以赛亚书 44
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
以色列蒙拣选
44 “我的仆人雅各，
我所拣选的以色列啊，
现在你要留心听。
2 造你、使你在母胎中成形、
帮助你的耶和华说，
‘我的仆人雅各，
我所拣选的耶书仑[a]啊，
不要害怕。
3 我要用水浇灌干渴之地，
使河流滋润干旱之土。
我要用我的灵浇灌你的后裔，
使我的福泽临到你的子孙。
4 他们要滋长如青草，
又如溪旁杨柳。’
5 这个说，‘我属于耶和华’，
那个说，‘我是雅各的子孙’，
还有人手上写着，‘耶和华之民’，
称自己属于以色列。
6 “耶和华，以色列的君王和救赎主，
万军之耶和华说，
‘我是首先的，我是末后的，
除我以外再没有真神。
7 谁能与我相比？让他告诉我。
自从我设立这古老的民族以来所发生的事和将要发生的事，
让他告诉我。
8 不要恐惧，不要害怕，
我不是早已告诉过你们吗？
你们是我的证人。
除我以外还有真神吗？
没有，没有别的磐石，
一个也没有。’”
9 制造偶像的真是无用，他们珍爱的偶像毫无价值。拜神像的人目盲眼瞎，愚昧无知，自找羞辱。 10 制造神像、雕刻无益偶像的是谁？ 11 看啊，制造神像的工匠不过是人，他们必羞愧。让他们一起来对质吧，他们必恐惧、羞愧。 12 铁匠把铁块放在炭火里烧，用他强壮的臂膀挥动铁锤把它打成偶像。他饥饿时就会无力，口渴时就会疲乏。 13 木匠拉线测量木料，用笔勾出形状，用圆规画出模样，仿照人的样子用凿子做成逼真的神像，放在庙宇里。 14 他砍伐香柏木，或从林中选取柏木和橡木。他栽种松树，雨水使它长大。 15 这树可以用来作燃料，他取一些木料生火取暖、烤饼，又制成神像来祭拜，雕成偶像来叩拜。 16 他用一半木头烤肉，饱餐一顿，并用火取暖，说：“啊！我这里有火，真暖和。” 17 他用另一半木头造了一个神，一个偶像，向它俯伏叩拜、祷告说：“你是我的神明，求你拯救我。” 18 他们愚昧无知，因为眼睛被封住以致看不见，心窍被塞住以致不明白。 19 他们无人思想，无人明白，无人醒悟说：“我用一半木头当柴烤饼、烤肉吃，我岂能用另一半木头造可憎的神像？我岂能向一块木头叩拜？” 20 他们以灰为食，心智迷糊，走入歧途，不能自救，也不会说：“我右手拿的神像不是假的吗？”
耶和华救赎以色列
21 “雅各啊，以色列啊，
要记住这些事，
因为你是我的仆人。
我造了你，你是我的仆人；
以色列啊，我不会忘记你。
22 我除去了你的过犯和罪恶，
使它们如云雾消散。
归向我吧，因为我救赎了你。”
23 诸天啊，歌唱吧！
因为耶和华成就了这事。
地的深处啊，欢呼吧！
众山岭和林中的树木啊，
你们都要歌唱！
因为耶和华救赎了雅各，
在以色列彰显了祂的荣耀。
24 在母腹中造你、救赎你的耶和华说：
“我是创造万物的耶和华，
我独自铺展穹苍，开辟大地。
25 我使假先知的预兆无法应验，
使占卜者丑态百出；
我颠覆智者的知识，
使之愚不可及。
26 我使我仆人的话应验，
使我使者的计划成就。
我说耶路撒冷必有人居住，
我说犹大的城邑必重建起来，
从废墟中重建起来。
27 我对深海说，‘枯干吧！
我要使你的河流干涸’；
28 我说塞鲁士是我的牧人，
他必完成我的旨意，
他会下令重建耶路撒冷，
降旨奠定圣殿的根基。
Footnotes
- 44:2 “耶书仑”是以色列的昵称。
Isaiah 44
Good News Translation
The Lord Is the Only God
44 The Lord says,
“Listen now, Israel, my servant,
my chosen people, the descendants of Jacob.
2 I am the Lord who created you;
from the time you were born, I have helped you.
Do not be afraid; you are my servant,
my chosen people whom I love.
3 “I will give water to the thirsty land
and make streams flow on the dry ground.
I will pour out my spirit on your children
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will thrive like well-watered grass,
like willows by streams of running water.
5 “One by one, people will say, ‘I am the Lord's.’
They will come to join the people of Israel.
They each will mark the name of the Lord on their arms
and call themselves one of God's people.”
6 (A)The Lord, who rules and protects Israel,
the Lord Almighty, has this to say:
“I am the first, the last, the only God;
there is no other god but me.
7 Could anyone else have done what I did?
Who could have predicted all that would happen
from the very beginning to the end of time?[a]
8 Do not be afraid, my people!
You know that from ancient times until now
I have predicted all that would happen,
and you are my witnesses.
Is there any other god?
Is there some powerful god I never heard of?”
Idolatry Is Ridiculed
9 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant—and they will be disgraced. 10 It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god! 11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial—they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace.
12 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired.
13 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house. 14 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow. 15 (B)A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. 16 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, “How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!” 17 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god—save me!”
18 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth. 19 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, “Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!”
20 It makes as much sense[b] as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.
The Lord, the Creator and Savior
21 The Lord says,
“Israel, remember this;
remember that you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant,
and I will never forget you.
22 I have swept your sins away like a cloud.
Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”
23 Shout for joy, you heavens!
Shout, deep places of the earth!
Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest!
The Lord has shown his greatness
by saving his people Israel.
24 “I am the Lord, your savior;
I am the one who created you.
I am the Lord, the Creator of all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens;
when I made the earth, no one helped me.
25 (C)I make fools of fortunetellers
and frustrate the predictions of astrologers.
The words of the wise I refute
and show that their wisdom is foolishness.
26 But when my servant makes a prediction,
when I send a messenger to reveal my plans,
I make those plans and predictions come true.
I tell Jerusalem that people will live there again,
and the cities of Judah that they will be rebuilt.
Those cities will rise from the ruins.
27 With a word of command I dry up the ocean.
28 (D)I say to Cyrus, ‘You are the one who will rule for me;
you will do what I want you to do:
you will order that Jerusalem be rebuilt
and that the foundations of the Temple be laid.’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:7 Verse 7 in Hebrew is unclear.
- Isaiah 44:20 It makes as much sense; or It will do him as much good.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
