Isaiah 46

Dead Idols and the Living God

46Bel ^abows down, Nebo stoops;

Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.

Your carriages were heavily loaded,

^bA burden to the weary beast.

²They stoop, they bow down together;

They could not deliver the burden,

^cBut have themselves gone into captivity.

³“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

^dWho have been upheld by Me from ¹birth,

Who have been carried from the womb:

⁴Even to your old age, ^eI am He,

And even to gray hairs ^fI will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

⁵“To ^gwhom will you liken Me, and make Me equal

And compare Me, that we should be alike?

^6hThey lavish gold out of the bag,

And weigh silver on the scales;

They hire a ⁱgoldsmith, and he makes it a god;

They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.

^7jThey bear it on the shoulder, they carry it

And set it in its place, and it stands;

From its place it shall not move.

Though ^kone cries out to it, yet it cannot answer

Nor save him out of his trouble.

⁸“Remember this, and ²show yourselves men;

^lRecall to mind, O you transgressors.

^9mRemember the former things of old,

For I am God, and ⁿthere is no other;

I am God, and there is none like Me,

^10oDeclaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, ^p‘My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure,’

¹¹Calling a bird of prey ^qfrom the east,

The man ^rwho executes My counsel, from a far country.

Indeed ^sI have spoken it;

I will also bring it to pass.

I have purposed it;

I will also do it.

¹²“Listen to Me, you ^tstubborn-hearted,

^uWho are far from righteousness:

^13vI bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off;

My salvation ^wshall not ³linger.

And I will place ^xsalvation in Zion,

For Israel My glory.