Isaiæ 44
1 et nunc audi Iacob serve meus et Israhel quem elegi
And now, give ear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have taken for myself:
2 haec dicit Dominus faciens et formans te ab utero auxiliator tuus noli timere serve meus Iacob et Rectissime quem elegi
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.
3 effundam enim aquas super sitientem et fluenta super aridam effundam spiritum meum super semen tuum et benedictionem meam super stirpem tuam
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.
4 et germinabunt inter herbas quasi salices iuxta praeterfluentes aquas
And they will come up like grass in a well-watered field, like water-plants by the streams.
5 iste dicet Domini ego sum et ille vocabit in nomine Iacob et hic scribet manu sua Domino et in nomine Israhel adsimilabitur
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.
6 haec dicit Dominus rex Israhel et redemptor eius Dominus exercituum ego primus et ego novissimus et absque me non est deus
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.
7 quis similis mei vocet et adnuntiet et ordinem exponat mihi ex quo constitui populum antiquum ventura et quae futura sunt adnuntient eis
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.
8 nolite timere neque conturbemini ex tunc audire te feci et adnuntiavi vos estis testes mei numquid est deus absque me et formator quem ego non noverim
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?
9 plastae idoli omnes nihil sunt et amantissima eorum non proderunt eis ipsi sunt testes eorum quia non vident neque intellegunt ut confundantur
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.
10 quis formavit deum et sculptile conflavit ad nihil utile
Whoever makes a god, makes nothing but a metal image in which there is no profit.
11 ecce omnes participes eius confundentur fabri enim sunt ex hominibus convenient omnes stabunt et pavebunt et confundentur simul
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.
12 faber ferrarius lima operatus est in prunis et in malleis formavit illud et operatus est in brachio fortitudinis suae esuriet et deficiet non bibet aquam et lassescet
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.
13 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
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.
14 succidit cedros tulit ilicem et quercum quae steterat inter ligna saltus plantavit pinum quam pluvia nutrivit
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.
15 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
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.
16 medium eius conbusit igni et de medio eius carnes comedit coxit pulmentum et saturatus est et calefactus est et dixit va calefactus sum vidi focum
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:
17 reliquum autem eius deum fecit sculptile sibi curvatur ante illud et adorat illud et obsecrat dicens libera me quia deus meus es tu
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.
18 nescierunt neque intellexerunt lutati enim sunt ne videant oculi eorum et ne intellegant corde suo
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.
19 non recogitant in mente sua neque cognoscunt neque sentiunt ut dicant medietatem eius conbusi igne et coxi super carbones eius panes coxi carnes et comedi et de reliquo eius idolum faciam ante truncum ligni procidam
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?
20 pars eius cinis est cor insipiens adoravit illud et non liberabit animam suam neque dicet forte mendacium est in dextera mea
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.
21 memento horum Iacob et Israhel quoniam servus meus es tu formavi te servus meus es tu Israhel non oblivisceris mei
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.
22 delevi ut nubem iniquitates tuas et quasi nebulam peccata tua revertere ad me quoniam redemi te
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.
23 laudate caeli quoniam fecit Dominus iubilate extrema terrae resonate montes laudationem saltus et omne lignum eius quoniam redemit Dominus Iacob et Israhel gloriabitur
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.
24 haec dicit Dominus redemptor tuus et formator tuus ex utero ego sum Dominus faciens omnia extendens caelos solus stabiliens terram et nullus mecum
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?
25 irrita faciens signa divinorum et ariolos in furorem vertens convertens sapientes retrorsum et scientiam eorum stultam faciens
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:
26 suscitans verbum servi sui et consilium nuntiorum suorum conplens qui dico Hierusalem habitaberis et civitatibus Iuda aedificabimini et deserta eius suscitabo
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:
27 qui dico profundo desolare et flumina tua arefaciam
Who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will make your rivers dry:
28 qui dico Cyro pastor meus es et omnem voluntatem meam conplebis qui dico Hierusalem aedificaberis et templo fundaberis
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.
