Chapter 44. Yet here now o Jacob my servant and Israel whom I have chosen Thus says the Lord who made you and Formed you from the womb who will help You Fear not o Jacob my servant And you jesharan whom I have chosen For 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 They will spring up among the grass like Willows by the watercourses One will say I am the Lord's Another will call himself by the name of Jacob Another will write with his hand the Lords And name himself by the name of Israel 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 And who can Proclaim as I do 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 Do 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 Those who make an image all of them are Useless and their precious things shall Not profit They are their own Witnesses they Neither see nor know that they may be Ashamed Who would form a God or mold an image That profits him nothing Surely all his companions would be Ashamed 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 The blacksmith with the tongs works one In the coals 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 The 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
He 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 Then 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 He 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 And the rest of it he makes into a god His carved image He falls down before it and worships it Praise to it and says deliver me for you Are my God They do not know nor understand For he has shut their eyes so that they Cannot see and their hearts so that they Cannot understand And no one considers in his heart 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 He 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 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 I have blotted out like a thick Cloud Your transgressions And like a cloud your sins Return to me For I have redeemed you Sing O heavens for the Lord has done it 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 Thus says the Lord your Redeemer 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 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers And drives diviners mad Who turns wise men backward And makes their knowledge foolishness Who confirms the word of his servant 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 Who says to the Deep be dry And I will dry up your Rivers Who says of Cyrus He is my shepherd and he shall perform All my pleasure Saying to Jerusalem You shall be built And to the temple Your foundation shall be laid