Chronological
Yahweh Blesses Chosen Israel
44 “But now hear, Jacob my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says Yahweh, who made you,
and who formed you in[a] the womb and will help you:
you must not fear, my servant Jacob,
and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour out water on a thirsty land
and streams on dry ground.
I will pour my spirit out on your descendants[b]
and my blessing on your offspring.
4 And they shall sprout among[c] the grass
like willows by a watercourse of water.
5 This one will say, ‘I belong to Yahweh!’
And that one will be called by the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand ‘Yahweh’s’
and take the name[d] of Israel.”
Yahweh the Only God
6 Thus says Yahweh, the king of Israel,
and its redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:
“I am the first, and I am the last,
and there is no god besides me.
7 And who is like me? Let him proclaim[e] it!
And let him declare it and set it in order for me
since I established an eternal people[f] and things that are to come,
and let them tell them the things that are coming.
8 You must not tremble,[g]
and you must not be paralyzed with fear.
Have I not made you hear from of old[h]
and declared it, and you are my witnesses?
Is there a god besides me?
And there is no rock! I know none!”
Idolatry Is Ridiculous
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;[i]
they shall be ashamed together.
12 The ironsmith[j] works in the coals with his tool
and forms it with hammers.
And he makes it with his strong arm;[k]
indeed, he becomes hungry, and he lacks[l] strength;
he does not drink water, and he is faint.
13 The woodworker[m] 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.[n]
14 Cutting down cedars for himself,
he chooses[o] 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,[p]
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,[q]
their minds[r] so that they have no insight.[s]
19 And no one takes it to heart,[t] 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[u] misleads him.
And he cannot save himself,[v] and he cannot say,
“Is this not an illusion in my right hand?”
Yahweh Remembers Israel
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant:
I formed you; you are my servant;
Israel, you will not be forgotten by me!
22 I have wiped your transgressions out like a cloud
and your sins like mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you!”
23 Sing for joy, heavens, for Yahweh has done it!
Shout, depths of the earth!
Break forth, mountains, in rejoicing,
forest and every tree in it,
for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob,
and he will show his glory in Israel!
Jerusalem Restored through Cyrus
24 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer,
and he who formed you in[w] the womb:
“I am Yahweh, who made everything,
who stretched out the heavens alone,
who spread out the earth—who was with me?—
25 who frustrates[x] the signs of oracle priests
and makes a fool of diviners,
who drives the wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 who keeps[y] the word of his servant
and carries out the plan of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’
and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,
and I will restore its ruins’;
27 who says to the deep, ‘Dry up!
And I will cause your rivers to dry up’;
28 who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd,’
and he shall carry out all my wishes[z];
and saying of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be rebuilt,’
and the temple, ‘It shall be founded.’”
45 Thus says Yahweh to his anointed one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped
to subjugate nations before him,
and I uncover[aa] the loins of kings
to open doors before him,
and the gates shall not be shut:
2 “I myself will go before you,
and I will level the mountains.[ab]
I will break the doors of bronze
and cut throughthe bars of iron.
3 And I will give you the treasures of darkness
and treasures of secret places
so that you may know that I am Yahweh,
the one who calls you by your name, the God of Israel,
4 for the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen one.
And I call you by your name;
I give you a name of honor, though[ac] you do not know me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is none besides me;
besides me there is no god.
I gird you though[ad] you do not know me,
6 so that they may know from the rising of the sun
and from the west that there is none besides me;
I am Yahweh and there is none besides me.
7 I form light and I create darkness;
I make peace and I create evil;
I am Yahweh; I do all these things.
8 Trickle, O heavens, from above,
and let clouds trickle with righteousness;
let the earth open so that[ae] salvation may be fruitful,
and let it cause righteousness to sprout along with it.[af]
I myself, Yahweh, have created it.
9 Woe to the one who strives with his maker,[ag]
a potsherd among[ah] potsherds of earth!
Does the clay say to the one who fashions it,
‘What are you making?’
and ‘Your work has no hands’?
10 Woe to the one who says to a father, ‘What you are begetting?’
or[ai] to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
11 Thus says Yahweh, the holy one of Israel,
and its maker:[aj]
“Ask me of the things to come about[ak] my children,
and you command me about the work of my hands.
12 I myself made the earth,
and I created humankind upon it.
I, my hands, stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.
13 I myself have stirred him up in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths smooth.
He himself shall build my city,
and he shall set my exiles free,
not for price or a gift,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Yahweh the Only Savior
14 Thus says Yahweh:
“The acquisition of Egypt
and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, tall men,
shall pass over to you;
they shall be yours,
and they shall walk behind you.
They shall pass over in chains,
and they shall bow down to you;
they will pray to you:
‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other.
Besides him there is no God.’”
15 Surely you are a God who keeps yourself hidden,
God of Israel, the savior.
16 All of them are ashamed and indeed humiliated;
the craftsmen of idols go together in insult.
17 Israel is saved by Yahweh with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be ashamed,
and you shall not be humiliated to all eternity.[al]
18 For thus says Yahweh, who created[am] the heavens,
he is God, who formed[an] the earth
and who made[ao] it.
He himself established it;
he did not create it as emptiness—
he formed it for inhabiting.
“I am Yahweh and there is none besides me.
19 I have spoken not in secrecy, in a place, a land, of darkness,
I have not said to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain!’[ap]
I, Yahweh, am speaking righteousness,
declaring uprightness.
20 Assemble and come;
draw near together, survivors of the nations!
They do not know, those who carry their wooden idols[aq]
and pray to a god who cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case,
also let them consult together!
Who made this known[ar] from former times,[as]
declared it from of old?[at]
Was it not I, Yahweh?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God besides me,
and no savior besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth,
for I am God and there is none besides me.
23 I have sworn by myself;
a word that[au] shall not return has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness:
‘Every knee shall kneel down to me;
every tongue shall swear.’
24 ‘Only in Yahweh,’ one shall say to me, ‘are righteousness and strength.’
He shall come to him, and all those who were angry with him shall be ashamed.
25 In Yahweh all the offspring of Israel shall be in the right,
and they shall boast.”
Babylon’s Idols
46 Bel bows down;
Nebo is stooping.
Their idols are on[av] animals[aw] and on[ax] cattle;
your cargo[ay] is carried as a burden on[az] weary animals.
2 They stoop;
they bow down together.
They are not able to save the burden,
but[ba] they themselves go[bb] in captivity.
3 “Listen to me, house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel
who have been carried from the belly,
who have been carried from the womb:
4 Even[bc] to your old age I am he;
even[bd] to your advanced age I myself will support you.
I myself have made you,
and I myself will carry you,
and I myself will support you,
and I will save you.
5 To whom will you liken me,
and count as equal,
and compare with me,
as though[be] we were alike?
6 Those who lavish gold from the purse
and weigh out silver in the balance scales;
hire a goldsmith[bf]
and he makes him a god;
they bow down,
indeed they bow in worship.
7 They carry it on their shoulder;
they support it and they set it in its place,
and it stands in position.
It cannot be removed from its place;
even when he cries out to it, it does not answer.
It does not save him from his trouble.
8 Remember this and pluck up courage!
Call to mind,[bg] you transgressors!
9 Remember the former things from a long time ago,[bh]
for I am God and there is none besides me,
God and there is none like me,
10 who from the beginning declares the end,
and from before, things that have not been done,
who says, ‘My plan shall stand,’
and, ‘I will accomplish[bi] all my wishes,’[bj]
11 who calls a bird of prey from the east,
the man of his[bk] plan from a country from afar.
Indeed I have spoken; indeed I will bring it to being.
I have formed it; indeed I will do it.
12 Listen to me, strong of heart,
far from righteousness!
13 I bring my righteousness near; it is not far.
And my salvation will not delay;
and I will put[bl] salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.”
Babylon’s Fall
47 Come down and sit on the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon!
Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of Chaldea!
For they shall no longer call[bm] you tender and delicate.
2 Take the pair of mill stones and grind flour!
Uncover your veil,
strip off your skirt,
uncover your thigh,
pass through the rivers!
3 Your nakedness shall be exposed;
indeed, your shame shall become visible.
I will take vengeance
and I will not spare[bn] a person.
4 Our redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the holy one of Israel.
5 Sit silently and go into the darkness, daughter of Chaldea,
for they shall no longer call[bo] you mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my inheritance,
and I gave them into your hand.
You did not give[bp] them mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 And you said, “I shall be an eternal mistress forever!”
You did not set these things upon your heart;
you did not remember its end.
8 Therefore now hear this, luxuriant one who sits[bq] in security,
who says[br] in her heart, “I am, and besides me there is no one.
I shall not sit as a widow,
and I shall not know the loss of children.”
9 And these two shall come to you in a moment, in one day:
the loss of children and widowhood shall come on you completely,[bs]
in spite of your many sorceries,
in spite of the power of your great enchantments.
10 And you felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one[bt] sees[bu] me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart, “I am, and besides me there is no one.”
11 And evil shall come upon you, you will not know;
it will be on the lookout for her.
And disaster shall fall upon you; you will not be able to avert[bv] it.
And ruin shall come on you suddenly; you do not know.
12 Stand, now, in your enchantments,
and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you may be able to benefit;
perhaps you may scare away.[bw]
13 You struggle with your many consultations;[bx]
let them stand, now, and save you—
those who see the stars, divide the celestial sphere,[by]
who inform by new moons—
from those things that are coming upon you.
14 Look! They are like stubble;
the fire burns them completely.
They cannot deliver themselves[bz] from the power[ca] of the flame;
there is no coal for warming oneself,[cb]
no fire before which to sit.
15 So are to you those with whom you have labored,
your traders from your youth.
They wander, each to his side;
there is no one who can save you.
Yahweh Refines Stubborn Israel
48 Hear this, house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel
and came out from the waters of Judah,
who swear by the name of Yahweh,
and invoke[cc] the God of Israel,
but not in truth
and not in righteousness.
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,[cd]
and they lean on the God of Israel—
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
3 “I declared the former things from of old,[ce]
and they went out from my mouth.
And I announced[cf] them suddenly;
I acted,[cg] and they came to pass,
4 because I know[ch] that you are obstinate,
and your neck an iron sinew,
and your forehead bronze.
5 And I declared them to you from of old;
I announced[ci] them to you before they came to pass
so that you would not say, ‘My idol did them,
and my image and my cast image commanded them.’
6 You have heard; see it all.
And will you not declare it?
I announce[cj] new things to you from this time
and hidden things that[ck] you have not known.
7 Now they are created, and not from of old,[cl]
and before today, and you have not heard them
so that you could not say, “Look! I knew them.”
8 Neither have you heard, nor have you known,
nor from of old[cm] has your ear been opened.
For I knew you would deal treacherously, very treacherously,
and you are called a rebel from the womb.
9 For the sake of my name I refrain from[cn] my anger,
and for my praise I restrain it for you
so as not to cut you off.
10 Look! I have refined you, but[co] not like[cp] silver;
I have chosen you in the furnace of misery.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake I do it;
for why should it[cq] be defiled?
And I will not give my glory to another.”
Yahweh Frees Israel
12 “Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:[cr]
I am he. I am the first;
also I am the last.
13 Indeed, my hand founded the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon[cs] them, they stand in position together.
14 Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them declared these things?
Yahweh loves him;
he shall perform[ct] his wish against Babylon
and his arm against the Chaldeans.[cu]
15 I, I myself, I have spoken!
Indeed, I have called him.
I have brought him,
and he will be successful in his way.
16 Draw near to me; hear this! I have not spoken in secrecy from the beginning;[cv]
from the time it came to be,[cw] there I have been;
And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me and his Spirit.”
17 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel:
“I am Yahweh your God, who teaches[cx] you to profit,
leads you in the way you should go.
18 O that you had listened attentively to my commandments!
Then[cy] your prosperity would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 And your offspring would have been like the sand,
and the descendants of your body[cz] like its grains.[da]
It would not be cut off,
and its name would not be destroyed from my presence.”
20 Go out from Babylon!
Flee from Chaldea!
Proclaim[db] it with a shout[dc] of rejoicing; proclaim[dd] this!
Send it forth[de] to the end of the earth;
say, “Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 And when he led them through the deserts, they were not thirsty;
he made water flow from the rock for them,
and he split the rock,
and the water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace,” says Yahweh, “for the wicked.”
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