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A Hymn of Praise to the Lord

15 The Lord made the earth by his power,
    and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
    he stretched out the heavens.
16 When he speaks in the thunder,
    the heavens roar with rain.
He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
    He sends the lightning with the rain
    and releases the wind from his storehouses.

17 The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
    The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
    These idols have no breath or power.
18 Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
    On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
19 But the God of Israel[a] is no idol!
    He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including his people, his own special possession.
    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

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Footnotes

  1. 51:19 Hebrew the Portion of Jacob. See note on 5:20.

15 “He made the earth by his power;
    he founded the world by his wisdom(A)
    and stretched(B) out the heavens by his understanding.(C)
16 When he thunders,(D) the waters in the heavens roar;
    he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain(E)
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(F)

17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(G)
    they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(H) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion(I) of Jacob is not like these,
    for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance(J)
    the Lord Almighty is his name.

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15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

16 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name.

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