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Isaiah 44:11-45:5
English Standard Version
Isaiah 44:11-45:5
English Standard Version
11 (A)Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 (B)The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.[a] He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. (C)He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 (D)He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. (E)He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an (F)abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 (G)He feeds on (H)ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not (I)a lie in my right hand?”
The Lord Redeems Israel
21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are (J)my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
(K)O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 (L)I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
23 (M)Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O (N)depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
(O)and will be glorified[b] in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, (P)your Redeemer,
(Q)who formed you from the womb:
(R)“I am the Lord, who made all things,
(S)who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
(T)who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 (U)who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
(V)and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 (W)who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of (X)Cyrus, ‘He is (Y)my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
(Z)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Cyrus, God's Instrument
45 Thus says the Lord to (AA)his anointed, to Cyrus,
(AB)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and (AC)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2 “I will go before you
and (AD)level the exalted places,[c]
(AE)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 (AF)I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, (AG)who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
(AH)I call you by your name,
(AI)I name you, though you do not know me.
5 (AJ)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
(AK)I equip you, though you do not know me,
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:13 Hebrew stylus
- Isaiah 44:23 Or will display his beauty
- Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains
Isaiah 44:11-45:5
New International Version
Isaiah 44:11-45:5
New International Version
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(A)
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.(B)
12 The blacksmith(C) takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.(D)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.(E)
13 The carpenter(F) measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,(G)
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.(H)
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine,(I) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(J) for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships(K) it;
he makes an idol and bows(L) down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.(M)”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.(N)
He prays(O) to it and says,
“Save(P) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(Q) nothing;
their eyes(R) are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding(S) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(T)
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(U) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(V)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(W) a deluded(X) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(Y)”
21 “Remember(Z) these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.(AA)
I have made you, you are my servant;(AB)
Israel, I will not forget you.(AC)
22 I have swept away(AD) your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return(AE) to me,
for I have redeemed(AF) you.”
23 Sing for joy,(AG) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth(AH) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,(AI)
you forests and all your trees,(AJ)
for the Lord has redeemed(AK) Jacob,
he displays his glory(AL) in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,(AP)
who spreads out the earth(AQ) by myself,
25 who foils(AR) the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,(AS)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(AT)
and turns it into nonsense,(AU)
26 who carries out the words(AV) of his servants
and fulfills(AW) the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,(AX) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins,(AY) ‘I will restore them,’(AZ)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up(BA) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus,(BB) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,(BC) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple,(BD) “Let its foundations(BE) be laid.”’
45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(BF)
to Cyrus,(BG) whose right hand I take hold(BH) of
to subdue nations(BI) before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you(BJ)
and will level(BK) the mountains[a];
I will break down gates(BL) of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.(BM)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,(BN)
riches stored in secret places,(BO)
so that you may know(BP) that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(BQ)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,(BR)
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge(BS) me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(BT)
apart from me there is no God.(BU)
I will strengthen you,(BV)
though you have not acknowledged me,
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.