Isaiah
Chapter 44
1 Listen now, Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 God who created you and shaped you from birth, who will support you, says: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, and Jesurun, whom I have selected.
3 I will give water to the thirsty and send streams over the dry land. I will pour my spirit on your descendants and my blessing on your children.
4 They will grow like plants in the grass, like willow trees by the streams.
5 One will say, “I belong to God”; another will use the name of Jacob for himself; and another will write with his hand, “I am God’s,” and will take the name of Israel.
6 God, the King of Israel, and his rescuer, The Lord of all, says: I am the first, and I am the last; and there is no other God besides me.
7 Who else but me can call, announce, and set everything since I chose the old people? Let them reveal the future and what will happen.
8 Do not be afraid or scared; haven’t I told you before and made it clear? You are my witnesses. Is there any other God besides me? No, there is no other God; I do not know of any.
9 People who create idols are without purpose; their cherished objects won’t help them; and they testify to their own ignorance, as they cannot see or understand, leading to their shame.
10 Who has made a god or cast an idol that is no use at all?
11 Look, all his friends will feel shame; and the craftsmen, they are just people: let them all come and stand up; but they will be afraid, and they will all feel shame together.
12 The blacksmith uses tongs to work in the coals, shapes it with hammers, and uses his arms’ strength; but he gets hungry and weak, doesn’t drink water, and feels faint.
13 The woodworker measures with a ruler, draws lines, shapes the wood with tools, uses a compass to draw circles, and creates a figure like a person, as beautiful as a person, to stay in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars and picks the cypress and oak, which he makes strong among the forest trees: he plants an ash tree, and the rain helps it grow.
15 Then it will be used by someone to make a fire; he will take some of it to keep warm, he will start a fire and cook bread. Also, he makes a god and bows down to it; he makes it into an idol and worships it.
16 He burns some of it in the fire; with some he eats meat; he cooks a meal and is full. Yes, he warms himself and says, “Ah, I’m warm, I’ve seen the fire.”
17 With the rest, he makes an idol, his carved image. He bows down to it, worships it, and prays to it, saying, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not know or understand because God has closed their eyes so they cannot see and their hearts so they cannot understand.
19 No one thinks to themselves, nor do they realize or understand enough to say, “I have burned some of it in a fire; yes, I have also baked bread on its embers; I have cooked meat and eaten it. Should I then use the rest to make something disgusting? Should I bow down to a piece of wood?”
20 He eats ashes: a tricked heart has led him wrong, so he can’t save himself, or think, “Isn’t there a false thing in my hand?”
21 Remember this, Jacob and Israel, because you are my servant. I made you; you are my servant. Israel, I will not forget you.
22 I have wiped away your wrongdoings like a heavy cloud, and your sins like a mist. Come back to me, because I have saved you.
23 Sing, you heavens, because God has done it; shout, you depths of the earth; burst into song, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; for God has saved Jacob and shown his glory in Israel.
24 God says, “I am your savior and creator from birth. I am God who makes everything, who stretched out the skies without help, who spread out the earth on my own.”
25 God frustrates the signs of liars and drives diviners crazy; God makes wise men retreat and turns their knowledge into foolishness.
26 God confirms the words of his servant and carries out the plans of his messengers; he tells Jerusalem, “You will be populated,” and to the towns of Judah, “You will be rebuilt, and I will restore your ruined places.”
27 He tells the waters, “Dry up,” and I will dry your rivers.
28 God calls Cyrus his leader, who will do all that God wants; he will order that Jerusalem be rebuilt and the temple’s foundation be laid.