Esaias 44
1 Men høyr no, Jakob, tenaren min, du Israel som eg hev valt ut!
But now, you people of Israel whom Yahweh has chosen to serve him, listen to me.
2 So segjer Herren som skapte deg, som laga deg frå morsliv og hjelper deg: Ver ikkje rædd, du min tenar Jakob, Jesurun som eg hev valt ut.
Yahweh, the one who created you and helps you, says this: “You dear people of Israel whom I have chosen, you who serve me, do not be afraid.
3 For eg vil renna vatn yver det tyrste, og straumar yver det turre. Eg vil renna min ande ut yver di ætt, og yver ditt avkjøme mi velsigning.
I will pour water on your dry land and cause streams to flow. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants and greatly bless them.
4 Dei skal veksa upp millom graset som pilar ved bekkjefar.
They will grow up like [SIM] grass grows along the water, like [SIM] willow/poplar [trees] grow well along a riverbank.
5 Ein segjer: «Eg høyrer Herren til, » ein annan kallar seg med Jakob-namnet, ein skriv med si hand: «For Herren, » og brukar til ærenamn Israel.
Some of them will say, ‘I belong to Yahweh,’ and others will say, ‘We are descendants of Jacob,’ and others will write on their hands, ‘We belong to Yahweh,’ and others will say, ‘We are Israelis.’”
6 So segjer Herren, Israels konge, og hans utløysar Herren, allhers drott: Eg er den fyrste og eg er den siste, og utan meg finst det ingen Gud.
Yahweh, the King of Israel, the one who saves us, the Commander of the armies of angels, says this: “I am the one who begins everything and who ends everything; there is no other God.
7 Kven forkynte jamt og samt som eg - lat han melda og leggja det fram for meg! - frå den tid eg skapte fornalder-folket? Og lat deim melda det som i framtidi kjem!
If there is anyone like me [RHQ], he should proclaim it! He should speak and tell me [now]! He should tell what has happened since I caused my people [of Israel] to become a nation long ago, and he should also tell what things will happen; he should predict what will happen in the future.
8 Ver ikkje forstøkte og rædde! Hev eg ikkje for lenge sidan forkynt og meldt deg det? De er mine vitne; finst det nokon Gud utan meg? Nei, eg veit ikkje um noko anna berg.
[My people], do not be afraid. Long ago I told you things that would happen [RHQ]; I predicted them, and you can testify that I did that. There certainly is not [RHQ] any other God. There is no other God who is able to protect you [MET]; I know that there is no other God!”
9 Dei som lagar gudebilæte er alle inkjevetta, og deira kjære gudar kann ikkje hjelpa; deira vitne ser inkje og skynar inkje, difor vert dei til skammar.
All those who make idols are foolish, and the idols that they (think highly of/greatly respect) are worthless. And the people who worship those idols— [it is as though] they are blind, and they will be ashamed [for having worshiped those idols].
10 Um nokon lagar ein gud og støyper eit bilæte, er det til unyttes.
Only [foolish people] [RHQ] would make idols in a mold, idols that would never help them at all.
11 Alle som held seg til det, skal verta til skammar, og meistrarne er berre menneskje, lat deim samla seg og stiga fram alle, dei skal ræddast og verta til skammar alle i hop.
Those who make idols and those who worship them will be ashamed. Those who make idols are only human beings, [but they claim that they are making gods]! They should stand in front of God in a court, and [when they hear what he says], they will be terrified, and they will all be disgraced.
12 Smeden kvesser ei øks og lagar henne til i koleld og formar henne med sleggjor, og han gjer henne ferdig med sin sterke arm. Vert han so svolten, minkar magti, og fær han ikkje drikka vatn, vert han veik.
Metalworkers stand in front of hot coals in order to make idols. They pound them strongly with hammers, and shape them. Because they work very hard, they become hungry and weak; they become very thirsty and feel exhausted.
13 Snikkaren spanar snori og ritar med gravstikka, han slettar med hyvelen og dreg ringar med passaren; so lagar han dei som eit mannslike, som ein fager mann som fær bu i eit hus.
Then a woodcarver takes a big block/piece of wood and he measures it; then he marks it to show where he will cut it. He uses a chisel and other tools to carve it to resemble a human. He causes it to become a very beautiful [idol], and then he puts it in a shrine.
14 Ein gjev seg til å hogga cedrar, og han tek steineik og eik og vel seg ut eit millom skogstrei. Han plantar ei fura, og regnet fær henne til å veksa.
[Before he carves an idol from that block of wood], he has cut down a cedar tree, or he has selected a cypress tree or an oak tree and allowed it to grow tall in the forest. Or, he has planted a pine/evergreen tree and the rain has watered it [and caused it to grow tall].
15 Mannen brukar treet til å brenna, han tek av det og vermer seg, ja, han kveikjer på og bakar brød. So gjer han og ein gud som han bed til, han formar eit gudebilæte som han bøygjer kne for.
[And after he uses part of the tree to make an idol], he uses the other part of the tree to make a fire, either to warm himself or to bake bread. But he uses [part of the same tree] to make for himself an idol to worship! He makes an idol and then he bows down to worship it.
16 Helvti av det brenner han upp i elden, ved den helvti et han kjøt, steikjer ei steik og mettar seg. Han vermer seg og, og segjer: «Hå, eg vert varm, eg merkar eld!»
He burns part of the wood of the tree to cook his meat and eats the meat and his stomach becomes full, and he burns part of the wood to warm his body, and he says, “I feel warm while I am watching the flames in the fire.”
17 Resten av det gjer han til ein gud, til sin avgud som han bøygjer seg for og bed til, og han bed soleis: «Frels meg, for du er min gud!»
Then he takes the rest of the wood and makes an idol which is his god. He bows down to it and worships it, and prays to it and says, “You are my god, so save me!”
18 Dei er utan vit og skyn, for attklistra er augo deira, so dei ikkje ser, og hjarto deira so dei ikkje skynar.
Those people are very stupid and ignorant [SAR]. [It is as though] they are blind and cannot see, and their minds are closed and they cannot think well.
19 Ingen tenkjer seg um, ingen hev klokskap og skyn nok til å segja med seg: «Helvti hev eg brent upp i elden, i gløderne hev eg baka brød og steikt kjøt og ete, og so skulde eg laga resten til eit ufyselegt bilæte og bøygja kne for ein trekubbe!»
They do not think about what they are doing, that they are taking a block of wood and burning half of it to warm themselves and using some of the rest to bake bread and roast some meat! [They do not say to themselves], “It is stupid [RHQ] to take the rest of the wood to make a detestable idol! It does not make sense to bow down to a block of wood!”
20 Den som agtar på oska, honom hev eit forvilla hjarta dåra, so han ikkje kjem til å frelsa si sjæl og segja: «Det er lygn det eg held i mi høgre hand!»
They are very stupid to [worship something that if you burn it, it becomes] ashes! They trust in something that cannot save them; they do not admit, “In my hand I hold something that is not really a god! [RHQ]”
21 Kom dette i hug, du Jakob, du Israel, min tenar! Eg hev skapt deg, du er min tenar, Israel, eg gløymer deg ikkje.
[Yahweh says, “You descendants of] [MTY] Jacob, you people of Israel who should be serving me, I created you, and I will not forget you.
22 Eg hev stroke burt dine brot som ei skodda, og synderne dine som ei sky; vend um til meg, for eg hev løyst deg ut.
I have gotten rid of your sins like [SIM] [the wind blows away] a cloud. [It is as though] your transgressions were a morning mist [SIM] that I have blown away. Return to me because I have rescued you.”
23 Jubla, himlar! For Herren hev sett det i verk. Ropa med frygd, de dypter i jordi! Set i med jubel, de fjell! Du skog med kvart eit tre! For Herren hev løyst ut Jakob, og syner seg herleg på Israel.
[The sun and moon and stars] in the sky should sing, and all the things that are beneath the ground should shout joyfully! All the mountains and forests, and all you trees, should sing loudly, because Yahweh has rescued [the descendants of] [MTY] Jacob; [the people of] Israel will praise/honor him.
24 So segjer Herren, utløysaren din, skaparen din frå moderliv: Eg er Herren som allting gjer, himmelen spana eg ut åleine, jordi breidde eg ut utan medhjelp.
Yahweh, who saved you and created you, says this: “I am Yahweh, the one who created everything. I am the only one who stretched out the sky. There was [RHQ] no one who (was with/helped) me when I created the earth.
25 Eg gjer juglarteikni um inkje, og spåmenner gjer eg til fåmingar; eg let vismenner koma til kort og gjer deira vitskap til dårskap.
I show that the false prophets are liars, and I show that those who perform rituals to predict the future are fools. Some people who [falsely think that they] are [IRO] wise [say that they] know a lot, but I show that they are foolish.
26 Eg stadfester ordet åt tenaren min og fullfører rådi åt sendebodi mine. Eg segjer um Jerusalem: «Der skal bu folk!» Og um Juda-byarne: «Dei skal byggjast!» Ruinarne der vil eg reisa att.
But I always cause to happen what my prophets predict [DOU]. [I tell them to] say to [the people of] [MTY] Jerusalem, ‘[Some day] people will live here again.’ [And I tell them to] say to [the people in other] towns in Judah [that Yahweh says], ‘Your towns will be rebuilt; I will cause the places that are only ruins to be rebuilt.’
27 Eg segjer til djupet: «Torna, dine straumar turkar eg ut!»
When I say to the rivers, ‘Dry up!’, they will become dry.
28 Eg segjer til Kyrus: «Min hyrding!» Han skal fullføra all min vilje og til Jerusalem segja: «Vert bygd! Og templet verta grunnlagt!»
When I say about King Cyrus, ‘He will [take care of my people like] [MET] a shepherd [takes care of his sheep], he will do what I want him to do,’ he will say about Jerusalem, ‘We must rebuild it!’, and he will also say, ‘We must rebuild the temple!’”
