Isaiah 44
1 Yet nowe heare, O Iaakob my seruant, and Israel, whom I haue chosen.
And now, listen, Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 Thus sayeth the Lord, that made thee, and formed thee from the wombe: he wil helpe thee. Feare not, O Iaakob, my seruaunt, and thou righteous, whome I haue chosen.
Thus says the Lord, who made and formed you, your Helper from the womb: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant and my most righteous, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will powre water vpon the thirstie, and floods vpon the drie grounde: I will powre my Spirit vpon thy seede, and my blessing vpon thy buddes.
For I will pour out waters upon the thirsty ground, and rivers upon the dry land. I will pour out my Spirit upon your offspring, and my benediction upon your stock.
4 And they shall grow as among the grasse, and as the willowes by the riuers of waters.
And they will spring up among the plants, like willows beside running waters.
5 One shall say, I am the Lordes: another shalbe called by the name of Iaakob: and another shall subscribe with his hand vnto the Lord, and name himselfe by the name of Israel.
This one will say, “I am the Lord’s,” and that one will call himself by the name of Jacob, and yet another will write with his hand, “For the Lord,” and he will take the name Israel.
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his redeemer, the Lord of hostes, I am the first, and I am the last, and without me is there no God.
Thus says the Lord, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the Lord of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and there is no God apart from me.
7 And who is like me, that shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order before me, since I appointed the ancient people? and what is at hand, and what things are to come? let them shewe vnto them.
Who is like me? Let him call out and announce it. And let him explain to me the order of things, since it is I who appointed the ancient people. The things of the near and the distant future, let him announce them.
8 Feare ye not, neither be afraide: haue not I tolde thee of olde, and haue declared it? you are euen my witnesses, whether there be a God beside me, and that there is no God that I knowe not.
Do not be afraid, and do not be disturbed. From the time when I caused you to listen, I also announced it. You are my witnesses. Is there another God beside me, also a Maker, whom I have not known?
9 All they that make an image, are vanitie, and their delectable things shall nothing profite: and they are their owne witnesses, that they see not nor know: therefore they shalbe confounded.
All of those who create idols are nothing, and their most beloved things will not benefit them. These are their witnesses, for they do not see, and they do not understand, so that they might be confounded.
10 Who hath made a god, or molten an image, that is profitable for nothing?
Who has formed a god or cast a molten image, which is useful for nothing?
11 Beholde, all that are of the fellowship thereof, shall be confounded: for the workemen themselues are men: let them all be gathered together, and stand vp, yet they shall feare, and be confounded together.
Behold, all those who partake in this will be confounded. For these makers are men. They will all assemble together. They will stand and be terrified. And they will be confounded together.
12 The smith taketh an instrument, and worketh in the coles, and facioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his armes: yea, he is an hungred, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.
The maker of iron has wrought with his file. With coals and hammers, he has formed it, and he has wrought with the strength of his arm. He will hunger and grow faint. He will not drink water, and he will become weary.
13 The carpenter stretcheth out a line: he facioneth it with a red thread, he planeth it, and he purtreyeth it with the compasse, and maketh it after the figure of a man, and according to the beautie of a man that it may remaine in an house.
The maker of wood has extended his ruler. He has formed it with a plane. He has made it with corners, and he has smoothed its curves. And he has made the image of a man, a seemingly beautiful man, dwelling in a house.
14 He will hewe him downe cedars, and take the pine tree and the oke, and taketh courage among the trees of the forest: he planteth a firre tree, and the raine doeth nourish it.
He has cut down cedars; he has taken the evergreen oak, and the oak that stood among the trees of the forest. He has planted the pine tree, which the rain has nourished.
15 And man burneth thereof: for he will take thereof and warme himselfe: he also kindleth it and baketh bread, yet he maketh a god, and worshippeth it: he maketh it an idole and boweth vnto it.
And it is used by men for fuel. He took from it and warmed himself. And he set it on fire and baked bread. But from the remainder, he made a god, and he adored it. He made an idol, and he bowed down before it.
16 He burneth the halfe thereof euen in the fire, and vpon the halfe thereof he eateth flesh: he rosteth the roste and is satisfied: also he warmeth himselfe and sayth, Aha, I am warme, I haue bene at the fire.
Part of it, he burned with fire, and with part of it, he cooked meat; he boiled food and was filled. And he was warmed, and so he said: “Ah, I am warm. I have gazed at the fire.”
17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, euen his idole: he boweth vnto it, and worshippeth and prayeth vnto it, and sayeth, Deliuer me: for thou art my god.
But from its remainder, he made a god and a graven image for himself. He bowed down before it, and he adored it, and he prayed to it, saying: “Free me! For you are my god.”
18 They haue not knowen, nor vnderstand: for God hath shut their eyes that they cannot see, and their heartes, that they cannot vnderstand.
They have neither known nor understood. For their eyes are obscured, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart.
19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor vnderstanding to say, I haue burnt halfe of it, euen in the fire, and haue baked bread also vpon the coles thereof: I haue rosted flesh, and eaten it, and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I bowe to the stocke of a tree?
They do not consider in their mind, nor do they know, nor do they think to say: “I have burned part of it in the fire, and I have baked bread upon its coals. I have cooked flesh and I have eaten. And from its remainder, should I make an idol? Should I fall prostrate before the trunk of a tree?”
20 He feedeth of ashes: a seduced heart hath deceiued him, that he cannot deliuer his soule, nor say, Is there not a lye in my right hand?
Part of it is ashes. His foolish heart adores it. And he will not liberate his soul, and he will not say, “Perhaps there is a lie in my right hand.”
21 Remember these (O Iaakob and Israel) for thou art my seruant: I haue formed thee: thou art my seruant: O Israel forget me not.
Remember these things, O Jacob, O Israel. For you are my servant. I have formed you. You are my servant, Israel. Do not forget me.
22 I haue put away thy transgressions like a cloude, and thy sinnes, as a mist: turne vnto me, for I haue redeemed thee.
I have wiped away your iniquities like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, because I have redeemed you.
23 Reioyce, ye heauens: for the Lord hath done it: shoute, ye lower partes of the earth: brast foorth into prayses, ye mountaines, O forest and euery tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Iaakob and will be glorified in Israel.
Give praise, O heavens! For the Lord has shown mercy. Shout with joy, O ends of the earth! Let the mountains resound with praise, with the forest and all its trees. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and Israel will be glorified.
24 Thus sayeth the Lord thy redeemer and he that formed thee from the wombe, I am the Lord, that made all things, that spred out the heauens alone, and stretched out the earth by my selfe.
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and your Maker from the womb: I am the Lord, who makes all things, who alone extends the heavens, who makes the earth firm. And there is no one with me.
25 I destroy the tokens of ye southsayers, and make them that coniecture, fooles, and turne the wise men backwarde, and make their knowledge foolishnesse.
I make the signs of the diviners useless, and I turn the seers to madness. I turn the wise backwards, and make their knowledge into foolishness.
26 He confirmeth the worde of his seruant and performeth the counsell of his messengers, saying to Ierusalem, Thou shalt bee inhabited: and to the cities of Iudah, Yee shall be built vp, and I will repayre the decayed places thereof.
I lift up the word of my servant, and I fulfill the counsel of my messengers. I say to Jerusalem, “You shall be inhabited,” and to the cities of Judah, “You shall be rebuilt,” and I will lift up its deserts.
27 He saith to the deepe, Be drye and I will drye vp thy floods.
I say to the depths, “Be desolate,” and, “I will dry up your rivers.”
28 He saith to Cyrus, Thou art my shepheard: and he shall performe all my desire: saying also to Ierusalem, Thou shalt be built: and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be surely layed.
I say to Cyrus, “You are my shepherd, and you will accomplish all that I will.” I say to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the Temple, “Your foundations shall be laid.”
