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Isaiah 44:9-20
New International Version
Isaiah 44:9-20
New International Version
9 All who make idols(A) are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.(B)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;(C)
they are ignorant, to their own shame.(D)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,(E)
which can profit nothing?(F)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(G)
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.(H)
12 The blacksmith(I) takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.(J)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.(K)
13 The carpenter(L) measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,(M)
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.(N)
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine,(O) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(P) for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships(Q) it;
he makes an idol and bows(R) down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.(S)”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.(T)
He prays(U) to it and says,
“Save(V) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(W) nothing;
their eyes(X) are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding(Y) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(Z)
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(AA) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(AB)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(AC) a deluded(AD) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(AE)”
Isaiah 44:9-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Isaiah 44:9-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Absurdity of Idol Worship
9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit; their witnesses neither see nor know, and so they will be put to shame.(A) 10 Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do no good?(B) 11 All its devotees shall be put to shame; the artisans, too, are merely human. Let them all assemble; let them stand up; they shall be terrified; they shall all be put to shame.(C)
12 The blacksmith works it with a tool over the coals, shaping it with hammers and forging it with his strong arm; he becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.(D) 13 The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine.(E) 14 He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it can be used as fuel. Part of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down before it.(F) 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he roasts meat, eats it,[a] and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Ah, I am warm[b] by the fire!” 17 The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, bows down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god!”(G)
18 They do not know, nor do they comprehend, for their eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds as well, so that they cannot understand.(H) 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. Now shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”(I) 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?”(J)
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