44:1 “But now listen, Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
44:2 This is what the LORD says, He who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And ①Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
▷ ①I.e., Israel
44:3 For I will pour water on ①the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
▷ ①Or him who is thirsty
44:4 And they will spring up ①among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
▷ ①Another reading is like grass among the waters
44:5 This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’;
And that one ①will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write ②on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.
▷ ①Another reading is will be called by the name of Jacob ②Or with
44:6 “This is what the LORD says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of armies:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
44:7 Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
①Beginning with My establishing of the ancient ②nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
▷ ①Lit From My establishing of ②Or people
44:8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.’ ”
44:9 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 put to shame.
44:10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no benefit?
44:11 Behold, all his companions will be 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.
44:12 The craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, ①fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and ②his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.
▷ ①Lit and fashions ②Lit there is no strength
44:13 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 mankind, so that it may sit in a house.
44:14 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.
44:15 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 makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and bows down before it.
44:16 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.”
44:17 Yet the rest of it he makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
44:18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.
44:19 No one ①remembers, nor is there 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 ②I make the rest of it into an abomination, ③I bow down before a block of wood!”
▷ ①Lit returns to his heart ②Or shall I make? ③Or shall I bow...?
44:20 He ①feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save ②himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
▷ ①Or is a companion of ashes ②Lit his soul
44:21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
44:22 I have wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a ①heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
▷ ①Or cloud
44:23 Shout for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He shows His glory.
44:24 This is what the LORD says, He who is your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb:
“I, the LORD, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth ①alone,
▷ ①Or who was with Me?
44:25 Causing the ①omens of diviners to fail,
②Making fools of fortune-tellers;
Causing wise men to turn back
And ③making their knowledge ridiculous,
▷ ①Lit signs ②Lit He makes ③Lit He turns
44:26 Confirming the word of His servant
And ①carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
▷ ①Lit He performs
44:27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers dry up.
44:28 It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And ①he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘ ②Your foundation will be laid.’ ”
▷ ①Lit to say ②Lit You will be founded