Esias 44
1 But now hear, Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen.
Now, then—hear, O Jacob, my Servant, —and Israel whom I have chosen:
2 Thus says the Lord God that made you, and he that formed you from the womb; You shall yet be helped: fear not, my servant Jacob; and beloved Israel, whom I have chosen.
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 give water to the thirsty that walk in a dry land: I will put my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessings upon your children:
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 shall spring up as grass between brooks, and as willows on [the banks of] running water.
So will they spring up among the grass, As willows by the water-courses:
5 One shall say, I am God's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall write with his hand, I am God's, and shall call himself by the name of Israel.
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 Thus says God the King of Israel, and the God of hosts that delivered him; I am the first, and I am hereafter: beside me there is no God.
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 Who is like me? let him stand, and call, and declare, and prepare for me from the time that I made man for ever; and let them tell you the things that are coming before they arrive.
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 Hide not yourselves, nor go astray: have you not heard from the beginning, and [have not] I told you? you are witnesses if there is a God beside me.
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 But they that framed [false gods] did not then listen; and they that graved [images] are all vain, performing their own desires, which shall not profit them, but they shall be ashamed
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 that form a god, and all that grave worthless things:
Who hath fashioned a GOD, Oran image, hath molten? It cannot profit!
11 and all by whom they were made are withered: yes, let all the deaf be gathered from [among] men, and let them stand together; and let them be ashamed and confounded together:
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 For the artificer sharpens the iron; he fashions [the idol] with an axe, and fixes it with an awl, and fashions it with the strength of his arm: and he will be hungry and weak, and will drink no water.
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 artificer having chosen a piece of wood, marks it out with a rule, and fits it with glue, and makes it as the form of a man, and as the beauty of a man, to set it up 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 cuts wood out of the forest, which the Lord planted, [even] a pine tree, and the rain made it grow,
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 that it might be for men to burn: and having taken part of it he warms himself; yes, they burn part of it, and bake loaves thereon; and [of] the rest they make for themselves gods, and they worship them.
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 Half thereof he burns in the fire, and with half of it he bakes loaves on the coals; and having roasted flesh on it he eats, and is satisfied, and having warmed himself he says, I am comfortable, for I have warmed myself, and 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 he makes a graven god, and worships, and prays, saying, Deliver me; 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 understanding to perceive; for they have been blinded so that they should not see with their eyes, nor perceive with their heart.
They have not taken note, neither can they perceive, —He hath besmeared—past seeing—their eyes, Past understanding, their hearts;
19 And one has not considered in his mind, nor known in his understanding, that he has burnt up half of it in the fire, and baked loaves on the coals thereof and has roasted and eaten flesh, and of the rest of it he has made an abomination, and they worship it.
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 Know you that their heart is ashes, and they err, and no one is able to deliver his soul: see, you will not say, [There is a] lie in my right hand.
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 Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel; for you are my servant; I have formed you [to be] my servant: and do you, Israel, not forget me.
Remember these things, O Jacob, And, Israel, —for, my Servant, thou art, —I have fashioned thee, a Servant of mine, thou art.
22 For behold, I have blotted out as a cloud your transgressions, and your sin as darkness: turn to me, and I will redeem you.
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 Rejoice, you heavens; for God has had mercy upon Israel: sound the trumpet, you foundations of the earth: you mountains, shout [with] joy, you hills, and all the trees therein: for God has redeemed Jacob, and Israel shall be glorified.
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 Thus says the Lord that redeems you, and who formed you from the womb, I am the Lord that performs all things: I stretched out the heaven alone, and established the earth.
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 else will frustrate the tokens of those that have divining spirits, and prophecies from the heart of [man]? turning the wise back, and making their counsel foolishness;
Frustrating the signs of praters, And, diviners, he confoundeth, —Turning wise men backwards, And their knowledge, he maketh folly;
26 and confirming the word of his servant, and verifying the counsel of his messengers: who says to Jerusalem, You shall be inhabited; and to the cities of Idumea, You shall be built, and her desert places shall spring forth.
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, You shall be dried up, and I will dry up the rivers.
Who saith to the deep—Be dry and Thy rivers, will I drain!
28 Who bids Cyrus be wise, and he shall perform all my will: who says to Jerusalem, You shall be built, and I will lay the foundation of my holy house.
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!
