Isaiah 44
1 And now, give ear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have taken for myself:
しかし、わがしもべヤコブよ、わたしが選んだイスラエルよ、いま聞け。
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.
あなたを造り、あなたを胎内に形造り、あなたを助ける主はこう言われる、『わがしもべヤコブよ、わたしが選んだエシュルンよ、恐れるな。
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.
わたしは、かわいた地に水を注ぎ、干からびた地に流れをそそぎ、わが霊をあなたの子らにそそぎ、わが恵みをあなたの子孫に与えるからである。
4 And they will come up like grass in a well-watered field, like water-plants by the streams.
こうして、彼らは水の中の草のように、流れのほとりの柳のように、生え育つ。
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.
ある人は「わたしは主のものである」と言い、ある人はヤコブの名をもって自分を呼び、またある人は「主のものである」と手にしるして、イスラエルの名をもって自分を呼ぶ』」。
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.
主、イスラエルの王、イスラエルをあがなう者、万軍の主はこう言われる、「わたしは初めであり、わたしは終りである。わたしのほかに神はない。
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.
だれかわたしに等しい者があるか。その者はそれを示し、またそれを告げ、わが前に言いつらねよ。だれが、昔から、きたるべき事を聞かせたか。その者はやがて成るべき事をわれわれに告げよ。
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?
恐れてはならない、またおののいてはならない。わたしはこの事を昔から、あなたがたに聞かせなかったか、また告げなかったか。あなたがたはわが証人である。わたしのほかに神があるか。わたしのほかに岩はない。わたしはそのあることを知らない」。
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.
偶像を造る者は皆むなしく、彼らの喜ぶところのものは、なんの役にも立たない。その信者は見ることもなく、また知ることもない。ゆえに彼らは恥を受ける。
10 Whoever makes a god, makes nothing but a metal image in which there is no profit.
だれが神を造り、またなんの役にも立たない偶像を鋳たか。
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.
見よ、その仲間は皆恥を受ける。その細工人らは人間にすぎない。彼らが皆集まって立つとき、恐れて共に恥じる。
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.
鉄の細工人はこれを造るのに炭の火をもって細工し、鎚をもってこれを造り、強い腕をもってこれを鍛える。彼が飢えれば力は衰え、水を飲まなければ疲れはてる。
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.
木の細工人は線を引き、鉛筆でえがき、かんなで削り、コンパスでえがき、それを人の美しい姿にしたがって人の形に造り、家の中に安置する。
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.
彼は香柏を切り倒し、あるいはかしの木、あるいはかしわの木を選んで、それを林の木の中で強く育てる。あるいは香柏を植え、雨にそれを育てさせる。
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.
こうして人はその一部をとって、たきぎとし、これをもって身を暖め、またこれを燃やしてパンを焼き、また他の一部を神に造って拝み、刻んだ像に造ってその前にひれ伏す。
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:
その半ばは火に燃やし、その半ばで肉を煮て食べ、あるいは肉をあぶって食べ飽き、また身を暖めて言う、「ああ、暖まった、熱くなった」と。
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.
そしてその余りをもって神を造って偶像とし、その前にひれ伏して拝み、これに祈って、「あなたはわが神だ、わたしを救え」と言う。
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.
これらの人は知ることがなく、また悟ることがない。その目はふさがれて見ることができず、その心は鈍くなって悟ることができない。
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?
その心のうちに思うことをせず、また知識がなく、悟りがないために、「わたしはその半ばを火に燃やし、またその炭火の上でパンを焼き、肉をあぶって食べ、その残りの木をもって憎むべきものを造るのか。木のはしくれの前にひれ伏すのか」と言う者もない。
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.
彼は灰を食い、迷った心に惑わされて、おのれを救うことができず、また「わが右の手に偽りがあるではないか」と言わない。
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.
ヤコブよ、イスラエルよ、これらの事を心にとめよ。あなたはわがしもべだから。わたしはあなたを造った、あなたはわがしもべだ。イスラエルよ、わたしはあなたを忘れない。
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.
わたしはあなたのとがを雲のように吹き払い、あなたの罪を霧のように消した。わたしに立ち返れ、わたしはあなたをあがなったから。
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.
天よ、歌え、主がこの事をなされたから。地の深き所よ、呼ばわれ。もろもろの山よ、林およびその中のもろもろの木よ、声を放って歌え。主はヤコブをあがない、イスラエルのうちに栄光をあらわされたから。
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?
あなたをあがない、あなたを胎内に造られた主はこう言われる、「わたしは主である。わたしはよろずの物を造り、ただわたしだけが天をのべ、地をひらき、だれがわたしと共にいたか
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:
偽る物のしるしをむなしくし、占う者を狂わせ、賢い者をうしろに退けて、その知識を愚かにする。
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:
わたしは、わがしもべの言葉を遂げさせ、わが使の計りごとを成らせ、エルサレムについては、『これは民の住む所となる』と言い、ユダのもろもろの町については、『ふたたび建てられる、わたしはその荒れ跡を興そう』と言い、
27 Who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will make your rivers dry:
また淵については、『かわけ、わたしはあなたのもろもろの川を干す』と言い、
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.
またクロスについては、『彼はわが牧者、わが目的をことごとくなし遂げる』と言い、エルサレムについては、『ふたたび建てられる』と言い、神殿については、『あなたの基がすえられる』と言う」。
