1 Y et now hear, O Jacob, My servant and Israel, whom I have chosen.

And now, hear, O Jacob, My servant, And Israel, whom I have fixed on:

2 T hus says the Lord, Who made you and formed you from the womb, Who will help you: Fear not, O Jacob, My servant, and you Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Thus said Jehovah, thy Maker, and thy Former, From the womb He doth help thee; Fear not, my servant Jacob, And Jeshurun, whom I have fixed on.

3 F or I will pour water upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing upon your descendants.

For I pour waters on a thirsty one, And floods on a dry land, I pour My Spirit on thy seed, And My blessing on thine offspring.

4 A nd they shall spring up among the grass like willows or poplars by the watercourses.

And they have sprung up as among grass, As willows by streams of water.

5 O ne will say, I am the Lord’s; and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; and another will write upon his hand, I am the Lord’s, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

This saith, For Jehovah I, And this calleth by the name of Jacob, And this writeth his hand, `For Jehovah,' and by the name of Israel surnameth himself.

6 T hus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.

Thus said Jehovah, king of Israel, And his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: `I the first, and I the last, And besides Me there is no God.

7 W ho is like Me? Let him proclaim it, declare it, and set in order before Me, since I made and established the people of antiquity. the things that are coming? Then let them declare yet future things.

And who as I, doth call and declare it, And arrange it for Me, Since My placing the people of antiquity, And things that are coming, And those that do come, declare they to them?

8 F ear not, nor be afraid; have I not told it to you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no Rock; I know not any.

Fear not, nor be afraid, Have I not from that time caused thee to hear, and declared? And ye My witnesses, Is there a God besides Me? yea, there is none, A Rock I have not known.

9 A ll who make graven idols are confusion, chaos, and worthlessness. Their objects (idols) in which they delight do not profit them, and their own witnesses (worshipers) do not see or know, so that they are put to shame.

Framers of a graven image all of them emptiness, And their desirable things do not profit, And their own witnesses they, They see not, nor know, that they may be ashamed.

10 W ho is to fashion a god or cast a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

Who hath formed a god, And a molten image poured out -- not profitable?

11 B ehold, all his fellows shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen, they are but men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand forth; they shall be terrified, they shall be put to shame together.

Lo, all his companions are ashamed, As to artizans -- they of men, All of them gather together, they stand up, They fear, they are ashamed together.

12 T he ironsmith sharpens and uses a chisel and works it over the coals; he shapes with hammers and forges it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.

He hath wrought iron an axe, And hath wrought with coals, And with hammers doth form it, And doth work it by his powerful arm, Yea, he is hungry, and there is no power, He doth not drink water, and he is wearied.

13 T he carpenter stretches out a line, he marks it out with a pencil or red ocher; he fashions with planes and marks it out with the compasses; and he shapes it to have the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, that it may dwell in a house.

He hath wrought wood, He hath stretched out a rule, He doth mark it out with a line, He maketh it with carving tools, And with a compass he marketh it out, And maketh it according to the form of a man, According to the beauty of a man, To remain in the house.

14 H e hews for himself cedars, and takes the holm tree and the oak and lets them grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest; he plants a fir tree or an ash, and the rain nourishes it.

Cutting down to himself cedars, He taketh also a cypress, and an oak, And he strengtheneth for himself Among the trees of a forest, He hath planted an ash, and the shower doth nourish.

15 T hen it becomes fuel for a man to burn; a part of it he takes and warms himself, yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. he also makes a god and worships it! He makes it into a graven image and falls down and worships it!

And it hath been for man to burn, And he taketh of them, and becometh warm, Yea, he kindleth, and hath baked bread, Yea, he maketh a god, and boweth himself, He hath made it a graven image, And he falleth down to it.

16 H e burns part of the wood in the fire; with part of it he eats flesh, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire!

Half of it he hath burnt in the fire, By half of it he eateth flesh, He roasteth a roasting, and is satisfied, Yea, he is warm, and saith: `Aha, I have become warm, I have enjoyed the light.

17 A nd from what is left he makes a god, his graven idol. He falls down to it, he worships it and prays to it and says, Deliver me, for you are my god!

And its remnant for a god he hath made -- For his graven image, He falleth down to it, and worshippeth, And prayeth unto it, and he saith, `Deliver me, for my god thou.'

18 T hey do not know or understand, for their eyes God has let become besmeared so that they cannot see, and their minds as well so that they cannot understand.

They have not known, nor do they understand, For He hath daubed their eyes from seeing, Their heart from acting wisely.

19 A nd no one considers in his mind, nor has he knowledge and understanding to say, I have burned part of this log in the fire, and also I have baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. And shall I make the remainder of it into an abomination ? Shall I fall down and worship the stock of a tree ?

And none doth turn back unto his heart, Nor hath knowledge nor understanding to say, `Half of it I have burned in the fire, Yea, also, I have baked bread over its coals, I roast flesh and I eat, And its remnant for an abomination I make, To the stock of a tree I fall down.'

20 T hat kind of man feeds on ashes! A deluded mind has led him astray, so that he cannot release and save himself, or ask, Is not in my right hand a lie?

Feeding on ashes, the heart is deceived, It hath turned him aside, And he delivereth not his soul, nor saith: `Is there not a lie in my right hand?'

21 R emember these things, O Jacob, O Israel, for you are My servant! I formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you shall not be forgotten by Me.

Remember these, O Jacob, and Israel, For My servant thou, I formed thee, a servant to Me thou, O Israel, thou dost not forget Me.

22 I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, Thy transgressions, And as a cloud thy sins, Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee.

23 S ing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, you depths of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and He glorifies Himself in Israel.

Sing, O heavens, for Jehovah hath wrought, Shout, O lower parts of earth, Break forth, O mountains, with singing, Forest, and every tree in it, For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, And in Israel He doth beautify Himself.

24 T hus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He Who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord, Who made all things, Who alone stretched out the heavens, Who spread out the earth by Myself ?—

Thus said Jehovah, thy redeemer, And thy framer from the womb: `I Jehovah, doing all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, Spreading out the earth -- who with Me?

25 W ho frustrates the signs and confounds the omens of the liars and makes fools of diviners, Who turns the wise backward and makes their knowledge foolishness,

Making void the tokens of devisers, And diviners it maketh mad, Turning the wise backward, And their knowledge it maketh foolish.

26 W ho confirms the word of His servant and performs the counsel of His messengers, Who says of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited, and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins,

Confirming the word of His servant, The counsel of His messengers it perfecteth, Who is saying of Jerusalem, She is inhabited, And of cities of Judah, They shall be built, and her wastes I raise up,

27 W ho says to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers,

Who is saying to the deep, Be dry, and thy rivers I cause to dry up,

28 W ho says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd (ruler), and he shall perform all My pleasure and fulfill all My purpose—even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built, and of the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.

Who is saying of Cyrus, My shepherd, And all my delight He doth perfect, So as to say of Jerusalem, Thou art built, And of the temple, Thou art founded.