Isaiah 44:9-20

Lexham English Bible

⁹ All those who form an idol are nothing,
    and their delightful things do not profit.
And their witnesses do not see or know,
    so they will be ashamed.
¹⁰     Who would form a god
    and cast an image of which he cannot profit?
¹¹ Look! all his companions shall be ashamed,
    and the artisans are human!
Let all of them assemble;
    let them stand up.
They shall tremble;^[a]
    they shall be ashamed together.
¹² The ironsmith^[b] works in the coals with his tool
    and forms it with hammers.
And he makes it with his strong arm;^[c]
    indeed, he becomes hungry, and he lacks^[d] strength;
    he does not drink water, and he is faint.
¹³ The woodworker^[e] stretches out a line;
    he makes an outline of it with a marker.
He makes it with a knife
    and makes an outline of it with a compass.
He makes it like the image of a man,
    like the beauty of a human, to dwell in a temple.^[f]
14 Cutting down cedars for himself,
    he chooses^[g] a holm tree and an oak,
and he lets it grow strong for him among the trees of the forest.
    He plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow.
¹⁵ And it becomes fuel for a human,^[h]
    and he takes some of it and grows warm;
    also, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Also, he makes a god and bows in worship;
    he makes himself an image and bows down to it!
¹⁶ He burns half of it in the fire;
    he eats meat over half of it;
    he roasts a roast and is satisfied.
Also he grows warm and says, “Ah!
    I am warm! I see the fire!”
¹⁷ And he makes the remainder of it into a god!
    He bows down to his idol,
and he bows in worship and prays to him,
    and he says, “Save me, for you are my god!”
¹⁸ They do not know,
    and they do not understand,
for their eyes are besmeared so that they cannot see,^[i]
    their minds^[j] so that they have no insight.^[k]
19 And no one takes it to heart,^[l] and there is no knowledge
    and no understanding to say, “I burned half of it in the fire
and also I baked bread on its coals;
    I roasted meat, and I have eaten.
And I shall make the rest of it into an abomination!
    I shall bow down to a block of wood!”
²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a deceived mind^[m] misleads him.
    And he cannot save himself,^[n] and he cannot say,
        “Is this not an illusion in my right hand?”