Isaiah 44
Legacy Standard Bible
No God Besides Yahweh
44 “But now hear, O Jacob, My (A)servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 Thus says Yahweh who made you
And (B)formed you from the womb, who (C)will help you,
‘(D)Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,
And you (E)Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For (F)I will pour out water on [a]the thirsty ground
And streams on the dry land;
I will (G)pour out My Spirit on your (H)seed
And My blessing on your offspring;
4 And they will spring up [b]among the grass
Like (I)poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s’;
And this one [c]will call on the name of Jacob;
And this one will (J)write [d]on his hand, ‘Belonging to Yahweh,’
And will name Israel’s name with honor.
6 “Thus says Yahweh, the (K)King of Israel and his (L)Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:
‘I am the (M)first, and I am the last,
And there is no God (N)besides Me.
7 Who is like Me? (O)Let him call out and declare it;
And let him tell it to Me in order,
[e]From the time that I established the ancient [f]people.
And let them declare to them the things that are to come
And the events that are going to take place.
8 Do not be in dread and do not be afraid;
(P)Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it?
And (Q)you are My witnesses.
Is there any God (R)besides Me,
Or is there any other (S)Rock?
I know of none.’”
The Futility of Idolatry
9 Those who form [g]a graven image are all of them [h]futile, and their desirable things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be (T)put to shame. 10 Who has formed a god or cast a graven image to (U)no profit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be (V)put to shame. The craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them be in dread, let them together be put to shame.
12 The (W)man crafts iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, [i]forming it with hammers and working it with his powerful arm. He also gets hungry and has no power; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 (X)Another crafts wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with [j]a stylus. He makes it with planes and outlines it with a compass and makes it like the form of a man, like the glory of (Y)man, so that it may sit in a (Z)house. 14 In order to cut cedars for himself, he takes a [k]cypress or an oak and [l]raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also (AA)works to produce a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and (AB)falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm; I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he (AC)makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also (AD)prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not (AE)know, nor do they understand, for He has (AF)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they will have no insight. 19 No one causes this to return to his heart, nor is there (AG)knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then [m]I make the rest of it into an (AH)abomination; [n]I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He [o](AI)feeds on ashes; a (AJ)deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver his soul, and he cannot say, “(AK)Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
Yahweh Forgives and Redeems
21 “(AL)Remember these things, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are (AM)My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will (AN)not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have (AO)wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
And your sins like a cloud.
(AP)Return to Me, for I have (AQ)redeemed you.”
23 (AR)Shout for joy, O heavens, for Yahweh has done it!
Make a loud shout, you lower parts of the earth;
(AS)Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For (AT)Yahweh has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He (AU)shows forth His beautiful glory.
24 Thus says Yahweh, your (AV)Redeemer, and the one who (AW)formed you from the womb,
“I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things,
(AX)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth [p]all alone,
25 (AY)Causing the [q]omens of boasters to be annulled,
And [r]making fools out of diviners,
(AZ)Causing wise men to turn back,
And [s]making foolishness out of their knowledge,
26 (BA)Confirming the word of His servant—
And the counsel of His messengers He will complete—
And being the One who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the (BB)cities of Judah, ‘(BC)They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her waste places again.
27 It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
And I will make your rivers (BD)dry.
28 It is I who says of (BE)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
And all My good pleasure he will complete.’
And saying of Jerusalem, ‘(BF)She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘[t]Your foundation will be laid.’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:3 Or him who is thirsty
- Isaiah 44:4 Or like grass among the waters
- Isaiah 44:5 Or will be called by the name of Jacob
- Isaiah 44:5 Or with
- Isaiah 44:7 Lit From My establishing of
- Isaiah 44:7 Or nation
- Isaiah 44:9 Or an idol
- Isaiah 44:9 Lit formless
- Isaiah 44:12 Lit and forms
- Isaiah 44:13 Or red chalk
- Isaiah 44:14 Or holm-oak
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit makes strong
- Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I make...?
- Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I fall...?
- Isaiah 44:20 Or is a companion of ashes
- Isaiah 44:24 Or who was with Me?
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit signs
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit He makes
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit He makes
- Isaiah 44:28 Lit You will be founded
Isaiah 44
International Standard Version
God’s Blessing on Israel
44 “But now listen, Jacob my servant
and Israel whom I have chosen:
2 This what the Lord says, the one who made you,
formed you from the womb,
and who will help[a] you:
“Don’t be afraid, Jacob my servant,
and Jeshurun,[b] whom I have chosen.
3 For I’ll pour water upon thirsty ground
and streams on parched land.
So[c] will I pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing upon your descendants.
4 They’ll[d] spring up as among[e] the green grass,
like willows by flowing streams.
5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,’
and another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will have written on his hand, ‘the Lord’s,’
and will adopt the name of Israel.”
I am the First and the Last
6 This is what the Lord says, the King of Israel
and its Redeemer—
the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name—[f]
“I am the first and I am the last,
and apart from me there is no God.
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim
and declare it, and lay it out for himself—[g]
since he made[h] an ancient people.
And let him speak[i] future events;
let them tell him what[j] will happen.
8 Don’t tremble, and don’t be afraid.[k]
Didn’t I tell you and announce it long ago?
You are my witnesses.
Is there any God besides me?
There is no other Rock—
I don’t know of any.”
A Rebuke to Idol Worship
9 Now,[l] all the forming of[m] images means nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their own witnesses cannot see, and they[n] know nothing. So they will be put to shame.
10 Who would shape a god or cast an image that profits nothing? 11 To be sure, all who associate with it will be put to shame; and as for the craftsmen, they are only human. Let them all gather together and[o] take their stand. Then[p] let them be terrified—they will be humiliated together.
12 The blacksmith prepares a tool and works in the coals, then[q] fashions an idol with hammers, working by the strength of his arm. He even becomes hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.
13 The carpenter measures it[r] with a line; he traces its shape with a stylus, then fashions it with planes and shapes it with a compass. He makes the idol like a human figure, with human beauty, to be at home[s] in a shrine. 14 He cuts down cedars, or chooses a cypress tree or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. Or he plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. 15 He divides it up[t] for people to burn. Taking part of it, he warms himself, makes a fire, and bakes bread. Or perhaps[u] he constructs a god and worships it. He makes it an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half the wood he burns in the fire, and[v] over[w] that half he places[x] meat so he can eat. He sits by its coals, warms himself,[y] and says, “Ah! I am warm in front of[z] the fire.” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god. To blocks[aa] of wood he bows down, worships, prays, and says, “Save me, since you are my god.”
18 They don’t realize; they don’t understand, because their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds, too, so they cannot understand. 19 No one stops to think. No one has the knowledge or understanding to think—yes to think!—[ab]“Half of it I burned in the fire. I even baked bread on its coals, and[ac] I roasted meat and ate it. And[ad] am I about to make detestable things[ae] from what is left? Am I about to bow down to blocks[af] of wood?” 20 He tends ashes. A deceived mind has lead him astray. It cannot be his life,[ag] nor can he say, “There’s a lie in my right hand.”[ah]
A Call to Remembrance and Joy
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
Israel,[ai] for you are my servant.
I have formed you;
you are a servant to me.
Israel,[aj] you must not mislead me.[ak]
22 I’ve wiped away your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist.
Return to me;
because I’ve redeemed you.
23 “Shout for joy, you heavens,
for the Lord has done it!
Shout aloud, you depths of the earth!
Burst out with singing, you mountains,
you forest, and all your trees!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and will display his glory in Israel.
24 “This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer
and the one who formed you in the womb:
‘I am the Lord, who has made everything,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth—
Who was with me at that time?—[al]
25 who frustrates the omens of idle talkers,
and drives diviners mad,
who turns back the wise,
and makes their knowledge foolish;[am]
26 who carries out the words of his servants,
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, “It will be inhabited,”
and of Judah’s cities, “They will be rebuilt,”
and of her ruins, “I’ll raise them up”;
27 who says to the watery deep, “Be dry—
I will dry up your rivers;”
28 who says about Cyrus, “He’s my shepherd,
and he’ll carry out everything that I please:
He’ll say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’
and of my[an] Temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid again.’”’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:2 So 1QIsaa; MT reads he will help
- Isaiah 44:2 I.e. a poetic term for national Israel; the Heb. name means Upright One; cf. Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26
- Isaiah 44:3 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks So
- Isaiah 44:4 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read And they
- Isaiah 44:4 So 1QIsaa MTmss LXX Targ; MT reads up among
- Isaiah 44:6 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack is his name
- Isaiah 44:7 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read me
- Isaiah 44:7 Or himself, making him; so 1QIsaa; MT LXX read since I made
- Isaiah 44:7 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsac MT LXX lack let him speak
- Isaiah 44:7 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsac MT read and what
- Isaiah 44:8 So 1QIsaa MT; LXX lacks and do not be afraid
- Isaiah 44:9 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack Now
- Isaiah 44:9 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read those who form
- Isaiah 44:9 So MT LXX; 1QIsaa reads They
- Isaiah 44:11 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT lacks and
- Isaiah 44:11 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack Then
- Isaiah 44:12 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack then
- Isaiah 44:13 I.e. the idol; so 1QIsaa LXX; MT lacks it
- Isaiah 44:13 Lit. to rest
- Isaiah 44:15 So 1QIsaa; MT reads It is; LXX reads so that it is
- Isaiah 44:15 So 1QIsaa; MT reads Also
- Isaiah 44:16 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT lacks and
- Isaiah 44:16 1QIsaa lacks over, but inserts it above the line
- Isaiah 44:16 Lit. half is
- Isaiah 44:16 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read eats meat he roasted as a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself
- Isaiah 44:16 So 1QIsaa; MT reads I see; LXX reads and I have seen
- Isaiah 44:17 Or to his Baals (i.e. to Canaanite deities); so 1QIsaa copyist error; MT LXX read god, for his idol
- Isaiah 44:19 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks —yes to think!—
- Isaiah 44:19 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks and
- Isaiah 44:19 So 1QIsaa MT; 4QIsab lacks And
- Isaiah 44:19 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read make a detestable thing
- Isaiah 44:19 So 1QIsaa; MT reads to a block
- Isaiah 44:20 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read He does not save his life
- Isaiah 44:20 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read “There’s no lie in my right hand, is there?”
- Isaiah 44:21 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read and Israel
- Isaiah 44:21 So 1QIsaa MT; 4QIsab LXX read and Israel
- Isaiah 44:21 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read you won’t be forgotten by me; LXX reads don’t forget me
- Isaiah 44:24 1QIsaa 4QIsab MT LXX lack at that time
- Isaiah 44:25 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab 4QIsab LXX; MT reads wise
- Isaiah 44:28 So 1QIsaa LXX; 4QIsab MT read the
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