Isaiah 44
1 Ka sal Jakob neh ka coelh Israel loh hnatun laeh.
But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, the one I've chosen.
2 Hekah nang aka saii Yahovah long ni a thui. Te dongah bungko khuiah nang aka hlinsai loh nang m'bom ni. Ka sal Jakob nang rhih boeh, Jeshurun amah te khaw ka coelh coeng.
This is what the Lord says, the one who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Don't be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, the one I've chosen.
3 Tuihalh te tui neh, laiphuei te tuisih neh ka suep ni. Na tiingan te ka Mueihla neh, na cadil te ka yoethennah neh ka lun thil ni.
For I'm going to pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. I'm going to pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.
4 Te vaengah rhahlawn tui taengkah tuirhi bangla sulrham lakli ah daih ni.
They will grow up among the grass, like willows beside streams.
5 He long khaw, 'Kai tah BOEIPA ham ni, ' a ti vetih, ke long khaw Jakob ming neh a khue ni. He kah loh a kut neh BOEIPA kawng a daek vetih Israel ming neh a mingkhaep ni.
One of them will say, “I belong to the Lord,” while another will call himself by the name Jacob, and yet another will write on his hand, “Belonging to the Lord,” and will name himself Israel.
6 Israel manghai Yahovah neh anih aka tlan caempuei BOEIPA loh, “Lamhma khaw kamah, lamhnuk khaw kamah coeng tih kai pawt atah Pathen tloe a om moenih.
This is what the Lord says, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me.
7 Te dongah kamah bangla aka om te unim? Khue saeh lamtah doek lah saeh. Khosuen kah pilnam ka khueh parhi te ka hmaiah tael lah saeh. Aka thoeng tih aka thoeng ham te khaw a taengah puen uh.
Who is like me? Let them announce it, make a declaration, and demonstrate it before me. For I was the one who long ago established a people and predicted its future. Let them predict what's going to happen.
8 Rhih boeh, tangyah khueh boeh. Nang kan yaak sak tih ka puen dangrhae moenih a? Nangmih tah kamah kah laipai rhoek ni. Kai pawt atah Pathen tloe om a? Lungpang khaw a om moenih, ka ming khaw ka ming moenih.
Don't tremble, don't be afraid! Didn't I tell you long ago what I was going to do? Didn't I explain it? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? There is no other Rock—I don't know any!
9 Amih mueithuk aka hlinsai khaw boeih hinghong. A sanaep nen khaw a hoeikhang uh moenih. Amih loh amamih kah laipai rhoek khaw hmu uh pawt tih a ming uh pawt dongah yah a pohuh.
All those who make idols are stupid; these things they love so much don't bring them any benefit. Those people who believe in idols can't see this, and they don't know anything, making them look foolish.
10 Unim pathen aka picai tih a hoeikhang pawt ham mueithuk aka hloe?
Who makes a god, who molds an idol that's no use to them?
11 Anih hui rhoek tah boeih yak uh pawn ni ke. Amih kah kutthai rhoek te hlang boeiloeih ni. Amih te boeih coi uh thae saeh lamtah pai uh saeh. A rhih uh vetih rhenten yak uh ni.
Everyone who makes idols should be ashamed of themselves. Idol-makers are just human beings! Bring them all together and have them stand up, trembling in shame.
12 Kutthai loh thi tubael te hmaisa-aek neh a saii. Thilung neh a hlinsai tih a thadueng ban neh a saii. A lamlum vaengah thadueng bawt tih tui a ok pawt dongah tawnba.
The blacksmith makes an iron tool for woodcarving. Working over hot coals, he hammers it into shape as hard as he can. He gets hungry and loses his strength, and because he doesn't drink he grows weak.
13 Kutthai loh thing te a rhi a nueh tih thisum neh a rhuen. Suet neh a yael tih cumkai neh a hiil. Te phoeiah im ah hol hamla hlang kah a muei la, hlang kah a boeimang la a saii.
The woodworker measures out a piece of wood, and draws an image on it. He carves it with a chisel and uses a compass to make an outline. He creates an idol that looks like a person, someone beautiful, to be put in a shrine.
14 Te ham te lamphai khaw a saii tih yongmai neh thingnu khaw a loh. Te ham te duup kah thing caang neh rhumrhet thing khaw a phung tih khonal neh a rhoeng sak.
He chops down cedars, or takes a cypress or an oak. He lets them grow strong in the forest. He plants a fir tree, and the rain makes it grow.
15 Hlang kah a toih ham khaw a om pah. Amah te a loh bal tih pahoi a om. A cum bal tih buh a thong nah. Pathen la nunan a saii tih a saii mueithuk te a bawk tih a buluk thil.
Some wood he burns, to keep him warm and to bake his bread. Then he uses some of the same wood to make a god to worship, an idol he bows down to!
16 A ngancawn te hmai dongah a hoeh, a ngancawn dongah maeh a hai tih a caak. Maehkaeh te a hah vaengah kaeng uh tih, “Ahuei, hmaipuei ka hmuh tih ka om,” a ti.
So he burns part of the wood to roast his meat to eat, and to warm him up, and says, “Ah! Look at that fire that keeps me warm!”
17 A meet te pathen la, a mueithuk la a saii. Te te a buluk, a buluk thil tih a bawk. A taengah thangthui tih, “Kai kah pathen namah loh kai n'huul lah,” a ti nah.
Then he uses the rest of the wood to make himself a god, an idol he bows down to in worship and prays to, saying, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18 A mik loh a hmuh tih a lungbuei loh a cangbam ham khaw malh a bol coeng dongah ming uh pawt tih yakming pawh.
How ignorant they are, how dumb! Their eyes have been plastered over so they can't see, their minds closed so they don't have insight.
19 A lungbuei khaw a taengla mael pah pawh. Mingnah khueh pawt tih a lungcuei khaw om pawh. “A ngancawn te hmai dongah ka hoeh tih a alh dongah buh ka thong. Maeh ka hai tih ka caak. A coih te khaw tueilaehkoi la ka saii saeh lamtah thingkung thinglong taengah ka buluk eh?,” a ti.
They can't think things over, they don't have the wisdom or the understanding to say, “Some of the wood I burned in the fire—I used it to bake my bread and roast my meat to eat. The rest of it I used to make a disgusting idol, and I bow down in worship to a block of wood.”
20 Hmaiphu kah aka luem rhoek loh a lungbuei omsaa tih amah a phaelh sak. A hinglu te a huul thai pawt dongah, “Ka bantang ah aka om he a honghi moenih a?” a ti tloel.
He is feeding on ashes, seduced by the deceptive thinking of his mind. He can't save himself, and he doesn't even ask, “Isn't this idol I'm holding just a lie?”
21 He rhoek he Jakob neh Israel loh thoelh saeh. Nang tah kai kah sal ni. Nang te kamah taengah sal la ka hlinsai coeng. Nang Israel loh kai nan hnilh voel mahpawh.
“Remember all this, Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant. I made you, Israel, you are my servant. I won't forget you.
22 Na boekoek te khomai bangla, na tholh cingmai bangla ka huih sak. Nang te kan tlan coeng dongah kamah taengla ha mael laeh.
I have wiped away your acts of rebellion as if they were like a cloud, your sins as if they were like the mist. Come back to me, for I have set you free.”
23 BOEIPA loh a saii coeng dongah vaan rhoek te tamhoe laeh. Diklai laedil rhoek khaw yuhui uh laeh. Tlang rhoek loh duup puei tamlung neh a khuikah thing rhoek boeih te rhong puei saeh. BOEIPA loh Jakob a tlan tih Israel soah khaw kohang coeng.
Sing in celebration, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; cry out loud, you depths of the earth. Shout with joy, you mountains, you forests and every tree. For the Lord has set Jacob free, and his glory is shown in Israel!
24 Nang aka tlan tih bungko khuiah nang aka hlinsai BOEIPA loh, “Kai Yahovah tah vaan aka aih uh ke boeih ka saii. Kamah bueng loh diklai tui ka nulh vaengah kai taengah aka om te unim.
This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, who shaped you in the womb: “I am the Lord, the Creator of everything. I alone made the heavens, and I myself formed the earth.
25 Olsai kah miknoek te aka phae tih, aka hma kah a yan te a balkhong sak. Aka cueih rhoek te a namnah dongah, amamih kah mingnah loh a pavai sak.
I am the one who proves the signs of false prophets are wrong. I am the one who makes fools of fortune-tellers. I turn the wisdom of the wise upside-down, and make their knowledge ridiculous.
26 A sal kah ol a thoh tih a puencawn kah cilsuep te a thuung. Jerusalem kah aka thui te kho a sak sak saeh lamtah Judah khopuei rhoek te khoeng uh saeh. Te vaengah a imrhong te ka thoh bitni.
But I confirm the messages given by my servants, and fulfill what my messengers say. They state, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited again, the towns of Judah will be rebuilt, your ruins will be repaired.’
27 Tuidung te, “Kak laeh,” aka ti loh tuiva nang khaw kang haang sak ni.
When I order deep waters, ‘Dry up!’ I will make sure the rivers dry up!
28 Cyrus te kamah kah boiva aka dawn ni ka ti. Ka hue ngaih boeih khaw han thuung ni. Jerusalem te khoeng saeh lamtah bawkim khaw suen saeh ka ti.
When I say to Cyrus, ‘You are my shepherd,’ he will carry out everything I wish. He will give the order, ‘Jerusalem shall be rebuilt,’ and he will say, ‘the Temple shall be restored.’”
