Isaiah 44

Chapter 44

1 “But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant,
Israel my chosen one.2 The LORD who made you and helps you says:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
O dear Israel,t my chosen one.3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst
and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
and my blessing on your children.4 They will thrive like watered grass,
like willows on a riverbank.5 Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the LORD.’
Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’
Some will write the LORD’s name on their hands
and will take the name of Israel as their own.”

The Foolishness of Idols

6 This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:
“I am the First and the Last;
there is no other God.7 Who is like me?
Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
Let him do as I have done since ancient times
when I established a people and explained its future.8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?
You are my witnesses—is there any other God?
No! There is no other Rock—not one!”9 How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
These prized objects are really worthless.
The people who worship idols don’t know this,
so they are all put to shame.10 Who but a fool would make his own god—
an idol that cannot help him one bit?11 All who worship idols will be disgraced
along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—
who claim they can make a god.
They may all stand together,
but they will stand in terror and shame.12 The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,
pounding and shaping it with all his might.
His work makes him hungry and weak.
It makes him thirsty and faint.13 Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood
and draws a pattern on it.
He works with chisel and plane
and carves it into a human figure.
He gives it human beauty
and puts it in a little shrine.14 He cuts down cedars;
he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
to be nourished by the rain.15 Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol
and bows down in front of it!16 He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
and to keep himself warm.
He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”17 Then he takes what’s left
and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
worshiping and praying to it.
“Rescue me!” he says.
“You are my god!”18 Such stupidity and ignorance!
Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.19 The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
“Why, it’s just a block of wood!
I burned half of it for heat
and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
How can the rest of it be a god?
Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”

Restoration for Jerusalem

21 “Pay attention, O Jacob,
for you are my servant, O Israel.
I, the LORD, made you,
and I will not forget you.22 I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free.”23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing.
Shout for joy, O depths of the earth!
Break into song,
O mountains and forests and every tree!
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
and is glorified in Israel.24 This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer and Creator:
“I am the LORD, who made all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens.
Who was with me
when I made the earth?25 I expose the false prophets as liars
and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice,
thus proving them to be fools.26 But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!
By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’
and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt;
I will restore all your ruins!’27 When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’
they will be dry.28 When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’
he will certainly do as I say.
He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;
he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’”

ISAIAH 44

The [Lord]'s Promise to Israel

1 People of Israel,
I have chosen you
as my servant.

2 I am your Creator.
You were in my care
even before you were born.
Israel, don't be terrified!
You are my chosen servant,
my very favorite.t

3 I will bless the thirsty land
by sending streams of water;
I will bless your descendants
by giving them my Spirit.

4 They will spring up like grasst
or like willow trees
near flowing streams.

5 They will worship me
and become my people.
They will write my name
on the back of their hands.t

6  t I am the [Lord] All-Powerful,
the first and the last,
the one and only God.
Israel, I have rescued you!
I am your King.

7 Can anyone compare with me?
If so, let them speak up
and tell me now.
Let them say what has happened
since I made my nation
long ago,
and let them tell
what is going to happen.t

8 Don't tremble with fear!
Didn't I tell you long ago?
Didn't you hear me?
I alone am God—
no one else is a mighty rock.t

Idols Can't Do a Thing

The [Lord] said:

9 Those people who make idols
are nothing themselves,
and the idols they treasure
are just as worthless.
Worshipers of idols are blind,
stupid, and foolish.

10 Why make an idol or an image
that can't do a thing?

11 Everyone who makes idols
and all who worship them
are mere humans,
who will end up
sadly disappointed.
Let them face me in court
and be terrified.

Idols and Firewood

12 A metalworker shapes an idol
by using a hammert
and heat from the fire.
In his powerful hand
he holds a hammer,
as he pounds the metal
into the proper shape.
But he gets hungry and thirsty
and loses his strength.

13 Some woodcarver measures
a piece of wood,
then draws an outline.
The idol is carefully carved
with each detail exact.
At last it looks like a person
and is placed in a temple.

14 Either cedar, cypress, oak,
or any tree from the forest
may be chosen.
Or even a pine tree planted
by the woodcarver
and watered by the rain.

15  t Some of the wood is used
to make a fire for heating
or for cooking.
One piece is made into an idol,
then the woodcarver bows down
and worships it.

16 He enjoys the warm fire
and the meat that was roasted
over the burning coals.

17 Afterwards, he bows down
to worship the wooden idol.
“Protect me!” he says.
“You are my god.”
18 Those who worship idols are stupid and blind!

19 They don't have enough sense to say to themselves, “I made a fire with half of the wood and cooked my bread and meat on it. Then I made something worthless with the other half. Why worship a block of wood?”

20 How can anyone be stupid enough to trust something that can be burned to ashes?t No one can save themselves like that. Don't they realize that the idols they hold in their hands are not really gods?

The [Lord] Won't Forget //His People

21 People of Israel,
you are my servant,
so remember all of this.
Israel, I created you,
and you are my servant.
I won't forget you.t

22 Turn back to me!
I have rescued you
and swept away your sins
as though they were clouds.

Sing Praises to the [Lord]

23 Tell the heavens and the earth
to start singing!
Tell the mountains
and every tree in the forest
to join in the song!
The [Lord] has rescued his people;
now they will worship him.

The [Lord] Created Everything

24 Israel, I am your [Lord],
the source of your life,
and I have rescued you.
I created everything
from the sky above
to the earth below.

25  t I make liars of false prophets
and fools of fortunetellers.
I take human wisdom
and turn it into nonsense.

26 I will make the message
of my prophets come true.
They are saying, “Jerusalem
will be filled with people,
and the [Lord] will rebuild
the towns of Judah.”

27 I am the one who commands
the sea and its streams
to run dry.

28  t I am also the one who says,
“Cyrus will lead my people
and obey my orders.
Jerusalem and the temple
will be rebuilt.”