Isaiah 44
Revised Geneva Translation
44 “But 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 righteous whom I have chosen.
3 ‘For I will pour water upon the thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My Spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon your buds.
4 ‘And they shall grow, as among the grass, as the willows by the rivers of waters.’
5 “One shall say, ‘I am the LORD’s.’ Another shall be called by the name of Jacob. And another shall write to the LORD with his hand, and name himself by the name of Israel.
6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and its Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts: ‘I Am the First and I Am the Last. And without Me there is no God.
7 ‘And who is like Me? Who shall call and shall declare it, and set it in order before Me, since I appointed the ancient people? And what is at hand and what things are to come, let them show to them.
8 ‘Do not fear or be afraid. Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? There is no God, none to know.’”
9 All those who make an image are useless. And their delectable things shall nothing profit. And they are their own witnesses, that they do not see or know. Therefore, they shall be confounded.
10 Who makes a god, or casts an image, that is profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all who are of its fellowship shall be confounded. For the workmen themselves are men. Let them all be gathered together and stand up. They shall fear and be confounded together.
12 The blacksmith works in the coals with an instrument and fashions it with hammers. He works it with the strength of his arms. Indeed, he is hungry and his strength fails. He drinks no water, and is faint.
13 The carpenter stretches forth a line. He fashions it with a red cord. He planes it and he marks it out with the compass, and makes it in the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, so that it may remain in a house.
14 He will hew down cedars for himself and take the pine tree and the oak. He strengthens himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir tree, and the rain nourishes it.
15 And it shall be for man to burn. For he will take from it, and warm himself. He also kindles it and bakes bread. Also, he makes a god and worships it. He makes it an idol and bows to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire, of that half he eats flesh. He roasts the roast and is satisfied. Also, he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm. I have been at the fire.”
17 And with the remains he makes a god, his idol. He bows to it, and worships and prays to it, and says, “Deliver me. For you are my god.”
18 They have not known or understood. For God has shut their eyes so that they cannot see, their heart so that they cannot understand.
19 And no one considers in his heart, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burnt half of it in the fire and have also baked bread upon its coals. I have roasted its flesh and eaten it. And shall I make its remains an abomination? Shall I bow to the stock of a tree?”
20 He feeds on ashes. A seduced heart has deceived him, so that he cannot deliver his soul or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
21 “Remember these (O Jacob and Israel), for you are My servant. I have formed you. You are My servant. O Israel, do not forget Me.
22 “I have put away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins as a mist. Turn to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23 Rejoice, you heavens! For the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the Earth! Burst forth into praises, you mountains, O forest and every tree therein! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel!
24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He Who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD Who made all things, Who spread out the heavens alone, and stretched out the Earth by Myself.
25 “I destroy the signs of the soothsayers, and make fools of those who boast, and turn the wise men backward and make their knowledge foolishness.”
26 He confirms the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be inhabited!” And to the cities of Judah, “You shall be built up! And I will repair its decayed places.”
27 He says to the deep, “Be dry!” and, “I will dry up your rivers!”
28 He says to Cyrus, “You are My shepherd,” and, “He shall perform all My desire,” saying also to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the Temple, “Your foundation shall surely be laid.”
Isaiah 44
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 44
1 Now listen to me, O Jacob, my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you in the womb
and will continue to help you:
Do not fear, O Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun[a] whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour down rain on the thirsty land
and open up streams on the dry ground.
I will pour out my Spirit upon your offspring
and my blessing upon your descendants.
4 They will spring up amid the grass
like willows besides flowing waters.
5 One person will say, “I am the Lord’s,”
while another will call himself a son of Jacob.
And on his hand still another will write “The Lord’s,”
and adopt Israel as a surname.
The One True God and False Gods
6 Thus says the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
Israel’s king and redeemer:
I am the first and I am the last;
there is no god but me.
7 Who is like me? Let him stand up and speak.
Let him declare it and set forth his evidence.
Who in the past has foretold future events?
Let him foretell to us what is yet to occur.
8 Do not fear or be afraid.
Did I not proclaim all this
and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses in this regard.
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other Rock;
I am aware of none.
9 All those who make idols amount to nothing, and the images in which they take such pride profit no one. Their witnesses are blind and ignorant, and therefore they become objects of scorn. 10 Who would waste his time in fashioning a god or casting an image that will serve no purpose? 11 All who believe in their power will be put to shame, as will the craftsmen who fashioned them. Let them all assemble and approach me with terror and with shame.
12 The blacksmith fashions an ax over the coals, shaping it with hammers and forging it with his strong arm. Then he becomes hungry and his strength fails, and he becomes exhausted because he has not consumed any water.
13 The woodworker measures with a line and marks out an outline with a stylus. He shapes it with a plane and marks it with a compass. Then he carves it into the shape of a man, comely in appearance and dignity, to be placed in a shrine.
14 He also cuts down cedars or chooses a cypress or an oak that he has allowed to grow strong among the other trees of the forest, and a pine tree that he had planted and the rain has nourished. 15 When such trees are suitable to burn, he can use some of them to keep warm or to bake bread, but with others he fashions a god and worships it, shaping it into an idol and bowing down before it.
16 Half of the trees he uses to burn in the fire to roast meat which he eats and is satisfied, while at the same time he warms himself and says, “Ah, how warm I am from the heat of the fire.” 17 With the remainder he fashions a god, an idol before which he bows down and offers worship. He prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 Such idols possess neither knowledge nor understanding, for their eyes are shut so that they cannot see, and their minds are incapable of reasoning. 19 Yet such a workman does not have the wisdom or the discernment to reflect, “Half of the wood I have burned in the fire, and I also used its embers to bake bread and to roast meat which I ate. Does it make sense to fashion an abomination with the remainder? Am I right to worship a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes. His deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself. He will not admit to himself, “What I have in my hand is a fraud.”
21 Remember these things, O Lord,
and you also, O Israel,
for you are my servant.
I fashioned you to be my servant;
O Israel, I will never forget you.
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like a mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.
23 Shout in triumphant joy, O heavens,
for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, O depths of the earth.
Break forth into song, you mountains,
you forests, with all your trees.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and displayed his glory in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, your redeemer,
who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord who made all things;
by myself I stretched out the heavens
by myself I spread out the earth.
25 I frustrate the omens of false prophets
and make fools of diviners.
I confound wise men
and reveal the foolishness of their thoughts.
26 I confirm the words of my servants
and carry out the plans revealed by my messengers.
I say to Jerusalem, You will be inhabited,
and to the cities of Judah, You will be rebuilt.
I will raise up their ruins.
27 I say to the deep waters, Become dry;
I will dry up your rivers.
28 I say to Cyrus, You will be my shepherd,
and he will carry out my every wish,
so that Jerusalem will be rebuilt
and the foundations of the temple will be laid.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:2 Jeshurun: a poetic endearment of uncertain meaning. See Deut 33:5, 26, where it is put on the lips of Moses.
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