Isaiah 44
New American Standard Bible
The Blessings of Israel
44 “But now listen, Jacob, My (A)servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 This is what the Lord says, He who made you
And (B)formed you from the womb, who (C)will help you:
‘(D)Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And [a](E)Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For (F)I will pour water on [b]the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will (G)pour out My Spirit on your (H)offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up [c]among the grass
Like (I)poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And that one [d]will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will (J)write [e]on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.
6 “This is what the Lord says, He who is the (K)King of Israel and his (L)Redeemer, the Lord of armies:
‘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 proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
[f]Beginning with My establishing of the ancient [g]nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
(P)Have I not long since announced it 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 Foolishness of Idolatry
9 Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be (T)put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to (U)no benefit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be (V)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.
12 The (W)craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, [h]fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and [i]his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 (X)The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of (Y)mankind, so that it may sit in a (Z)house. 14 He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also (AA)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and (AB)bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 Yet the rest of it he (AC)makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also (AD)prays to it and says, “Save 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 cannot comprehend. 19 No one [j]remembers, 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 [k]I make the rest of it into an (AH)abomination, [l]I bow down before a block of wood!” 20 He [m](AI)feeds on ashes; a (AJ)deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save [n]himself, nor say, “(AK)Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
God Forgives and Redeems
21 “(AL)Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are (AM)My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will (AN)not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have (AO)wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a [o]heavy mist.
(AP)Return to Me, for I have (AQ)redeemed you.”
23 (AR)Shout for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
(AS)Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For (AT)the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He (AU)shows His glory.
24 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (AV)Redeemer, and the One who (AW)formed you from the womb:
“I, the Lord, am the Maker of all things,
(AX)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth [p]alone,
25 (AY)Causing the [q]omens of diviners to fail,
[r]Making fools of fortune-tellers;
(AZ)Causing wise men to turn back
And [s]making their knowledge ridiculous,
26 (BA)Confirming the word of His servant
And [t]carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the (BB)cities of Judah, ‘(BC)They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers (BD)dry up.
28 It is I who says of (BE)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And [u]he says of Jerusalem, ‘(BF)She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘[v]Your foundation will be laid.’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:2 I.e., Israel
- Isaiah 44:3 Or him who is thirsty
- Isaiah 44:4 Another reading is like grass among the waters
- Isaiah 44:5 Another reading is 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 people
- Isaiah 44:12 Lit and fashions
- Isaiah 44:12 Lit there is no strength
- Isaiah 44:19 Lit returns to his heart
- Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I make?
- Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I bow...?
- Isaiah 44:20 Or is a companion of ashes
- Isaiah 44:20 Lit his soul
- Isaiah 44:22 Or cloud
- Isaiah 44:24 Or who was with Me?
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit signs
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit He makes
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit He turns
- Isaiah 44:26 Lit He performs
- Isaiah 44:28 Lit to say
- Isaiah 44:28 Lit You will be founded
Isaiah 44
New King James Version
God’s Blessing on Israel
44 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
4 They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.
There Is No Other God
6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
(A)‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
7 And (B)who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;
(C)Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
(D)You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed (E)there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”
Idolatry Is Foolishness
9 (F)Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
(G)They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god or mold an image
(H)That profits him nothing?
11 Surely all his companions would be (I)ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.
12 (J)The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He [a]secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 (K)They do not know nor understand;
For (L)He has [b]shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot (M)understand.
19 And no one (N)considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
20 He feeds on ashes;
(O)A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a (P)lie in my right hand?”
Israel Is Not Forgotten
21 “Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be (Q)forgotten by Me!
22 (R)I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for (S)I have redeemed you.”
23 (T)Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And (U)glorified Himself in Israel.
Judah Will Be Restored
24 Thus says the Lord, (V)your Redeemer,
And (W)He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
(X)Who stretches out the heavens [c]all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
25 Who (Y)frustrates the signs (Z)of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
(AA)And makes their knowledge foolishness;
26 (AB)Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
27 (AC)Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
28 Who says of (AD)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, (AE)“You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit. appropriates
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit. smeared over
- Isaiah 44:24 By Himself
以賽亞書 44
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition
耶和華是獨一的 神
44 「我的僕人雅各，
我所揀選的以色列啊，
現在你當聽。
2 那位造你，使你在母腹中成形，
並要幫助你的耶和華如此說：
我的僕人雅各，
我所揀選的耶書崙哪，
不要害怕！
3 因為我要把水澆灌乾渴的地方，
使水湧流在乾旱之地。
我要將我的靈澆灌你的後裔，
使我的福臨到你的子孫。
4 他們要在草叢中生長[a]，
如溪水旁的柳樹。
5 這個要說：『我是屬耶和華的』，
那個要以雅各的名自稱，
又有一個在手上寫着：『歸耶和華』，
並自稱為以色列。」
6 耶和華—以色列的君王，
以色列的救贖主—萬軍之耶和華如此說：
「我是首先的，也是末後的；
除我以外再沒有 神。
7 自從古時我設立了人，
誰能像我宣告，指明，又為自己陳說呢？
讓他指明未來的事和必成的事吧！
8 你們不要恐懼，也不要害怕。
我豈不是從上古就告訴並指示你們了嗎？
你們是我的見證人！
除我以外，豈有 神呢？
誠然沒有磐石，就我所知，一個也沒有！」
虛無的偶像
9 製造偶像的人盡都虛空，他們所喜悅的全無益處；偶像的見證人毫無所見，毫無所知，以致他們羞愧。 10 誰製造神像，鑄造偶像？這些都是無益的。 11 看哪，他的同夥都必羞愧。工匠不過是人，任他們聚集，任他們站立吧！他們都必懼怕，一同羞愧。
12 鐵匠用工具在火炭上工作[b]，用鎚打出形狀，用他有力的膀臂來錘。他因飢餓而無力氣；因未喝水而疲倦。 13 木匠拉線，用筆劃出樣子，用鉋子鉋成形狀，又用圓規劃了模樣。他仿照人的體態，做出美妙的人形，放在廟裏。 14 他砍伐香柏樹，又取杉樹和橡樹，在樹林中讓它茁壯；或栽種松樹，得雨水滋潤長大。 15 這樹，人可用以生火；他拿一些來取暖，又搧火烤餅，而且做神像供跪拜，做雕刻的偶像向它叩拜。 16 他將一半的木頭燒在火中，用它烤肉來吃；吃飽了，就自己取暖說：「啊哈，我暖和了，我看到火了！」 17 然後又用剩下的一半做了一個神明，就是雕刻的偶像，向這偶像俯伏叩拜，向它禱告說：「求你拯救我，因你是我的神明。」
18 他們既無知，又不思想；因為耶和華蒙蔽他們的眼，使他們看不見，塞住他們的心，使他們不明白。 19 沒有一個心裏醒悟，有知識，有聰明，能說：「我曾拿一部分用火燃燒，在炭火上烤餅，也烤肉來吃。這剩下的，我豈要做可憎之像嗎？我豈可向木頭叩拜呢？」 20 他以灰塵為食，心裏迷糊，以致偏邪，不能自救，也不能說：「我右手中豈不是有虛謊嗎？」
耶和華是創造主也是救贖主
21 雅各啊，要思念這些事；
以色列啊，你是我的僕人。
我造了你，你是我的僕人，
以色列啊，我必不忘記你[c]。
22 我塗去你的過犯，像厚雲消散；
塗去你的罪惡，如薄霧消失。
你當歸向我，因我救贖了你。
23 諸天哪，應當歌唱，
因為耶和華成就這事。
地的深處啊，應當歡呼；
眾山哪，要出聲歌唱；
樹林和其中所有的樹木啊，你們都當歌唱！
因為耶和華救贖了雅各，
並要因以色列榮耀自己。
24 從你在母腹中就造了你，你的救贖主—耶和華如此說：
「我—耶和華創造萬物，
獨自鋪張諸天，親自展開大地[d]；
25 我使虛謊的預兆失效，
愚弄占卜的人，
使智慧人退後，
使他的知識變為愚拙；
26 卻使我僕人的話站得住，
成就我使者的籌算。
我論耶路撒冷說：『必有人居住』；
論猶大的城鎮說：『必被建造，
我必重建其中的廢墟。』
27 我對深淵說：『乾了吧！
我要使你的江河乾涸』；
28 論居魯士說：『他是我的牧人，
他要成就我所喜悅的，
下令建造耶路撒冷，
發命令立穩聖殿的根基。』」
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.