Chapter 44

The Blessings of Israel

1 “But now listen, O Jacob, My aservant,

And Israel, whom I have chosen:

2 Thus says the Lord who made you

And aformed you from the womb, who bwill help you,

‘cDo not fear, O Jacob My servant;

And you dJeshurun whom I have chosen.

3 ‘For aI will pour out water on 1the thirsty land

And streams on the dry ground;

I will bpour out My Spirit on your coffspring

And My blessing on your descendants;

4 And they will spring up 1among the grass

Like apoplars by streams of water.’

5 “This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;

And that one 1will call on the name of Jacob;

And another will awrite 2on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’

And will name Israel’s name with honor.

6 “Thus says the Lord, the aKing of Israel and his bRedeemer, the Lord of hosts:

‘I am the cfirst and I am the last,

And there is no God dbesides Me.

7 ‘Who is like Me? aLet him proclaim and declare it;

Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,

1From the time that I established the ancient 2nation.

And let them declare to them the things that are coming

And the events that are going to take place.

8 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;

aHave I not long since announced it to you and declared it?

And byou are My witnesses.

Is there any God cbesides Me,

Or is there any other dRock?

I know of none.’ ”

The Folly of Idolatry

9 Those who fashion 1a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be aput to shame.

10 Who has fashioned a god or cast 1an idol to ano profit?

11 Behold, all his companions will be aput to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.

12 The aman shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, 1fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and 2his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.

13 aAnother shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of bman, so that it may sit in a chouse.

14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a 1cypress or an oak and 2raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.

15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also amakes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and bfalls down before it.

16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

17 But the rest of it he amakes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also bprays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

18 They do not aknow, nor do they understand, for He has bsmeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

19 No one 1recalls, nor is there aknowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then 2I make the rest of it into an babomination, 3I fall down before a block of wood!”

20 He 1afeeds on ashes; a bdeceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver 2himself, nor say, “cIs there not a lie in my right hand?”

God Forgives and Redeems

21 “aRemember these things, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are bMy servant;

I have formed you, you are My servant,

O Israel, you will cnot be forgotten by Me.

22 “I have awiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud

And your sins like a 1heavy mist.

bReturn to Me, for I have credeemed you.”

23 aShout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!

Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;

bBreak forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it;

For cthe Lord has redeemed Jacob

And in Israel He dshows forth His glory.

24 Thus says the Lord, your aRedeemer, and the one who bformed you from the womb,

“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,

cStretching out the heavens by Myself

And spreading out the earth 1all alone,

25 aCausing the 1omens of boasters to fail,

2Making fools out of diviners,

bCausing wise men to draw back

And 3turning their knowledge into foolishness,

26 aConfirming the word of His servant

And 1performing the purpose of His messengers.

It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’

And of the bcities of Judah, ‘cThey shall be built.’

And I will raise up her ruins again.

27 “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’

And I will make your rivers adry.

28 “It is I who says of aCyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!

And he will perform all My desire.’

And 1he declares of Jerusalem, ‘bShe will be built,’

And of the temple, ‘2Your foundation will be laid.’ ”