens 3all alone,

Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;

25 Who yfrustrates the signs zof the babblers,

And drives diviners mad;

Who turns wise men backward,

aAnd makes their knowledge foolishness;

26 bWho confirms the word of His servant,

And performs the counsel of His messengers;

Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’

To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’

And I will raise up her waste places;

27 cWho says to the deep, ‘Be dry!

And I will dry up your rivers’;

28 Who says of dCyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, e“You shall be built,”

And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,

To aCyrus, whose bright hand I have 1held—

cTo subdue nations before him

And dloose the armor of kings,

To open before him the double doors,

So that the gates will not be shut:

2 ‘I will go before you

eAnd 2make the 3crooked places straight;

fI will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places,

gThat you may know that I, the Lord,

Who hcall you by your name,

Am the God of Israel.

4 For iJacob My servant’s sake,

And Israel My elect,

I have even called you by your name;

I have named you, though you have not known Me.

5 I jam the Lord, and kthere is no other;

There is no God besides Me.

lI will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 mThat they may nknow from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other;

7 I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and ocreate calamity;

I, the Lord, do all these things.’

8 “Rain pdown, you heavens, from above,

And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,

And let righteousness spring up together.

I, the Lord, have created it.

9 “Woe to him who strives with qhis Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

rShall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?