Isaías 44
1 Ahora pues, oye, Jacob, siervo mío, y tú, Israel, a quien yo escogí.
But now, you people of Israel whom Yahweh has chosen to serve him, listen to me.
2 Así dice el SEÑOR, Hacedor tuyo, y el que te formó desde el vientre: Te ayudaré. No temas, siervo mío Jacob, el Recto a quien yo escogí.
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 Porque yo derramaré aguas sobre el sediento, y ríos sobre la tierra árida. Derramaré mi Espíritu sobre tu generación, y mi bendición sobre tus renuevos;
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 y brotarán como entre hierba, como sauces junto a las riberas de las aguas.
They will grow up like [SIM] grass grows along the water, like [SIM] willow/poplar [trees] grow well along a riverbank.
5 Este dirá: Yo soy del SEÑOR; el otro se llamará del nombre de Jacob; el otro escribirá con su mano, al SEÑOR, otro se pondrá por sobrenombre, 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 Así dice el SEÑOR, Rey de Israel, y su Redentor, el SEÑOR de los ejércitos: Yo el primero, y yo el postrero, y fuera de mí no hay Dios.
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 ¿Y quién llamará como yo, y denunciará antes esto, y lo ordenará por mí, desde que hice el pueblo del mundo? Anúncienles lo que viene de cerca, y lo que está por venir.
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 No temáis, ni os amedrentéis; ¿no te lo hice oír desde antiguo, y te dije antes lo que estaba por venir? Luego vosotros sois mis testigos que no hay Dios sino yo; y que no hay Fuerte, que yo no conozca.
[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 Los formadores de escultura, todos ellos son vanidad, y lo más precioso de ellos para nada es útil; y testigos de ellos, ellos mismos, que ni ven ni entienden; por tanto se avergonzarán.
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 ¿Quién formó a Dios? ¿Y quién fundió escultura, que para nada es de provecho?
Only [foolish people] [RHQ] would make idols in a mold, idols that would never help them at all.
11 He aquí que todos sus compañeros serán avergonzados; porque los mismos artífices son de los hombres. Aunque todos ellos se junten, y estén, se asombrarán, y serán avergonzados a una.
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 El herrero tomará la tenaza, obrará en las ascuas, le dará forma con los martillos, y obrará en ello el brazo de su fortaleza; aunque esté hambriento, y le falten las fuerzas, no beberá agua, aunque se desmaye.
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 El carpintero tiende la regla, lo señala con almagre, lo labra con los cepillos, le da figura con el compás, lo hace a forma de varón, a semejanza de hombre hermoso, para que esté sentado en casa.
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 Se cortará cedros, y tomará encina y alcornoque, y se esforzará con los árboles del bosque; plantará pino, que se críe con la lluvia.
[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 El hombre después se servirá de él para quemar, y tomará de ellos para calentarse; encenderá también el horno, y cocerá panes; hará también un dios, y lo adorará; fabricará un ídolo, y se arrodillará delante de él.
[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 Parte de él quemará en el fuego; con otra parte de él comerá carne, asará asado, y se saciará. Después se calentará, y dirá, ¡Oh! me he calentado, fuego he visto;
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 las sobras de él torna en dios, en su escultura; se humilla delante de él, lo adora, y le ruega diciendo: Líbrame, que mi dios eres tú.
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 No supieron, ni entendieron, porque untó sus ojos para que no vean; y su corazón, para que no entiendan.
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 No torna en sí, no tiene sentido ni entendimiento para decir: Parte de ello quemé en el fuego, y sobre sus brasas cocí pan; asé carne, y comí: ¿lo que de él quedó he de tornar en abominación? ¿Delante de un tronco de árbol me tengo de humillar?
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 La ceniza apacienta; su corazón engañado le inclina, para que no libre su alma, y diga, ¿No está la mentira a mi mano derecha?
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 Acuérdate de estas cosas, oh Jacob, e Israel, que mi siervo eres: Yo te formé, mi siervo eres tú; Israel, no me olvides.
[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 Yo deshice, como nube, tus rebeliones, y tus pecados, como niebla; tórnate a mí, porque yo te redimí.
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 Cantad loores, oh cielos, porque el SEÑOR lo hizo; gritad con júbilo, lugares bajos de la tierra. Prorrumpid, montes, en alabanza; bosque, y todo árbol que en él está; porque el SEÑOR redimió a Jacob, y en Israel será glorificado.
[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 Así dice el SEÑOR, Redentor tuyo, y Formador tuyo desde el vientre: Yo soy el SEÑOR, que lo hago todo, que extiendo solo los cielos, que extiendo la tierra por mí mismo;
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 que deshago las señales de los adivinos, y enloquezco a los agoreros, que hago tornar atrás los sabios, y desvanezco su sabiduría;
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 que despierta la palabra de su siervo, y que cumple el consejo de sus mensajeros; que digo a Jerusalén: Serás habitada; y a las ciudades de Judá: Serán reedificadas, y sus ruinas levantaré;
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 que digo a lo profundo: Sécate, y tus ríos haré secar;
When I say to the rivers, ‘Dry up!’, they will become dry.
28 que llamo a Ciro, mi pastor; y todo lo que yo quiero, cumplirá, diciendo a Jerusalén: Serás edificada; y al templo: Serás fundado.
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!’”
