1 And now, give ear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have taken for myself:
2 The Lord who made you, forming you in your mother's body, the Lord, your helper, says, Have no fear, O Jacob my servant, and you, Jeshurun, whom I have taken for myself.
3 For I will send water on the land needing it, and streams on the dry earth: I will let my spirit come down on your seed, and my blessing on your offspring.
4 And they will come up like grass in a well-watered field, like water-plants by the streams.
5 One will say, I am the Lord's; and another will give himself the name, Jacob; another will put a mark on his hand, I am the Lord's, and another will take the name of Israel for himself.
6 The Lord, the King of Israel, even the Lord of armies who has taken up his cause, says, I am the first and the last, and there is no God but me.
7 If there is one like me, let him come forward and say it, let him make it clear and put it in order before me: who has made clear in the past the things to come? let him make clear the future to me.
8 Have no fear, be strong in heart; have I not made it clear to you in the past, and let you see it? and you are my witnesses. Is there any God but me, or a Rock of whom I have no knowledge?
9 Those who make a pictured image are all of them as nothing, and the things of their desire will be of no profit to them: and their servants see not, and have no knowledge; so they will be put to shame.
10 Whoever makes a god, makes nothing but a metal image in which there is no profit.
11 Truly, all those who make use of secret arts will be put to shame, and their words of power are only words of men: let them all come forward together; they will all be in fear and be put to shame.
12 The iron-worker is heating the metal in the fire, giving it form with his hammers, and working on it with his strong arm: then for need of food his strength gives way, and for need of water he becomes feeble.
13 The woodworker is measuring out the wood with his line, marking it out with his pencil: after smoothing it with his plane, and making circles on it with his instrument, he gives it the form and glory of a man, so that it may be placed in the house.
14 He has cedars cut down for himself, he takes an oak and lets it get strong among the trees of the wood; he has an ash-tree planted, and the rain gives it growth.
15 Then it will be used to make a fire, so that a man may get warm; he has the oven heated with it and makes bread: he makes a god with it, to which he gives worship: he makes a pictured image out of it, and goes down on his face before it.
16 With part of it he makes a fire, and on the fire he gets meat cooked and takes a full meal: he makes himself warm, and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire:
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, even his pictured image: he goes down on his face before it, giving worship to it, and making prayer to it, saying, Be my saviour; for you are my god.
18 They have no knowledge or wisdom; for he has put a veil over their eyes, so that they may not see; and on their hearts, so that they may not give attention.
19 And no one takes note, no one has enough knowledge or wisdom to say, I have put part of it in the fire, and made bread on it; I have had a meal of the flesh cooked with it: and am I now to make the rest of it into a false god? am I to go down on my face before a bit of wood?
20 As for him whose food is the dust of a dead fire, he has been turned from the way by a twisted mind, so that he is unable to keep himself safe by saying, What I have here in my hand is false.
21 Keep these things in mind, O Jacob; and you Israel, for you are my servant: I have made you; you are my servant; O Israel, I will not let you go out of my memory.
22 I have put your evil doings out of my mind like a thick cloud, and your sins like a mist: come back to me; for I have taken up your cause.
23 Make a song, O heavens, for the Lord has done it: give a loud cry, you deep parts of the earth: let your voices be loud in song, you mountains, and you woods with all your trees: for the Lord has taken up the cause of Jacob, and will let his glory be seen in Israel.
24 The Lord, who has taken up your cause, and who gave you life in your mother's body, says, I am the Lord who makes all things; stretching out the heavens by myself, and giving the earth its limits; who was with me?
25 Who makes the signs of those who give word of the future come to nothing, so that those who have knowledge of secret arts go off their heads; turning the wise men back, and making their knowledge foolish:
26 Who makes the word of his servants certain, and gives effect to the purposes of his representatives; who says of Jerusalem, Her people will come back to her; and of the towns of Judah, I will give orders for their building, and will make her waste places fertile again:
27 Who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will make your rivers dry:
28 Who says of Cyrus, He will take care of my sheep, and will do all my pleasure: who says of Jerusalem, I will give the word for your building; and of the Temple, Your bases will be put in place.
1 "但现在， 我的仆人雅各， 我所拣选的以色列啊！ 你要听。
2 那创造你， 从母胎里就塑造了你， 又要帮助你的耶和华这样说： 我的仆人雅各啊！ 我所拣选的耶书仑啊！ 你不要惧怕。
3 因为我要把水浇灌干渴之处， 把河水浇灌干旱之地； 我必把我的灵浇灌你的后裔， 把我的福降给你的子孙。
4 他们要像从草中生长起来， 又像溪水旁的柳树。
5 这个必说： ‘我是属耶和华的’； 那个也必以雅各的名称呼自己； 另一个必亲手写上‘我是属耶和华的’， 并且要以以色列的名字替自己命名。"
6 耶和华以色列的王、以色列的救赎主、万军之耶和华这样说： "我是首先的， 我是末后的； 除我以外， 再没有真神。
7 谁像我呢？让他宣告， 让他述说， 又在我面前陈明吧！ 自从我设立古时的子民， 未来的事和将要发生的事， 让他们把它们述说出来吧！
8 你们不要惊惶， 也不要惧怕。我不是老早就说了给你们听， 告诉了你们吗？你们就是我的见证人。除我以外， 还有真神吗？没有别的磐石； 我一个也不知道。"
9 制造偶像的人， 尽都是虚空的， 他们所喜爱的， 都没有益处。他们的见证人， 一无所见， 一无所知， 以致他们蒙羞。
10 谁制造神像， 或铸造偶像， 不想得到益处呢？
11 看哪！ 所有与它同伙的都必蒙羞； 工匠也不过是人罢了。让他们都集合起来， 都站立起来； 让他们都惧怕， 都一同蒙羞。
12 铁匠先用工具在铁上雕刻， 然后在火炭中加工， 再用锤子把铁锤成形状， 用他有力的膀臂锤成。他若饥饿， 就没有力量； 他若不喝水， 就疲乏。
13 木匠拉线， 用笔画出轮廓， 用刨子刨平， 用圆规画出模样， 做成人的形状， 有人一般的美丽， 好住在庙里。
14 他为自己砍伐香柏树， 或选取榆树和橡树， 让它在树林中长起来； 他栽种松树， 让雨水使它长大。
15 人可以用这树作燃料， 可以拿来生火取暖， 又可以烧着烤饼； 人竟然用它做神像敬拜， 他做了雕刻的偶像， 又向它叩拜。
16 他把木头的一半放在火里燃烧； 在上面烤肉； 吃了烤肉， 并且吃饱了， 就自己烤火取暖， 说： "哈哈！ 我暖和了， 我看见火了。"
17 他用剩下来的一半做了一个神像， 就是他雕刻的偶像， 他向它俯伏， 向它敬拜， 又向它祷告， 说： "求你救我， 因为你是我的神。"
18 他们并不知道， 也不明白； 因为耶和华闭住他们的眼睛， 使他们不能看见， 塞住他们的心， 使他们不能明白。
19 没有人细心思想， 也没有人有知识有聪明说： "我把木头的一半放在火里燃烧， 我也在炭火上烘过饼， 烤过肉吃， 剩下的， 我却用来做了一个可憎之物， 我要向木头叩拜吗？"
20 他所追求的只是灰尘， 被迷惑了的心使他偏离正道了； 他不能救自己， 也不会说： "在我的右手中不是有个假神吗？"
21 雅各和以色列啊！ 要记念这些话， 因为你是我的仆人。我造了你， 是要你作我的仆人； 以色列啊！ 你必不会被我忘记。
22 我涂抹了你的过犯， 像密云消散； 我涂抹了你的罪恶， 如薄云灭没， 你当归向我， 因为我救赎了你。
23 诸天啊！ 你们要欢呼， 因为耶和华作成了这事。地的深处啊！ 你们要吶喊。群山啊！ 你们要发声欢呼。树林和其中所有的树啊！ 你们都当这样。因为耶和华救赎了雅各， 他要借着以色列使自己得荣耀。
24 你的救赎主， 就是那在母胎中就造了你的耶和华这样说： "我耶和华是创造万物的， 我是独自展开诸天， 铺张大地的。
25 我使说假话者的兆头失效， 使占卜者都变成愚昧人； 我使有智慧的人后退， 使他们的知识变为愚拙。
26 我使我仆人的话实现， 使我使者的谋算成就。我对耶路撒冷说： ‘你必有人居住。’对犹大的城镇说： ‘你们要再被建造起来， 至于其中的废墟， 我必重建它们。’
27 我对深渊说： ‘你干了吧， 我必使你的江河干涸！ ’
28 我对古列说： ‘我的牧人； 他必成就我所喜悦的一切。’他要对耶路撒冷说： ‘你必被重建起来！ ’他必对圣殿说： ‘你的根基要奠定！ ’"