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

“But now listen, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen.

2 T hus 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.

This is what the Lord Who made you, Who put you together before you were born, Who will help you, says, ‘Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant, and you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

3 F or 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.

For I will pour water on the thirsty land and rivers on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your children, and will bring good to your children’s children.

4 A nd they have sprung up as among grass, As willows by streams of water.

They will grow like grass in the fields, and like poplar trees by the rivers.’

5 T his 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.

This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s.’ And that one will call on the name of Jacob. Another will write on his hand, ‘I belong to the Lord,’ and will name Israel’s name with honor.” Only One God

6 T hus 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.

The Lord, the King of Israel and the One Who saves and frees from sin, the Lord of All, says, “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God besides Me.

7 A nd 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?

Who is like Me? Let him make it known. Yes, let him tell Me what happened from the time I made people long ago. And let him tell the things that are coming and what is going to happen.

8 F ear 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.

Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Have I not made it known to you from long ago? And you have heard Me. Is there a God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock. I know of none.” Following False Gods Is Sinful

9 F ramers 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.

All who make objects to worship are for nothing. The things they think are worth much are worth nothing. Those who speak for them do not see or know, so they will be put to shame.

10 W ho hath formed a god, And a molten image poured out -- not profitable?

Who has made a false god or an object of worship that is of no worth?

11 L o, 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.

See, all his friends will be put to shame, for the workmen themselves are only men. Let them all gather, let them stand up, let them shake with fear, and let them together be put to shame.

12 H e 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.

The one who works with iron makes a sharp tool for cutting, working over a fire. He makes it by beating it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry and has no strength. He drinks no water and becomes tired.

13 H e 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.

One works with wood, he marks it, and draws on it with a red marker. He makes it smooth and makes it like a man, like the beauty of a man, so that it may sit in a house.

14 C utting 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.

He cuts down cedar trees, and takes a cypress or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees. He plants a fir tree, and the rain makes it grow.

15 A nd 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.

Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself. He makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it. He makes an object of worship and bows down in front of it.

16 H alf 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.

He burns half of it in the fire. Over this half he eats meat as he makes it ready, and is filled. He also warms himself and says, “O, I am warm. I see the fire.”

17 A nd 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.'

But he makes the rest of it into a god, his object of worship. He bows down in front of it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Bring me out of my trouble, for you are my god.”

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

They do not know, and they do not understand. For the Lord has covered their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot understand.

19 A nd 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.'

And no one remembers about it, or knows or understands enough to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, and have baked bread over the fire. I have cooked the meat over a fire and have eaten it. Should I make the rest of it into an object the Lord hates? Should I bow down in front of a block of wood?”

20 F eeding 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?'

He eats ashes! A false idea in his heart has led him the wrong way. And he cannot save himself or say, “Is not what I have here in my right hand a lie?” The Lord Does Not Forget Israel

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

“Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel, for you are My servant. I have made you, you are My servant. O Israel, I will not forget you.

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

I have taken away your wrong-doing like a dark cloud, and your sins like a fog. Return to Me, for I have bought you and set you free.”

23 S ing, 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.

Call out for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Call out for joy, you deep places of the earth. Break out into singing, you mountains and every tree. For the Lord has bought Jacob and set him free and has shown His shining-greatness in Israel! People Will Live in Jerusalem Again

24 T hus 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?

The Lord, Who makes you, bought you and saves you, and the One Who put you together before you were born, says, “I am the Lord, Who made all things. I alone spread out the heavens, and I alone spread out the earth.

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

I allow trouble to come on the special things done by men who lie and speak in pride. I make fools out of those who tell the future using their secret ways. I turn back wise men, and make their learning foolish.

26 C onfirming 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,

I make the word of My servant sure, and act upon the words of the men who speak for Me. It is I Who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will have people living in her,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They will be built.’ And I will build her up again.

27 W ho is saying to the deep, Be dry, and thy rivers I cause to dry up,

It is I Who says to the deep sea, ‘Dry up!’ And I will dry up your rivers.

28 W ho 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.

It is I Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he will do all that I want him to do,’ even saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ and of the house of God, ‘Your first stones will be laid again.’”