Isaiah 44
1 And now, give ear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have taken for myself:
Now, then—hear, O Jacob, my Servant, —and Israel whom I have chosen:
2 The Lord who made you, forming you in your mother's body, the Lord, your helper, says, Have no fear, O Jacob my servant, and you, Jeshurun, whom I have taken for myself.
Thus, saith Yahweh—Who made thee and formed thee from birth, Who helpeth thee: Do not fear O my Servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen;
3 For I will send water on the land needing it, and streams on the dry earth: I will let my spirit come down on your seed, and my blessing on your offspring.
For I will pour, Water upon the thirsty soil, and Floods upon the dry ground, —I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring;
4 And they will come up like grass in a well-watered field, like water-plants by the streams.
So will they spring up among the grass, As willows by the water-courses:
5 One will say, I am the Lord's; and another will give himself the name, Jacob; another will put a mark on his hand, I am the Lord's, and another will take the name of Israel for himself.
This one, will say Yahweh’s, am I, and That one, will call himself by the name of Jacob, and Yonder one will write on his hand—Yahweh’s, And after the name of Israel, will one entitle himself.
6 The Lord, the King of Israel, even the Lord of armies who has taken up his cause, says, I am the first and the last, and there is no God but me.
Thus saith Yahweh—King of Israel, Even his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts, —I, am, First, and, I, Last, And besides me, there is no God.
7 If there is one like me, let him come forward and say it, let him make it clear and put it in order before me: who has made clear in the past the things to come? let him make clear the future to me.
Who then, like me, can call, and declare it, and order it, for me, Seeing that I appointed an age-abiding people, —Or things yet to be, and that shall come to pass, Let them declare on their part.
8 Have no fear, be strong in heart; have I not made it clear to you in the past, and let you see it? and you are my witnesses. Is there any God but me, or a Rock of whom I have no knowledge?
Do not ye dread, nor yet be alarmed, Have I not from olden time, told thee and declared? So that, ye, are my witnesses, —Whether there is a GOD besides me? Or is no Rock—I knew of none!
9 Those who make a pictured image are all of them as nothing, and the things of their desire will be of no profit to them: and their servants see not, and have no knowledge; so they will be put to shame.
The fashioners of an image—all of them, are emptiness, And, the things they delight in, cannot profit, —And, their, witnesses, they, neither see nor know, That they may be ashamed.
10 Whoever makes a god, makes nothing but a metal image in which there is no profit.
Who hath fashioned a GOD, Oran image, hath molten? It cannot profit!
11 Truly, all those who make use of secret arts will be put to shame, and their words of power are only words of men: let them all come forward together; they will all be in fear and be put to shame.
Lo! all his partners, turn pale, Even, the artificers themselves, are of the sons of earth, —Let them gather themselves together—all of them. Let them take their stand, Let them dread, and turn pale, together!
12 The iron-worker is heating the metal in the fire, giving it form with his hammers, and working on it with his strong arm: then for need of food his strength gives way, and for need of water he becomes feeble.
As for the smith, [with his] cutting-tool, —When he hath wrought in the live coals, And, with hammers, hath fashioned it, —And hath wrought it with his strong arm, Anon he is hungry, and hath no strength, He hath drunk no water and so hath become faint!
13 The woodworker is measuring out the wood with his line, marking it out with his pencil: after smoothing it with his plane, and making circles on it with his instrument, he gives it the form and glory of a man, so that it may be placed in the house.
As for the carpenter, —He hath stretched out a line hath drawn it with a pencil, Hath made it with carving tools, With compasses, hath rounded it, —And so hath made it after the figure of a great man, After the beauty of a son of earth, that it may remain in a house!
14 He has cedars cut down for himself, he takes an oak and lets it get strong among the trees of the wood; he has an ash-tree planted, and the rain gives it growth.
When one was cutting him down cedars, Then took he a holm-tree and an oak, And secured them for himself, among the trees of the forest, —He planted a fir-tree and the pouring rain made it grow;
15 Then it will be used to make a fire, so that a man may get warm; he has the oven heated with it and makes bread: he makes a god with it, to which he gives worship: he makes a pictured image out of it, and goes down on his face before it.
So it serveth for a man to burn, And he hath taken of the branches and warmed himself, Also he kindleth a fire, and baketh bread, —Also he maketh a GOD, and hath bowed himself down, Hath made of it a carved image, and adored it:
16 With part of it he makes a fire, and on the fire he gets meat cooked and takes a full meal: he makes himself warm, and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire:
The half thereof, hath he burned in the fire, Over half thereof, he eateth flesh, He roasteth roast, that he may be satisfied, —Also he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen a blaze;
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, even his pictured image: he goes down on his face before it, giving worship to it, and making prayer to it, saying, Be my saviour; for you are my god.
And the residue thereof, Into a GOD, he maketh, Into his carved image, —Adoreth it, and boweth down and prayeth unto it, And saith Deliver me, for, my GOD, thou art!
18 They have no knowledge or wisdom; for he has put a veil over their eyes, so that they may not see; and on their hearts, so that they may not give attention.
They have not taken note, neither can they perceive, —He hath besmeared—past seeing—their eyes, Past understanding, their hearts;
19 And no one takes note, no one has enough knowledge or wisdom to say, I have put part of it in the fire, and made bread on it; I have had a meal of the flesh cooked with it: and am I now to make the rest of it into a false god? am I to go down on my face before a bit of wood?
And no one reflecteth—There is neither knowledge nor discernment—to say, Half thereof, have I burned up in the fire Moreover also I have baked, on the coals thereof, bread, I roasted flesh, and have been eating, —And of the remainder thereof, an abomination, shall I make? And, to a log of wood, shall I pay adoration?
20 As for him whose food is the dust of a dead fire, he has been turned from the way by a twisted mind, so that he is unable to keep himself safe by saying, What I have here in my hand is false.
He is feeding on ashes, A deluded heart, hath turned him aside, —And he cannot deliver his own soul nor say, Is there not a falsehood in my right hand?
21 Keep these things in mind, O Jacob; and you Israel, for you are my servant: I have made you; you are my servant; O Israel, I will not let you go out of my memory.
Remember these things, O Jacob, And, Israel, —for, my Servant, thou art, —I have fashioned thee, a Servant of mine, thou art.
22 I have put your evil doings out of my mind like a thick cloud, and your sins like a mist: come back to me; for I have taken up your cause.
O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me, I have wiped out, As with a thick cloud, thy transgressions, And as with a broad cloud, thy sins, —Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.
23 Make a song, O heavens, for the Lord has done it: give a loud cry, you deep parts of the earth: let your voices be loud in song, you mountains, and you woods with all your trees: for the Lord has taken up the cause of Jacob, and will let his glory be seen in Israel.
Shout in triumph ye heavens for Yahweh, hath effectually wrought. Shout, O ye underparts of the earth, Ring out, Ye mountains, into cries of triumph, Thou forest, and every tree therein, —For, Yahweh, hath redeemed, Jacob, And in Israel, will he get himself glory.
24 The Lord, who has taken up your cause, and who gave you life in your mother's body, says, I am the Lord who makes all things; stretching out the heavens by myself, and giving the earth its limits; who was with me?
Thus, saith Yahweh Who hath redeemed thee, Who hath fashioned thee from birth, —I—Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens, alone, Spreading forth the earth, of myself;
25 Who makes the signs of those who give word of the future come to nothing, so that those who have knowledge of secret arts go off their heads; turning the wise men back, and making their knowledge foolish:
Frustrating the signs of praters, And, diviners, he confoundeth, —Turning wise men backwards, And their knowledge, he maketh folly;
26 Who makes the word of his servants certain, and gives effect to the purposes of his representatives; who says of Jerusalem, Her people will come back to her; and of the towns of Judah, I will give orders for their building, and will make her waste places fertile again:
Establishing the word of his Servant, And the counsel of his Messengers, he maketh good, —Who saith of Jerusalem—She shall be inhabited! And of the cities of Judah—They shall be built! And the ruins thereof, will I set up!
27 Who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will make your rivers dry:
Who saith to the deep—Be dry and Thy rivers, will I drain!
28 Who says of Cyrus, He will take care of my sheep, and will do all my pleasure: who says of Jerusalem, I will give the word for your building; and of the Temple, Your bases will be put in place.
Who saith of Cyrus—My Shepherd! and All my pleasure, shall he make good Even saying of Jerusalem—She shall be built! And of the temple—Be her foundation laid!
