Isaiah 44
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Spiritual Blessing
44 “And now listen, Jacob My servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.(A)
2 This is the word of the Lord
your Maker who formed you from the womb;
He[a] will help you:
Do not fear; Jacob is My servant;
I have chosen Jeshurun.[b](B)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit(C) on your descendants
and My blessing on your offspring.
4 They will sprout among[c] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and name himself by the name of Israel.”
No God Other Than Yahweh
6 This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer,(D) the Lord of Hosts, says:
I am the first and I am the last.(E)
There is no God but Me.(F)
7 Who, like Me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before Me,(G)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare[d] the coming things,
and what will take place.
8 Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!(H)
Is there any God but Me?(I)
There is no other Rock;(J) I do not know any.
9 All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure does not profit.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.(K)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
for no profit?(L)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.
12 The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn’t drink water and is faint.
13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human likeness,(M)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
14 He cuts down[e] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
15 It serves as fuel for man.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
He prays to it,(N) “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 Such people[f] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for He has shut their eyes[g] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
19 No one reflects,
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
I will make something detestable(O) with the rest of it,
and I will bow down to a block of wood.”
20 He feeds on[h] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot deliver himself,
or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”(P)
21 Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I formed you, you are My servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me.[i](Q)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,(R)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to Me,(S)
for I have redeemed you.(T)
23 Rejoice, heavens,(U) for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies Himself through Israel.(V)
Restoration of Israel through Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer(W) who formed you from the womb,(X) says:
I am Yahweh, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by Myself;(Y)
who alone spread out the earth;
25 who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;(Z)
26 who confirms the message of His servant
and fulfills the counsel of His messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”
and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”
and I will restore her ruins;
27 who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”
and I will dry up your rivers;
28 who says to Cyrus,(AA) “My shepherd,
he will fulfill all My pleasure”(AB)
and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,”(AC)
and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:2 Lit from the womb, and He
- Isaiah 44:2 = Upright One, referring to Israel
- Isaiah 44:4 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX read as among
- Isaiah 44:7 Lit declare them—
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit To cut down for himself
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit They
- Isaiah 44:18 Or for their eyes are shut
- Isaiah 44:20 Or He shepherds
- Isaiah 44:21 DSS, LXX, Tg read Israel, do not forget Me
Isaiah 44
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord Is the Only God
44 “Jacob, you are my servant. Israel, I chose you. Listen to me! 2 I am the Lord, and I made you. I am the one who created you. I have helped you since you were in your mother’s womb. Jacob, my servant, don’t be afraid. Jeshurun,[a] I chose you.
3 “I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless[b] your family. 4 They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.
5 “One man will call himself, ‘I am the Lord’s.’ Another will use the name, ‘Jacob.’ Another man will sign his name as ‘The Lord’s Hand.’ And another will use the name, ‘Israel.’”
6 The Lord is the king of Israel. The Lord All-Powerful is the one who will set Israel free. And he says, “I am the only God. There are no other gods. I am the Beginning and the End. 7 There is no other God like me. If there is, that god should speak now. Let him lay out everything he has done since the time I made these ancient people. Let him show me the signs he gave long ago that prove he knew what would happen in the future.
8 “Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry. I am the one who always told you what would happen. You are my proof.[c] There is no other God; I am the only one. There is no other ‘Rock’; I know I am the only one.”
False Gods Are Useless
9 Some people make idols, but they are worthless. They love their statues, which are useless. Those who serve as witnesses for these statues cannot even see. They don’t know enough to be ashamed.
10 Who made these false gods? Who covered these useless statues? 11 Workers made them, and the workers are only human. If they all would come together before me, we could discuss this. Then they would all be ashamed and afraid.
12 One worker uses his tools to heat iron over hot coals. Then he uses his hammer to beat the metal to shape it into a statue. He uses his own powerful arms, but when he gets hungry, he loses his strength. If he does not drink water, he becomes weak.
13 Another worker uses his string line[d] and compass[e] to draw lines on the wood to show where he should cut. Then he uses his chisels[f] and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers[g] to measure the statue. In this way the worker makes the wood look exactly like a man, and this statue of a man does nothing but sit in the house.
14 To split the cedar tree, the worker took some oak or cypress wedges. To make sure he had plenty of wood, he planted some pines. But it was the rain that made them grow.
15 When the man wanted a fire, he took some of the wood to keep him warm. He also used some of it to bake his bread. But then he used that same wood to make a statue to worship as a god! That god is only a statue that he made, but he bows down to it! 16 He burns half of the wood in the fire. He uses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat until he is full. He burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says, “Good! Now I am warm, and I can see by the light of the fire.” 17 There is a little of the wood left, so he makes a statue and calls it his god. He bows down before it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god, save me!”
18 People like that don’t know what they are doing! They don’t understand. It is as if they have mud in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot understand. 19 They don’t realize what they are doing. They aren’t smart enough to think, “I burned half of the wood in the fire. I used the hot coals to bake my bread and cook the meat I ate. And I used the wood that was left to make this terrible thing. I am worshiping a block of wood!”
20 Someone like that is deceived. They don’t know what they are doing.[h] They cannot save themselves, and they will not admit, “This statue I am holding is a lie!”
The Lord, the True God, Helps Israel
21 “Jacob, remember these things!
Israel, remember, you are my servant.
I made you, and you are my servant.
So, Israel, don’t forget me.
22 Your sins were like a big cloud,
but I wiped them all away.
Your sins are gone,
like a cloud that disappeared into thin air.
I rescued and protected you,
so come back to me.”
23 Skies, rejoice for what the Lord has done.
Earth, shout for joy down to your deepest parts!
Start singing, you mountains
and all you trees in the forest!
Yes, the Lord has saved Jacob.
He has shown his glory by rescuing Israel.
24 The one who rescued you is the Lord,
the one who formed you in your mother’s womb.
He says, “I, the Lord, made everything.
I put the skies there myself.
I spread out the earth before me.”
25 False prophets tell lies, but the Lord shows that their lies are false. He makes fools of those who do magic. He confuses even the wise. They think they know a lot, but he makes them look foolish. 26 The Lord sends his servants to tell his messages to the people, and he makes those messages come true. He sends messengers to tell the people what they should do, and he proves that the advice is good.
God Chooses Cyrus to Rebuild Judah
The Lord says to Jerusalem, “People will live in you again.”
He says to the cities of Judah, “You will be rebuilt.”
He says to them, “I will repair your ruins.”
27 He tells the deep waters, “Become dry!
I will make your streams dry too.”
28 He says to Cyrus, “You are my shepherd.
You will do what I want.
You will say to Jerusalem, ‘You will be rebuilt!’
You will tell the Temple, ‘Your foundations will be put in place!’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:2 Jeshurun Another name for Israel. It means “good” or “honest.”
- Isaiah 44:3 bless This is a wordplay. This Hebrew word sounds like the word meaning “pool.”
- Isaiah 44:8 proof Or “witnesses.”
- Isaiah 44:13 string line In ancient times, this was a piece of string with wet paint on it. It was used to make straight lines on wood or stone.
- Isaiah 44:13 compass A tool used to draw circles and copy measurements.
- Isaiah 44:13 chisels Sharp tools used to carve wood or stone.
- Isaiah 44:13 calipers A special measuring tool, like a compass.
- Isaiah 44:20 They … doing Literally, “They eat ashes.”
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