| 1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel, who I have chosen:
2 Thus saith Jehovah that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who
will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob my servant; and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have
chosen. 3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon
the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon
thine offspring: 4 and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by
the watercourses. 5 One shall say, I am Jehovah's; and another shall call
himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his
hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
6 Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of
hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for
me, since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming,
and that shall come to pass, let them declare. 8 Fear ye not, neither be
afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are my
witnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.
9 They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity; and the things
that they delight in shall not profit; and their own witnesses see not, nor
know: that they may be put to shame. 10 Who hath fashioned a god, or
molten an image that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his fellows
shall be put to shame; and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be
gathered together, let them stand up; they shall fear, they shall be put to
shame together. 12 The smith maketh an axe, and worketh in the
coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm:
yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is
faint. 13 The carpenter stretcheth out a line; he marketh it out with a
pencil; he shapeth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compasses,
and shapeth it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man,
to dwell in a house. 14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the
holm-tree and the oak, and strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of
the forest: he planteth a fir-tree, and the rain doth nourish it. 15 Then
shall it be for a man to burn; and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself;
yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth
it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. 16 He burneth
part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth
roast, and is satisfied; yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm,
I have seen the fire. 17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his
graven image; he falleth down unto it and worshippeth, and prayeth unto it,
and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. 18 They know not, neither do
they consider: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their
hearts, that they cannot understand. 19 And none calleth to mind, neither
is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the
fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted
flesh and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination?
shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? 20 He feedeth on ashes; a
deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor
say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? 21 Remember these things, O
Jacob, and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my
servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. 22 I have blotted
out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return
unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath
done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye
mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob,
and will glorify himself in Israel. 24 Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer,
and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, that maketh all things;
that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth (who
is with me?); 25 that frustrateth the signs of the liars, and maketh
diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge
foolish; 26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the
counsel of his messengers; that saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited;
and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the
waste places thereof; 27 that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up
thy rivers; 28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall
perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of
the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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