| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1"Now, listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!" | 1"But now listen, Jacob my servant and Israel whom I have chosen: |
| 2This is what the LORD, the one who made you, says--the one who formed you in the womb and helps you: "Don't be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen! | 2This what the LORD says, the one who made you, formed you from the womb, and who will help you: "Don't be afraid, Jacob my servant, and Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. |
| 3For I will pour water on the parched ground and cause streams to flow on the dry land. I will pour my spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your children. | 3For I'll pour water upon thirsty ground and streams on parched land. So will I pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing upon your descendants. |
| 4They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, like poplars beside channels of water. | 4They'll spring up as among the green grass, like willows by flowing streams. |
| 5One will say, 'I belong to the LORD,' and another will use the name 'Jacob.' One will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and use the name 'Israel.'" | 5One will say, 'I belong to the LORD,' and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will have written on his hand, 'the LORD's,' and will adopt the name of Israel." |
| 6This is what the LORD, Israel's king, says, their protector, the LORD who commands armies: "I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me. | 6This is what the LORD says, the King of Israel and its Redeemer— the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is his name— "I am the first and I am the last, and apart from me there is no God. |
| 7Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to me--since I established an ancient people--let them announce future events! | 7Who is like me? Let him proclaim and declare it, and lay it out for himself— since he made an ancient people. And let him speak future events; let them tell him what will happen. |
| 8Don't panic! Don't be afraid! Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other sheltering rock; I know of none. | 8Don't tremble, and don't be afraid. Didn't I tell you and announce it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? There is no other Rock— I don't know of any." |
| 9All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame. | 9Now, all the forming of images means nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their own witnesses cannot see, and they know nothing. So they will be put to shame. |
| 10Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless? | 10Who would shape a god or cast an image that profits nothing? |
| 11Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere humans. Let them all assemble and take their stand! They will panic and be put to shame. | 11To be sure, all who associate with it will be put to shame; and as for the craftsmen, they are only human. Let them all gather together and take their stand. Then let them be terrified—they will be humiliated together. |
| 12A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his energy; he drinks no water and gets tired. | 12The blacksmith prepares a tool and works in the coals, then fashions an idol with hammers, working by the strength of his arm. He even becomes hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. |
| 13A carpenter takes measurements; he marks out an outline of its form; he scrapes it with chisels, and marks it with a compass. He patterns it after the human form, like a well-built human being, and puts it in a shrine. | 13The carpenter measures it with a line; he traces its shape with a stylus, then fashions it with planes and shapes it with a compass. He makes the idol like a human figure, with human beauty, to be at home in a shrine. |
| 14He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress or an oak. He gets trees from the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow. | 14He cuts down cedars, or chooses a cypress tree or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. Or he plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. |
| 15A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. | 15He divides it up for people to burn. Taking part of it, he warms himself, makes a fire, and bakes bread. Or perhaps he constructs a god and worships it. He makes it an idol and bows down to it. |
| 16Half of it he burns in the fire--over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says, 'Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.' | 16Half the wood he burns in the fire, and over that half he places meat so he can eat. He sits by its coals, warms himself, and says, "Ah! I am warm in front of the fire." |
| 17With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying, 'Rescue me, for you are my god!' | 17And the rest of it he makes into a god. To blocks of wood he bows down, worships, prays, and says, "Save me, since you are my god." |
| 18They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern. | 18They don't realize; they don't understand, because their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds, too, so they cannot understand. |
| 19No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves: 'I burned half of it in the fire--yes, I baked bread over the coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?' | 19No one stops to think. No one has the knowledge or understanding to think—yes to think!— "Half of it I burned in the fire. I even baked bread on its coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And am I about to make detestable things from what is left? Am I about to bow down to blocks of wood?" |
| 20He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, 'Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?' | 20He tends ashes. A deceived mind has lead him astray. It cannot be his life, nor can he say, "There's a lie in my right hand." |
| 21Remember these things, O Jacob, O Israel, for you are my servant. I formed you to be my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you! | 21"Remember these things, Jacob, Israel, for you are my servant. I have formed you; you are a servant to me. Israel, you must not mislead me. |
| 22I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. Come back to me, for I protect you." | 22I've wiped away your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist. Return to me; because I've redeemed you. |
| 23Shout for joy, O sky, for the LORD intervenes; shout out, you subterranean regions of the earth. O mountains, give a joyful shout; you too, O forest and all your trees! For the LORD protects Jacob; he reveals his splendor through Israel. | 23"Shout for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout aloud, you depths of the earth! Burst out with singing, you mountains, you forest, and all your trees! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and will display his glory in Israel. |
| 24This is what the LORD, your protector, says, the one who formed you in the womb: "I am the LORD, who made everything, who alone stretched out the sky, who fashioned the earth all by myself, | 24"This is what the LORD says, your Redeemer and the one who formed you in the womb: 'I am the LORD, who has made everything, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth— Who was with me at that time?— |
| 25who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers and humiliates the omen readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men and makes their advice seem foolish, | 25who frustrates the omens of idle talkers, and drives diviners mad, who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish; |
| 26who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants and brings to pass the announcements of his messengers, who says about Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited,' and about the towns of Judah, 'They will be rebuilt, her ruins I will raise up,' | 26who carries out the words of his servants, and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, "It will be inhabited," and of Judah's cities, "They will be rebuilt," and of her ruins, "I'll raise them up"; |
| 27who says to the deep sea, 'Be dry! I will dry up your sea currents,' | 27who says to the watery deep, "Be dry— I will dry up your rivers;" |
| 28who commissions Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd to carry out all my wishes and to decree concerning Jerusalem, 'She will be rebuilt,' and concerning the temple, 'It will be reconstructed.'" | 28who says about Cyrus, "He's my shepherd, and he'll carry out everything that I please: He'll say of Jerusalem, 'Let it be rebuilt,' and of my Temple, 'Let its foundations be laid again.'"'" |
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