The Blessings of Israel

44 “But now listen, Jacob, My (A)servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
This is what the Lord says, He who made you
And (B)formed you from the womb, who (C)will help you:
(D)Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And [a](E)Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
For (F)I will pour water on [b]the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will (G)pour out My Spirit on your (H)offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
And they will spring up [c]among the grass
Like (I)poplars by streams of water.’
This one will say, ‘I am the Lords’;
And that one [d]will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will (J)write [e]on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.

“This is what the Lord says, He who is the (K)King of Israel and his (L)Redeemer, the Lord of armies:

‘I am the (M)first and I am the last,
And there is no God (N)besides Me.
Who is like Me? (O)Let him proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
[f]Beginning with My establishing of the ancient [g]nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
(P)Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And (Q)you are My witnesses.
Is there any God (R)besides Me,
Or is there any other (S)Rock?
I know of none.’”

The Foolishness of Idolatry

Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be (T)put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to (U)no benefit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be (V)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.

12 The (W)craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, [h]fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and [i]his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 (X)The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of (Y)mankind, so that it may sit in a (Z)house. 14 He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also (AA)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and (AB)bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 Yet the rest of it he (AC)makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also (AD)prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”

18 They do not (AE)know, nor do they understand, for He has (AF)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one [j]remembers, nor is there (AG)knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then [k]I make the rest of it into an (AH)abomination, [l]I bow down before a block of wood!” 20 He [m](AI)feeds on ashes; a (AJ)deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save [n]himself, nor say, “(AK)Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

God Forgives and Redeems

21 (AL)Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are (AM)My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will (AN)not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have (AO)wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a [o]heavy mist.
(AP)Return to Me, for I have (AQ)redeemed you.”
23 (AR)Shout for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
(AS)Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For (AT)the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He (AU)shows His glory.

24 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (AV)Redeemer, and the one who (AW)formed you from the womb:

“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
(AX)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth [p]alone,
25 (AY)Causing the [q]omens of diviners to fail,
[r]Making fools of fortune-tellers;
(AZ)Causing wise men to turn back
And [s]making their knowledge ridiculous,
26 (BA)Confirming the word of His servant
And [t]carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the (BB)cities of Judah, ‘(BC)They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers (BD)dry up.
28 It is I who says of (BE)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And [u]he says of Jerusalem, ‘(BF)She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘[v]Your foundation will be laid.’”

God Uses Cyrus

45 This is what the Lord says to (BG)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right (BH)hand,
To (BI)subdue nations before him
And [w]to (BJ)undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
“I will go before you and (BK)make the [x]rough places smooth;
I will (BL)shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron (BM)bars.
I will give you the [y](BN)treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who (BO)calls you by your name.
For the sake of (BP)Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also (BQ)called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have (BR)not known Me.
I am the Lord, and (BS)there is no one else;
(BT)There is no God except Me.
I will (BU)[z]arm you, though you have not known Me,
So that (BV)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is (BW)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
The One (BX)forming light and (BY)creating darkness,
Causing [aa]well-being and (BZ)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

(CA)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the (CB)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
(CC)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.

“Woe to the one who (CD)quarrels with [ab]his Maker—
A piece of pottery [ac]among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the (CE)clay say to the [ad]potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you [ae]giving birth?’”

11 This is what the (CF)Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and [af]his (CG)Maker:

[ag](CH)Ask Me about the things to come [ah]concerning My (CI)sons,
And you shall commit to Me (CJ)the work of My hands.
12 It is I who (CK)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I (CL)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I [ai]ordained (CM)all their [aj]lights.
13 I have stirred him in (CN)righteousness,
And I will (CO)make all his ways smooth.
He will (CP)build My city and let My exiles go (CQ)free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The [ak]products of (CR)Egypt and the merchandise of [al](CS)Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will (CT)come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in (CU)chains
And will (CV)bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
[am](CW)God certainly is [an]with you, and (CX)there is no one else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who (CY)hides Himself,
God of Israel, (CZ)Savior!
16 They will be (DA)put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The (DB)manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an (DC)everlasting salvation;
You (DD)will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.

18 For this is what the Lord says, He who (DE)created the heavens (He is the God who (DF)formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it [ao]as a (DG)waste place, but formed it to be (DH)inhabited):

“I am the Lord, and (DI)there is no one else.
19 (DJ)I have not spoken in secret,
In [ap]some dark land;
I did not say to the [aq](DK)offspring of Jacob,
(DL)Seek Me in [ar]a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, (DM)speak righteousness,
(DN)Declaring things that are right.

20 (DO)Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
(DP)They have no knowledge,
Who (DQ)carry around [as]their wooden idol
And (DR)pray to a god who cannot save.
21 (DS)Declare and present your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
(DT)Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is (DU)no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a (DV)Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 (DW)Turn to Me and (DX)be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (DY)I have sworn by Myself;
The (DZ)word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me (EA)every knee will bow, every tongue will (EB)swear allegiance.
24 They will say of Me, ‘Only (EC)in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And (ED)all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be (EE)justified and will (EF)boast.”

Babylon’s Idols and the True God

46 (EG)Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;
Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle.
The things [at]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 [au]have themselves (EH)gone into captivity.

(EI)Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
And all (EJ)the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been (EK)carried by Me from [av]birth
And have been carried from the womb;
Even to your old age (EL)I [aw]will be the same,
And even to your [ax](EM)graying years I will [ay]carry you!
I have [az]done it, and I will bear you;
And I will [ba]carry you and I will save you.

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

(EU)Remember this, and be [bb]assured;
(EV)Recall it to [bc]mind, you (EW)wrongdoers.
Remember the (EX)former things long past,
For I am God, and there is (EY)no other;
I am God, and there is (EZ)no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘(FA)My plan will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a (FB)bird of prey from the (FC)east,
The man of [bd]My purpose from a distant country.
Truly I have (FD)spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, I will certainly do it.

12 (FE)Listen to Me, you (FF)stubborn-minded,
Who are (FG)far from righteousness.
13 I (FH)bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant (FI)salvation in Zion,
And My (FJ)glory for Israel.

Mourning for Babylon

47 (FK)Come down and sit in the dust,
(FL)Virgin (FM)daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called (FN)tender and delicate.
Take the (FO)millstones and (FP)grind flour.
Remove your (FQ)veil, (FR)strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
Your (FS)nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will (FT)take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
Our (FU)Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
(FV)Sit silently, and go into (FW)darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The (FX)queen of (FY)kingdoms.
I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the (FZ)aged you made your yoke very heavy.
Yet you said, ‘I will be a (GA)queen forever.’
These things you did not (GB)consider
Nor remember the (GC)outcome of [be]them.

“Now, then, hear this, you (GD)luxuriant one,
Who (GE)lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
(GF)I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will (GG)not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
But these (GH)two things will come on you (GI)suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many (GJ)sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt (GK)secure in your wickedness and said,
(GL)No one sees me,’
Your (GM)wisdom and your knowledge, [bf]they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
(GN)I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But (GO)evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And (GP)destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you (GQ)suddenly.

12 “Persist now in your (GR)spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are (GS)wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the (GT)astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and (GU)save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become (GV)like stubble,
(GW)Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be (GX)no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have (GY)done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own [bg]way;
There is (GZ)no one to save you.

Israel’s Obstinacy

48 (HA)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (HB)waters of Judah,
Who (HC)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (HD)righteousness.
For they name themselves after the (HE)holy city,
And (HF)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
I (HG)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(HH)Suddenly I acted, and they (HI)came to pass.
Because I know that you are [bh](HJ)obstinate,
And your (HK)neck is an iron tendon
And your (HL)forehead bronze,
Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [bi]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (HM)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (HN)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
You have not (HO)heard, you have not known.
Even from long ago your ear has not been open,
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a [bj](HP)rebel from [bk]birth.
(HQ)For the sake of My name I (HR)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (HS)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (HT)furnace of affliction.
11 (HU)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (HV)glory to another.

Rescue Promised

12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [bl]whom I called;
(HW)I am He, (HX)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (HY)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (HZ)call to them, they stand together.
14 (IA)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(IB)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (IC)carry out His good pleasure against (ID)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (IE)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (IF)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (IG)not spoken in secret,
(IH)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (II)the Lord [bm]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”

17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (IJ)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (IK)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (IL)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [bn](IM)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (IN)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [bo](IO)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [bp]your offspring like its grains;
(IP)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”

20 (IQ)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (IR)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(IS)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(IT)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (IU)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (IV)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (IW)the water gushed out.
22 (IX)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 44:2 I.e., Israel
  2. Isaiah 44:3 Or him who is thirsty
  3. Isaiah 44:4 Another reading is like grass among the waters
  4. Isaiah 44:5 Another reading is will be called by the name of Jacob
  5. Isaiah 44:5 Or with
  6. Isaiah 44:7 Lit From My establishing of
  7. Isaiah 44:7 Or people
  8. Isaiah 44:12 Lit and fashions
  9. Isaiah 44:12 Lit there is no strength
  10. Isaiah 44:19 Lit returns to his heart
  11. Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I make?
  12. Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I bow...?
  13. Isaiah 44:20 Or is a companion of ashes
  14. Isaiah 44:20 Lit his soul
  15. Isaiah 44:22 Or cloud
  16. Isaiah 44:24 Or who was with Me?
  17. Isaiah 44:25 Lit signs
  18. Isaiah 44:25 Lit He makes
  19. Isaiah 44:25 Lit He turns
  20. Isaiah 44:26 Lit He performs
  21. Isaiah 44:28 Lit to say
  22. Isaiah 44:28 Lit You will be founded
  23. Isaiah 45:1 Lit I will loose
  24. Isaiah 45:2 Another reading is mountains
  25. Isaiah 45:3 Or hoarded treasures
  26. Isaiah 45:5 Or embrace
  27. Isaiah 45:7 Or peace
  28. Isaiah 45:9 Lit He who formed him
  29. Isaiah 45:9 Lit with
  30. Isaiah 45:9 Lit he who formed him
  31. Isaiah 45:10 Lit in labor pains with
  32. Isaiah 45:11 Lit He who formed him
  33. Isaiah 45:11 Or Will you ask
  34. Isaiah 45:11 Or upon
  35. Isaiah 45:12 Or commanded
  36. Isaiah 45:12 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
  37. Isaiah 45:14 Lit labor
  38. Isaiah 45:14 Or Ethiopia
  39. Isaiah 45:14 Or God is with you alone
  40. Isaiah 45:14 Or in
  41. Isaiah 45:18 LXX in vain
  42. Isaiah 45:19 Lit a place of a land of darkness
  43. Isaiah 45:19 Lit seed
  44. Isaiah 45:19 Or vain
  45. Isaiah 45:20 Lit the wood of their carved image
  46. Isaiah 46:1 Lit carried by you
  47. Isaiah 46:2 Or their soul has
  48. Isaiah 46:3 Lit the belly
  49. Isaiah 46:4 Lit will be He
  50. Isaiah 46:4 Lit gray hairs
  51. Isaiah 46:4 Or support
  52. Isaiah 46:4 Or made you
  53. Isaiah 46:4 Or support
  54. Isaiah 46:8 Lit firm
  55. Isaiah 46:8 Lit heart
  56. Isaiah 46:11 Lit His
  57. Isaiah 47:7 Lit it
  58. Isaiah 47:10 Lit it has
  59. Isaiah 47:15 Lit side, region
  60. Isaiah 48:4 Or harsh
  61. Isaiah 48:5 Lit it
  62. Isaiah 48:8 Or transgressor
  63. Isaiah 48:8 Lit the belly
  64. Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
  65. Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  66. Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
  67. Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
  68. Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts

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