Chronological
God’s Blessing on Israel
44 “But now listen, Jacob my servant
and Israel whom I have chosen:
2 This what the Lord says, the one who made you,
formed you from the womb,
and who will help[a] you:
“Don’t be afraid, Jacob my servant,
and Jeshurun,[b] whom I have chosen.
3 For I’ll pour water upon thirsty ground
and streams on parched land.
So[c] will I pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing upon your descendants.
4 They’ll[d] spring up as among[e] the green grass,
like willows by flowing streams.
5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,’
and another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will have written on his hand, ‘the Lord’s,’
and will adopt the name of Israel.”
I am the First and the Last
6 This is what the Lord says, the King of Israel
and its Redeemer—
the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name—[f]
“I am the first and I am the last,
and apart from me there is no God.
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim
and declare it, and lay it out for himself—[g]
since he made[h] an ancient people.
And let him speak[i] future events;
let them tell him what[j] will happen.
8 Don’t tremble, and don’t be afraid.[k]
Didn’t I tell you and announce it long ago?
You are my witnesses.
Is there any God besides me?
There is no other Rock—
I don’t know of any.”
A Rebuke to Idol Worship
9 Now,[l] all the forming of[m] images means nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their own witnesses cannot see, and they[n] know nothing. So they will be put to shame.
10 Who would shape a god or cast an image that profits nothing? 11 To be sure, all who associate with it will be put to shame; and as for the craftsmen, they are only human. Let them all gather together and[o] take their stand. Then[p] let them be terrified—they will be humiliated together.
12 The blacksmith prepares a tool and works in the coals, then[q] fashions an idol with hammers, working by the strength of his arm. He even becomes hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.
13 The carpenter measures it[r] with a line; he traces its shape with a stylus, then fashions it with planes and shapes it with a compass. He makes the idol like a human figure, with human beauty, to be at home[s] in a shrine. 14 He cuts down cedars, or chooses a cypress tree or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. Or he plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. 15 He divides it up[t] for people to burn. Taking part of it, he warms himself, makes a fire, and bakes bread. Or perhaps[u] he constructs a god and worships it. He makes it an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half the wood he burns in the fire, and[v] over[w] that half he places[x] meat so he can eat. He sits by its coals, warms himself,[y] and says, “Ah! I am warm in front of[z] the fire.” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god. To blocks[aa] of wood he bows down, worships, prays, and says, “Save me, since you are my god.”
18 They don’t realize; they don’t understand, because their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds, too, so they cannot understand. 19 No one stops to think. No one has the knowledge or understanding to think—yes to think!—[ab]“Half of it I burned in the fire. I even baked bread on its coals, and[ac] I roasted meat and ate it. And[ad] am I about to make detestable things[ae] from what is left? Am I about to bow down to blocks[af] of wood?” 20 He tends ashes. A deceived mind has lead him astray. It cannot be his life,[ag] nor can he say, “There’s a lie in my right hand.”[ah]
A Call to Remembrance and Joy
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
Israel,[ai] for you are my servant.
I have formed you;
you are a servant to me.
Israel,[aj] you must not mislead me.[ak]
22 I’ve wiped away your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist.
Return to me;
because I’ve redeemed you.
23 “Shout for joy, you heavens,
for the Lord has done it!
Shout aloud, you depths of the earth!
Burst out with singing, you mountains,
you forest, and all your trees!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and will display his glory in Israel.
24 “This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer
and the one who formed you in the womb:
‘I am the Lord, who has made everything,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth—
Who was with me at that time?—[al]
25 who frustrates the omens of idle talkers,
and drives diviners mad,
who turns back the wise,
and makes their knowledge foolish;[am]
26 who carries out the words of his servants,
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, “It will be inhabited,”
and of Judah’s cities, “They will be rebuilt,”
and of her ruins, “I’ll raise them up”;
27 who says to the watery deep, “Be dry—
I will dry up your rivers;”
28 who says about Cyrus, “He’s my shepherd,
and he’ll carry out everything that I please:
He’ll say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’
and of my[an] Temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid again.’”’”
Cyrus: God’s Deliverer
45 This is what the Lord says to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him,
as I strip kings of their armor,[ao]
to open doors[ap] before him
and gates that cannot keep closed:
2 “I myself will go before you,
and he[aq] will make the mountains[ar] level;
I’ll shatter bronze doors
and cut through iron bars.
3 I’ll give you concealed treasures[as]
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you’ll know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel[at] my chosen,
I’ve called you,
and he has established you with a name,[au]
although you have not acknowledged me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other besides me:
and there are no gods.[av]
I’m strengthening you,
although you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the sun’s rising[aw] to the west
people may know that there is none besides me.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
God is Sovereign
7 “I form light and create darkness,
I make goodness[ax] and create disaster.
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 “Shout,[ay] you skies above, and you clouds,
and let righteousness stream down.[az]
I am[ba] the one who says to the earth, ‘Let salvation blossom,
and let righteousness sprout forth.’[bb]
9 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his makers,[bc]
a mere potsherd with the potsherds of the[bd] earth!
Woe to the one who says[be] to the one forming him,
‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no human[bf] hands?’!
10 Woe to the[bg] one who says to his father,
‘What are you begetting?’
or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’!”
11 This is what the Lord[bh] says,
the Creator of the signs:
“Question me about my children,[bi]
or give me orders about the work of my hands.
12 I myself made the earth
and personally created humankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the skies;
I marshaled all their starry hosts.”
God will Bless Cyrus
13 “I have aroused him[bj] in righteousness,
and I’ll make all his pathways smooth.
It is he who will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price nor reward, ”
says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The wealth of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia,
those[bk] Sabeans, men of great heights.[bl]
They’ll come over to you and will be yours;
They’ll trudge behind you—
coming over in chains, they’ll bow down to you.
They’ll plead with you,
‘Surely God is in you;
and there is no other God at all.’”
God as Savior of Israel
15 “Truly you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 All of them will be put to shame—indeed, disgraced!
The makers of idols will go off in disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
you won’t be put to shame or disgraced ever again.”
18 For this is what the Lord says,
who created the heavens—
he is God,
and[bm] the one who formed the earth and made it,
and[bn] he is the one who established it;
he didn’t create it for[bo] chaos,
but formed it to be inhabited—
“I am the Lord and there is no other.
19 I didn’t speak in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I didn’t say to Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in chaos.’
I, the Lord, speak truth,
declaring what is right.
20 “Gather together and come;
draw near and enter,[bp]
your fugitives from the nations.
Those who carry around their wooden idols
know nothing,
nor do those who keep praying to a god
that cannot save.
21 Explain and present a case!
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who announced this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides me,
a righteous God and Savior;
and[bq] there is none besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth.
For I am God, and there is no other.
Every Knee will Bow
23 By myself I have sworn—
from my mouth has gone out integrity,
a promise[br] that won’t be revoked:
‘To me every knee will bow,
and[bs] every tongue will swear.’
24 One will say of me,[bt]
‘Only in the Lord are victories and might.’
All who raged against him will come[bu] to him
and will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
will triumph and make their boast.”
God is Unique and Eternal
46 “Bel[bv] bows down, Nebo[bw] stoops low.
Their idols are on beasts, on[bx] livestock.
Your loads are more burdensome than their reports.[by]
2 They stoop, they bow down together,
and[bz] they are not able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go off[ca] into captivity.
3 “Listen[cb] 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.
4 Even[cc] until your[cd] old age, I am the one,
and I’ll carry you even until your gray hairs come.[ce]
It is I who have created,[cf] and I who will carry,
and it is I who will bear and save.
5 “To whom will you compare me,
count me equal,[cg] or liken me,
so that I[ch] may be compared?
6 Those who pour out gold in[ci] a purse,
weigh silver in a balance,
hire a goldsmith in order to make[cj] a god,
and then[ck] they bow down and even worship it.
7 And[cl] they lift it on their shoulders, carry it,
set it up in its place, and there it stands.
It cannot move[cm] from that spot.
One may even call to[cn] it, but it cannot answer
nor save him from his distress.
8 “Remember this, and stand firm;
take it again to heart, you rebels.
9 Remember the former things from long ago,
Because I am God, and there is no one else;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I declare from the beginning things to follow,[co]
and from ancient times things that have not yet been done;
saying, ‘My purpose will stand,
and he[cp] will accomplish everything that I please.’
11 I am calling a bird of prey from the east,
and from a far country a man with his[cq] purpose.
Indeed, I’ve spoken;
I will certainly make it happen;
I’ve planned it;[cr]
and I will certainly carry it out.
12 “Listen to me, you hard-hearted,
you who are far removed from righteousness:
13 My righteousness is brought near[cs] and[ct] it’s not far off,
and my salvation won’t delay.
I’ll[cu] grant salvation in Zion,
and[cv] to Israel, my glory.”
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Come down and sit in the dust,
Virgin Daughter of Babylon.
Sit on[cw] the ground without a chair,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For no longer will they call you
tender and attractive.
2 Take millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil,
strip off your robes,[cx]
bare your legs,
and wade through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness will be[cy] exposed,
and your disgrace will also be seen.
I’ll take vengeance,
and I will spare no mortal.
4 “Our Redeemer—
the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name—
is the Holy One of Israel.
5 “Sit silent,[cz] and enter into the darkness,
you daughter of the Chaldeans;
for no more will they call you
Queen of Kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people,
and[da] I desecrated my heritage,
and gave them into your control.
You showed them no mercy;
even on the aged you laid your yoke most heavily.
7 You said, ‘I will always continue—Queen forever!’
You didn’t take these things into your thinking,
nor did you think about their consequences.[db]
8 “Now hear this, you wanton creature,
lounging with no cares,
and saying to herself:
‘I am the one, and there will be none besides me;
I won’t live as a widow,
nor will I see[dc] the loss of children.’
9 Both of these things will overtake you
suddenly on a single day:
loss of children and widowhood.
They will come upon you in full measure,
despite the multitude of your incantations
and the great power of your spells.”
Self-Deception of the Babylonians
10 “You trusted in your own knowledge.[dd]
You said, ‘No one sees me.’
Your wisdom and knowledge have misled you.
You said in your heart,
‘I am the one, and there will be none besides me.’
11 “But disaster will come[de] upon you,
and[df] you will not know how to charm it away.
A calamity will befall you
that you will not be able to[dg] ward off;
and devastation will come upon you suddenly,
and[dh] you won’t anticipate it.
12 “But[di] stand up now with your spells
and your many incantations,
at which you have labored from your childhood until today,[dj]
13 according to[dk] your multiple schemes.
Let them stand up now—
those who conjure[dl] the heavens
and[dm] gaze at the stars,
predicting at the new moons—
and save you from what is about to happen to them.[dn]
14 “See, they are just like stubble;
fire burns them up.
They could not[do] even save themselves
from the power of the flame.
There will be no coals for warming oneself,
no fire to sit by.
15 So will they be to you—those with whom you toiled
and did business since your childhood—
they wander about, each in his own direction;
there is not one who can save you.
God the Creator and Redeemer
48 “Listen to this, house of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel,
and who have come forth from Judah’s loins;[dp]
you who swear oaths in the name of the Lord
and invoke the God of Israel—
but not in truth, nor in good faith.
2 For they name themselves after the holy city,
and rely on the God of Israel—
the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name.
3 I foretold the former things long ago;
it[dq] went forth from my mouth,
and I disclosed them;
Suddenly, I acted,
and they came to pass.
4 Because I knew[dr] that you are obstinate,
and because your neck is an iron sinew,
and your forehead is bronze,
5 I told you these things long ago;
I announced them to you before they happened
so that you couldn’t say, ‘My idol did them;
my[ds] carved image or metal idol ordained them.’
6 “You have heard—now look at them all!
How[dt] can you not admit them?
From now on, I’ll make you hear new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
7 They are created now, and not long ago;
you didn’t hear them before today,
so you cannot say, ‘Yes, I knew them.’
8 And[du] neither had you heard, nor did you understand,
nor did you open[dv] your ear long ago.[dw]
Indeed, I knew that[dx] you would act very deceitfully,
and they would call[dy] you a rebel from birth.
9 I defer my anger for my name’s sake,
and as my first act[dz] I’m restraining it for you,
so as not to cut you off.
10 Look, I have refined you, but not like silver;
I have purified[ea] you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake—Yes, for my own sake!—I’m doing it;
indeed, how can I be profaned?[eb]
Furthermore, I won’t give my glory to another.”
The Lord Calls Israel
12 “Listen to these things,[ec] Jacob,
and Israel, whom I have called.
I am the One: I am the first,
I am even[ed] the last.
13 Moreover, my hands laid[ee] the earth’s foundation,
and my right hand spread out the heavens.
I call out to them,
and[ef] they stand up together.
14 Let all of them come together and listen:[eg]
Who is there among them that could declare[eh] these things?
“The Lord loves me,[ei]
and he will accomplish[ej] my purpose[ek] against Babylon;
his arm[el] will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I—Yes, I!—have spoken;
indeed, I’ve called and[em] I’ve brought him,
and he will make his path successful.[en]
16 Draw near to me, and[eo] listen to this:
‘From the beginning I haven’t spoken in secret;
at[ep] the time it happened, I was there.’
And now the Lord God, and his Spirit, has sent me.[eq]
17 “This is what the Lord says,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who directs you[er] in the path by which[es] you should go.
18 Now[et] if only you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your success like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants would’ve been like the sand,
and your offspring[eu] like its numberless grains.
Their name wouldn’t have been cut off
or annihilated out of my reach.
20 “Go out from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans!
With happy shouts, announce
and[ev] proclaim this[ew] to the ends[ex] of the earth:
Say, ‘The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!’
21 They didn’t thirst when he led him[ey] through the desolate places.
He made water gush[ez] from a rock for them;
he split open the rock, and water gushed out.
22 “But[fa] there is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
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