Isaiah 44
1 And now, give ear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have taken for myself:
Et nunc audi Iacob serve meus, et Israel quem elegi:
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.
Hæc dicit Dominus faciens et formans te, ab utero auxiliator tuus: noli timere serve meus Iacob, et rectissime, quem elegi.
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.
Effundam enim aquas super sitientem, et fluenta super aridam: effundam spiritum meum super semen tuum, et benedictionem meam super stirpem tuam.
4 And they will come up like grass in a well-watered field, like water-plants by the streams.
Et germinabunt inter herbas quasi salices iuxta præterfluentes aquas.
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.
Iste dicet: Domini ego sum: et ille vocabit in nomine Iacob, et hic scribet manu sua: Domino: et in nomine Israel assimilabitur.
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.
Hæc dicit Dominus rex Israel, et redemptor eius Dominus exercituum: Ego primus, et ego novissimus, et absque me non est Deus.
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.
Quis similis mei? vocet, et annunciet: et ordinem exponat mihi, ex quo constitui populum antiquum: ventura et quæ futura sunt annuncient eis.
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?
Nolite timere, neque conturbemini: ex tunc audire te feci, et annunciavi: vos estis testes mei. numquid est Deus absque me, et formator, quem ego non noverim?
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.
Plastæ idoli omnes nihil sunt, et amantissima eorum non proderunt eis. ipsi sunt testes eorum, quia non vident, neque intelligunt, ut confundantur.
10 Whoever makes a god, makes nothing but a metal image in which there is no profit.
Quis formavit Deum, et sculptile conflavit ad nihil utile?
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.
Ecce omnes participes eius confundentur: fabri enim sunt ex hominibus: convenient omnes, stabunt et pavebunt, et confundentur simul.
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.
Faber ferrarius lima operatus est: in prunis, et in malleis formavit illud, et operatus est in brachio fortitudinis suæ: esuriet et deficiet, non bibet aquam, et lassescet.
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.
Artifex lignarius extendit normam, formavit illud in runcina: fecit illud in angularibus, et in circino tornavit illud: et fecit imaginem viri quasi speciosum hominem habitantem in domo.
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.
Succidit cedros, tulit ilicem, et quercum, quæ steterat inter ligna saltus: plantavit pinum, quam pluvia nutrivit.
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.
Et facta est hominibus in focum: sumpsit ex eis, et calefactus est: et succendit, et coxit panes: de reliquo autem operatus est deum, et adoravit: fecit sculptile, et curvatus est ante illud.
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:
Medium eius combussit igni, et de medio eius carnes comedit: coxit pulmentum, et saturatus est, et calefactus est, et dixit: Vah, calefactus sum, vidi focum.
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.
Reliquum autem eius deum fecit et sculptile sibi: curvatur ante illud, et adorat illud, et obsecrat, dicens: Libera me, quia Deus meus es tu.
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.
Nescierunt, neque intellexerunt: obliti enim sunt ne videant oculi eorum, et ne intelligant corde suo.
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?
Non recogitant in mente sua, neque cognoscunt, neque sentiunt, ut dicant: Medietatem eius combussi igni, et coxi super carbones eius panes: coxi carnes et comedi, et de reliquo eius idolum faciam? ante truncum ligni procidam?
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.
Pars eius cinis est: cor insipiens adoravit illud, et non liberabit animam suam, neque dicet: Forte mendacium est in dextera mea.
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.
Memento horum Iacob, et Israel, quoniam servus meus es tu. formavi te, servus meus es tu Israel, ne obliviscaris mei.
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.
Delevi ut nubem iniquitates tuas, et quasi nebulam peccata tua: revertere ad me, quoniam redemi te.
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.
Laudate cæli, quoniam misericordiam fecit Dominus: iubilate extrema terræ, resonate montes laudationem, saltus et omne lignum eius: quoniam redemit Dominus Iacob, et Israel gloriabitur.
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?
Hæc dicit Dominus redemptor tuus, et formator tuus ex utero: Ego sum Dominus, faciens omnia, extendens cælos solus, stabiliens terram, et nullus mecum.
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:
Irrita faciens signa divinorum, et ariolos in furorem vertens. Convertens sapientes retrorsum: et scientiam eorum stultam faciens.
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:
Suscitans verbum servi sui, et consilium nunciorum suorum complens. Qui dico Ierusalem: Habitaberis; et civitatibus Iuda: Ædificabimini, et deserta eius suscitabo.
27 Who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will make your rivers dry:
Qui dico profundo: Desolare, et flumina tua arefaciam.
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.
Qui dico Cyro: Pastor meus es, et omnem voluntatem meam complebis. Qui dico Ierusalem: Ædificaberis; et templo: Fundaberis.
