are they among all the gods of these countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'
21But they held their peace, and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, saying. 'Answer him not.' L>2Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh.
O "7 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD, 2And he sent Ehakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3And they said unto him: 'Thus saith Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master hath sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD thy God hath heard; wherefore make prayer for the remnant that is left.' fiSo the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6And Isaiah said unto them: 'Thus shall ye say to your master: Thus saith the LORD: Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blas- phemed Me. 7Behold, I will put a' spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return unto his ISAIAH own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.7 8So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish 9And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Kthiopia: 'He is come out to fight against thee.' And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying. 10'Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Let not thy God in who» thou tmstest beguile thee, saying. Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. "Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations" de- livered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? "Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Iwah?'
14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 1&And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying: 16<0 LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. "Incline Thine ear, 0 LORD, and hear; open Thine eyes, 0 LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to taunt the living God. 180f a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land, 19and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. 20Now there- fore, O LORD our God, save us from 1 his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the LORD, even Thou only.7 "Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying: 'Thus saith the LORD, the God -of Israel: Where- as thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, **thLs is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion Hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Hath shaken her head at thee. ^Whom hast thou taunted and blasphemed?
And against whom hast thou ex- alted thy voice? Yea, thou hast lifted up thine eyes on high, Even against the Holy One of Israel! MBy thy servants hast thou taunted the Lord, And hast said: With the multi- tude of my chariots Am I come up to the height of the mountains, To the innermost parts of Lebanon; And I have cut down the tall cedars thereof, And the choice cypress-trees there- of; And I have entered into his farthest height, The forest of his fruitful field, ttl have digged and drunk water, And with the sole of my feet have I dried up All the rivers of Egypt. *Hast thou not heard? Long ago I made it, In ancient times I fashioned it; ISAIAH Now have I brought it to pass, Yea, it in done; that fortified cities Should be laid waste into ruinous heaps. "^Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, Thf v were dismayed and confound- ed; They were as the grass of the field, And" as the green herb, As the grass on the housetops, And as a field of corn before it is grown up 28But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, And thy raging against Me. "Because of thy raging against Me, And for that "thine uproar is come up into Mine ears, Therefore will I put My hook in thy nose, And My bridle in thy lips, And I will turn thee back by the way By which thou earnest. wAnci this shall be the sign unto thee: ye bhali eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. 5lAnd the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. ^For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape; the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall per- form this. ^Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a mound against it. "By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the LORD. 35For I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David's sake.'
MAnd the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went, and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 38And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nis- roch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him: 'Thus saith the LORD: Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live/ 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3and said: 'Remember now, 0 LORD, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a whole heart, and have done that which is good in Thy And Hezekiah wept sore, the word of the LORD came sight.7 4Then to Isaiah, saying: 5'Go, and say to Hezekiah* Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city. 7And this shall be the sign un- to thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He hath spoken: 8behold, I will cause the shadow of h/^juxM.u., JL YVJJU uauoc UJUG aiiauuvv ui the dial, which is gone down on the ISAIAH sun-dial of Ahaz, to return backward ten degrees.' So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness. 10I said: In the noontide of my days I shall go.
Even to the gates of the nether- world; I am deprived of the residue of my years.
lll said: I shall not see the LORD, Even the LORD in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12My habitation is plucked up and carried away from me As a shepherd's tent; I have rolled up like a weaver my life; He will cut me off from the thrum; >From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me. 13The more I make myself like unto a lion until morning, The more it breaketh all my bones; From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me. 14Like a swallow or a crane, so do I chatter, I do moan as a dove; Mine eyes fail with looking upward.
0 LORD, I am oppressed, be Thou my surety.
16What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me, And Himself hath done it; 1 shall go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul.
16O Lord, by these things men live, And altogether therein is the fife of my spirit; Wherefore recover Thou me, and make me to live.
"Behold, for my peace I had great bitterness; But Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it From the pit of corruption; For Thou hast cast all my sins be- hind Thy back.
18For the nether-world cannot praise Thee, Death cannot celebrate Thee; They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. 19The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, As I do this day; The father to~ the children shall make known Thy truth. 20The LORD is ready to save me; Therefore we will sing songs to the stringed instruments ^ All the days of our hfe in the house of the LORD.
21 And Isaiah said: 'Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover. ^And Hezekiah said: 'What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?'
OQ At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. 3And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them his treasure-house, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. ^hen came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him: 'What IRATAH IRATAH bail! thoric men? and from whence cam they unto thee?' And Hezekiah salt 'They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon ' *Then said he: 'What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered *A11 that is in my house have the eseen; there is nothing among nv treasures that I have not shown them/ *Then said Isaiah to Heze kiah: 'Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6Behold, the days come, tha all that is in thy hoube, and that whic] thy fathers have kid up in store unti this day, shall be carried to Babylon nothing shall be left, saith the LORD 7And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shal they take away; and they shall be officers in the palace of the king o; Babylon/ *Then said Hezekiah unto Ibaiah: 'Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.' He said moreover: •*!£ but there shall be peace and truth in my days.'
Af\ Comfort ye, comfort ye My ^y people, Saith your God.
2Bid Jerusalem take heart, And proclaim unto her, That her time of service is accom- plished, That her guilt is paid off; That she hath received of the LORD'S hand Double for all her sins.
3Hark! one calleth* 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, Make plain in the desert A highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, And every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the rugged shall be made level, And the rough places a plain; 6And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'
6Hark' one saith. 'Proclaim!7 And he saith. 'What shall I pro- claim?'
'All flesh is grass, And all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; 7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; u Because the breath of the LORD bloweth upon it — Surely the people is grass.
8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; But the word of our God shall stand for ever.'
90 thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Get thee up into the high mountain; 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, Lift up thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid; Say unto the cities of Judah: 'Behold your God!' "Behold, the Lord GOD will come as a Mighty One, And His arm will rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His recompense before Him, "Even as a shepherd that feedeth his flock, That gathereth the lambs in his arm, And carrieth them in his bosom, And gently leadeth those that give suck.
12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And meted out heaven with th,e span, ISAIAH And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, And weighed the mountains in scales, And the hills in a balance? 13Who hath meted out the spirit of the LORD? Or who was His counsellor that he might instruct Him? "With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of right, And taught Him knowledge, And made Him to know the way of discernment? "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, And are counted as the small dust of the balance; Behold, the isles are afe a mote in weight.
16And Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, Nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burnt-offerings. 17A11 th6 nations are as nothing be- fore Him; They are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity. 18To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto Hun? 19The image perchance, which the craftsman hath melted, And the goldsmith spread over with gold, The silversmith casting silver chains? 20A holm-oak is set apart, He chooseth a tree that will not rot; He seeketh unto him a cunning craftsman To set up an image, that shall not be moved, aKnow ye not? hear ye not? Hath it not been told you from the beginning?
Have ye not understood the founda- tions of the earth? ^It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth, And the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; That stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell hi; ssThat bringeth princes to notfung; He maketh the judges of th« earth as a thing of nought. 24Scarce are they planted, Scarce are they sown. Scarce hath their stock taken root in the earth; When He bloweth upon them, they wither, And the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble. 25To whom then will ye liken Me, that I should be equal? Saith the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high, And see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their host by number, He calleth them all by name; By the greatness of His might, and for that He is strong in power, Not one faileth.
27Why sayest thou, 0 Jacob, And speakest, O Israel: ( My way is hid from the LOBJO, And my right is passed over from my God'? 28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard That the everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? His discernment is past searching out. **He giveth power to the faint; ISAIAH And to him that hath no might He increaseth strength. *°Even the youths sliall faint and be weary, And the voung men shall utterly ^But, they that wait for the LORD fhall renew their strength; They fehall mount up with wings us They shall run, and not be weary; They shall walk, and not faint.
Keep silence before Me, 0 islands, And let the peoples renew their strength; them draw near, then let them I^ot us come near together to judg- ment.
*\Vhu hath raised up one from the ea&t, At who^e yteps victory attendeth? He civeth nations before him, And inaketh him rule over kings; His sword maketh them as the dust, Hw bow as the driven stubble, 1I« pursueth them, and passeth on safely; The way with his feet he treadeth not.
AYV ho hath wrought and done it?
He that called the generations from the beginning.
I, the LORD, who am the first, And with the last am the same. *The isles saw, and feared; The ends of the earth trembled; They drew near, and came.
They helped every one his neigh- bour; And every one said to his brother.
'Be of good courage.7 7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, And he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil, Saying of the soldering: 'It is good'; Arid he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
8But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The seed of Abraham My friend; ^hou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And called thee from the uttermost parts thereof, And said unto thee: 'Thou art My servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away'; 10Fear thou ^lot, for I am with thee, Be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee; Yea, I uphold thee with My victori- ous right hand. "Behold, all they that were incensed against thee Shall be ashamed and confounded; They that strove with thee Shall be as nothing, and shall perish. J2Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, Even them that contended with thee; They that warred against thee Shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
"For I the LOHD thy God Hold thy right hand, Who say unto thee: 'Fear not, I help thee.'
14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, And ye men of Israel; I help thee, saith the LORD, And thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
ISAIAH Having sharp teeth; Thou shalt thresh the mountains, ', and beat them small, And shalt make the hills as chaff. 16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, j And the whirlwind shall scatter! them; j And thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, j Thou shalt glory in the Holy One of! Israel. j l7The poor and needy seek water and I there is none, And their tongue faileth for thirst; I the LORD will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18I will open rivers on the high hills, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. 19I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia-tree, And the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane-tree, and the larch to- gether; 20That they may see, and know, And consider, and understand to- gether, That the hand of the LORD hath done this, And the Holy One of- Israel hath created it.
"Produce your cause, saith the LORD; Bring forth your reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
^Let them bring them forth, and de- clare unto us The things that shall happen; The former things, what are they?
Declare ye, that we may consider, And know the end of them; Or announce to us things to come, ^Declare the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that ye are gods; Yea, do good, or do evil. That we may be dismayed, and behold it together. 24Behold, ye are nothing, And your work a thing of nought; An abomination is he that chooseth you.
25I have roused up one from the north, and he is come, From the rising of the sun one that calleth upon My name; And he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, And as the potter treadeth clay. 26Who hath declared from the be- ginning, that we may know? And beforetime, that we may say that he is right?
Yea, there is none that declareth, Yea, there is none that announceth. Yea, there is none that heareth your utterances. 27A harbinger unto Zion wijl I give: 'Behold, behold them', And to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings.
28And I look, but there is no man; Even among them, but there is no counsellor, That, when I ask of them, can give an answer. 25>Behpld, all of them, Their works are vanity and nought; Their molten images are wind and confusion.
Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul de- lighteth; ISAIAH I hnvo put My spirit upon him, H<* shall make the right to go forth to the nations.
2IIe.-hull not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
*A bruised reed shall he not ^ break. Ami the dimly burning wick shall he not qucw h; He shall make the right to go forth according to the truth. 4He shall not fail nor be crushed, Till he have set the right in the f*nrth; And the isles shall wait for his teaching.
-Thua saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and wretched them forth, He that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, And spirit to them that walk there- in: fi the LORD have called thee in righteousness, Arid have taken hold of thy hand, And kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, For a light of the nations; rfo open the blind eyes, To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, And them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
8I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory will I not give to another, Neither My praise to graven im- 9Behold, the former things are come to pass, And new things do I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.
l°Sing unto the LORD a new song, And His praise from the end of the earth; Ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, The isles, and the inhabitants there- of.
"Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar aoth in- habit; Let the inhabitants of Sela exult, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. I2Let them give glory unto the LORD, And declare His praise in the islands. "The LORD will go forth as a mighty man, He will stir up jealousy like a man of war; He will cry, yea, He will shout aloud, He will prove Himself mighty against His enemies.
14I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained My- self; Now will I cry like a travailing woman, Gasping and panting at once. 15I will make waste mountains and hills, And dry up all their herbs; And I will make the rivers islands, And will dry up the pools. 16And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, In paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, And rugged places plain. These things will I do, And I will not leave them undone. 17They shall be turned back, greatly ashamed, ISAIAH That trust in graven images, | That say unto molten images: j 'Ye are our gods/ I 18Hear, ye deaf, And look, ye blind, that ye may see. ' J9Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My messenger that I send?
Who is blind as he that is whole- hearted, And blind as the LORD'S servant? 20Seeing many things, thou observes!
not; Opening the ears, he heareth not. 21The LORD- was pleased, for His righteousness' sake, { To make the teaching great and | glorious.!
22But this is a people robbed and spoiled, They are all of them snared in holes, And they are hid in prison-houses; They are for a prey, and none de- .livereth, For a spoil, and none saith: 'Re- store/ ^Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come? ^Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the LORD? He against whom we have sinned, And in whose ways they would not walk, Neither were they obedient unto His law. ^Therefore He poured upon him the fury of His anger, And the strength of battle; And it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, And it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, 0 Jacob, And He that formed thee, 0 Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine. -When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3For I am the LORD thy God, The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4Since thou art precious in My sight, and honourable, And I have loved thee; Therefore will I give men for thee, And peoples for thy life. 6Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east, And gather thee from the west; 6I will say to the north: 'Give up', And to the south: 'Keep not back, Bring My sons from far, And My daughters from the end of the earth; 7Every one that is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory* I have formed him, yea, I have made hijn/ 8The blind people that have eyes shall be brought forth, And the deaf that have ears. 9A11 the nations are gathered to- gether, And the peoples are assembled; Who among them can declare this, And announce to us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; ISAIAH And let them hear, and say: 'It is truth/ 10Yo are My witnesses, saith the LORD, And My servant whom I have chosen; That ye may know and believe Me, and understand That I am He; Before Me there was no God formed, Neither shall any be after Me.
lll, even I, am the LORD; And beside Me there is no saviour, **I have declared, and I have saved, And I have announced, And there was no strange god among you; Therefore ye are My witnesses^, saith the LORD, and I am God. uYea, Mnee the1 day was I am He, And there is none that can deliver out of My hand; I will work, and who can reverse it?
"Thus saith the LOKD, your Re- deemer, The Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And I will bring down all of them as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their shouting. WI am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.
l8Thus saith the LORD, who maketh a way in the sea, And a;path in the mighty waters; 17Who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power — They lie down together, they shall not rise, They are extinct, they are quenched as a wick: j X8Remember ye not the former things, Neither consider the things of old. "Behold, I will do a new thing; Now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilder- ness, And rivers in the desert. 20The beasts of the field shall honour Me, The jackals and the ostriches; Because I give waters in the wilder- ness, And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, Mine elect; 21The people which I formed for My- self, That they might tell of My praise.
MYet thou hast not called upon Me, 0 Jacob, Neither hast thou wearied thyself about Me, 0 Israel. MThou hast not brought Me the small cattle of thy burnt-offerings; Neither hast thou honoured Me with thy sacrifices. I have not burdened thee with a meal-offering, Nor wearied thee with frankincense. wThou hast bought Me no sweet cane with money, Neither hast thou satisfied Me with the fat of thy sacrifices; But thou hast burdened Me with thy sins, Thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities. 25I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake; And thy sins I will not remember. 26Put Me in remembrance, let us plead together; Declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
ISAIAH 27Thy first father sinned, And thine intercessors have transgressed against Me. 28Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, And I have given Jacob to condemnation, And Israel to reviling.
A A Yet now hear, 0 Jacob My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen; 2Thus saith the LORD that made thee, And formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, 0 Jacob My servant, And thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, And My blessing upon thine offspring; 4And they shall spring up among the grass, As willows by the watercourses* 50ne shall say: 'I am the LORD'S'; And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; And another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, And surname himself by the name j of Israel.
saith the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, And beside Me there is no God. 7And who, as I, can proclaim — Let him declare it, and set it in order for Me — Since I appointed the ancient people?
And the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare.
*Fear ye not, neither be afraid; Have I not announced unto thee of old, and declared it? And ye are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.
"They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity, And their delectable things shall not profit; And their own witnesses see not, nor know; That they may be ashamed. 10Who hath fashioned a god, or mol- ten an image That is profitable for nothing? "Behold, all the fellows thereof shall be ashamed; And the craftsmen skilled above men; Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; They shall fear, they shall be ashamed together.
^he 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, ^he carpenter stretcheth out a line; He marketh it out with a pencil; He fitteth it with planes, And he marketh it out with the compasses, And maketh it after the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, to dwell in the house. 14He heweth him down cedars, ISAIAH Ami takr'th the ilex and the ozik,; And tftrengthonoth for himself onej among tho trees of the forest; j He planteth a hay-tree, tuid thej ram doth nourish it.!
iyTht*n a man useth it for fuel; 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 j falleth down thereto. MHe burneth the half thereof in the fire; With the half thereof he eateth fle>h; He roast eth roast, and is satisfied Yea, he wurmeth himself, and saith 'Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire' 17And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image; He falleth down unto it and worshipi>eth, and prayeth unto it, And saith: * Deliver me, for thou art my god.* 1KThey know not, neither do they understand; Por their eyes are bedaubed, that they cannot see, And their hearts, that they cannot understand.
19And none^considereth in his heart, Neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say: 'I have burned the half 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 there- of an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?'
20He striyeth after ashes, A deceived heart hath turned him aside, That he cannot deliver his soul, nor say: ' Is there* not a lie in my right hand?'
^Remember these things, 0 Jacob, And Israel, for thou art My servant; I have formed thee, thou art Mine pwn servant; 0 Israel, thou shouldest not forget Me.
^1 have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, And, as a cloud, thy sins;