God’s Blessing on Israel

¹“Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,

And Israel whom I have chosen.

²Thus 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.

³For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,

And floods on the dry ground;

I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,

And My blessing on your offspring;

⁴They will spring up among the grass

Like willows by the watercourses.’

⁵One will say, ‘I am the Lord ’s’;

Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;

Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord ’s,’

And name himself by the name of Israel.

There Is No Other God

⁶“Thus 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.

⁷And who can proclaim as I do?[#Is. 41:4, 22, 26]

Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,

Since I appointed the ancient people.

And the things that are coming and shall come,

Let them show these to them.

⁸Do not fear, nor be afraid;

Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?

You are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

Indeed there is no other Rock;

I know not one. ’ ”

Idolatry Is Foolishness

⁹Those who make an image, all of them are useless,[#Is. 41:24]

And their precious things shall not profit;

They are their own witnesses;

They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

¹⁰Who would form a god or mold an image

That profits him nothing?

¹¹Surely all his companions would be ashamed;[#Ps. 97:7; Is. 1:29; 42:17]

And the workmen, they are mere men.

Let them all be gathered together,

Let them stand up;

Yet they shall fear,

They shall be ashamed together.

¹²The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,[#Is. 40:19; Jer. 10:3–5]

Fashions it with hammers,

And works it with the strength of his arms.

Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;

He drinks no water and is faint.

¹³The craftsman stretches out his rule,

He marks one out with chalk;

He fashions it with a plane,

He marks it out with the compass,

And makes it like the figure of a man,

According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.

¹⁴He cuts down cedars for himself,

And takes the cypress and the oak;

He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.

He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

¹⁵Then it shall be for a man to burn,

For he will take some of it and warm himself;

Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;

Indeed he makes a god and worships it;

He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.

¹⁶He burns half of it in the fire;

With this half he eats meat;

He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.

He even warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm,

I have seen the fire.”

¹⁷And the rest of it he makes into a god,

His carved image.

He falls down before it and worships it,

Prays to it and says,

“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

¹⁸They do not know nor understand;[#Is. 45:20]

For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,

And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

¹⁹And no one considers in his heart,[#Is. 46:8]

Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,

“I have burned half of it in the fire,

Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;

I have roasted meat and eaten it;

And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?

Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

²⁰He feeds on ashes;

A deceived heart has turned him aside;

And he cannot deliver his soul,

Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Israel Is Not Forgotten

²¹“Remember these, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are My servant;

I have formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!

²²I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,[#Is. 43:25]

And like a cloud, your sins.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

²³Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it![#Ps. 69:34; Is. 42:10; 49:13; Jer. 51:48; Rev. 18:20]

Shout, you lower parts of the earth;

Break forth into singing, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!

For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,

And glorified Himself in Israel.

Judah Will Be Restored

²⁴Thus says the Lord , your Redeemer,[#Is. 43:14]

And He who formed you from the womb:

“I am the Lord , who makes all things,

Who stretches out the heavens all alone,

Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;

²⁵Who frustrates the signs of the babblers,[#Is. 47:13; #Jer. 50:36]

And drives diviners mad;

Who turns wise men backward,

And makes their knowledge foolishness;

²⁶Who confirms the word of His servant,[#Zech. 1:6; Matt. 5:18]

And performs the counsel of His messengers;

Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’

To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’

And I will raise up her waste places;

²⁷Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry![#Jer. 50:38; 51:36]

And I will dry up your rivers’;

²⁸Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,[#2 Chr. 36:22; Ezra 1:1; Is. 45:13]

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”

And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’