Babylon’s Idols and the True God

46 (A)Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;
Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle.
The things [a]that you carry are burdensome,
A load for the weary animal.
They stooped over, they have bowed down together;
They could not rescue the burden,
But [b]have themselves (B)gone into captivity.

(C)Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
And all (D)the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been (E)carried by Me from [c]birth
And have been carried from the womb;
Even to your old age (F)I [d]will be the same,
And even to your [e](G)graying years I will [f]carry you!
I have [g]done it, and I will bear you;
And I will [h]carry you and I will save you.

(H)To whom would you liken Me
And make Me equal, and compare Me,
That we would be alike?
Those who (I)lavish gold from the bag
And weigh silver on the scale,
Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
They (J)bow down, indeed they worship it.
They (K)lift it on the shoulder, carry it,
And set it in its place, and it stands there.
(L)It does not move from its place.
Though one may shout to it, it (M)cannot answer;
It (N)cannot save him from his distress.

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Notas al pie

  1. Isaiah 46:1 Lit carried by you
  2. Isaiah 46:2 Or their soul has
  3. Isaiah 46:3 Lit the belly
  4. Isaiah 46:4 Lit will be He
  5. Isaiah 46:4 Lit gray hairs
  6. Isaiah 46:4 Or support
  7. Isaiah 46:4 Or made you
  8. Isaiah 46:4 Or support

God is Unique and Eternal

46 “Bel[a] bows down, Nebo[b] stoops low.
    Their idols are on beasts, on[c] livestock.
        Your loads are more burdensome than their reports.[d]
They stoop, they bow down together,
    and[e] they are not able to rescue the burden,
        but they themselves go off[f] into captivity.

“Listen[g] to me, house of Jacob,
    and all you remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been upheld from before your birth,
    and who have been carried from the womb.
Even[h] until your[i] old age, I am the one,
    and I’ll carry you even until your gray hairs come.[j]
It is I who have created,[k] and I who will carry,
    and it is I who will bear and save.

“To whom will you compare me,
    count me equal,[l] or liken me,
        so that I[m] may be compared?
Those who pour out gold in[n] a purse,
    weigh silver in a balance,
hire a goldsmith in order to make[o] a god,
    and then[p] they bow down and even worship it.
And[q] they lift it on their shoulders, carry it,
    set it up in its place, and there it stands.
        It cannot move[r] from that spot.
One may even call to[s] it, but it cannot answer
    nor save him from his distress.

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Notas al pie

  1. Isaiah 46:1 I.e. the Babylonian sun god Marduk
  2. Isaiah 46:1 I.e. Nabu, the Babylonian god of astronomy and learning, son of Marduk
  3. Isaiah 46:1 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and on
  4. Isaiah 46:1 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read burdensome, a load for the weary
  5. Isaiah 46:2 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks and
  6. Isaiah 46:2 So 1QIsaa LXX (pl.); 4QIsab MT (sing.)
  7. Isaiah 46:3 So 1QIsaa (sing.); MT LXX (pl.)
  8. Isaiah 46:4 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and even
  9. Isaiah 46:4 1QIsaa MT LXX lack your
  10. Isaiah 46:4 1QIsaa MT LXX lack come
  11. Isaiah 46:4 Or made
  12. Isaiah 46:5 So 1QIsaa (sing.); 1QIsab MT read consider equal (pl.); LXX reads see
  13. Isaiah 46:5 So 1QIsaa; MT reads we
  14. Isaiah 46:6 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read from
  15. Isaiah 46:6 So 1QIsaa LXX; 4QIsab MT read make it
  16. Isaiah 46:6 Lit. and; so 1QIsaa 1QIsab LXX; MT lacks then
  17. Isaiah 46:7 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX lack And
  18. Isaiah 46:7 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads one cannot remove it
  19. Isaiah 46:7 So 1QIsaa; MT reads may cry out