240 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
240 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 44
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1. "But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant,
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Israel my chosen one.
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2. The LORD who made you and helps you says:
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Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
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O dear Israel, my chosen one.
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3. For I will pour out water to quench your thirst
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and to irrigate your parched fields.
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And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
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and my blessing on your children.
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4. They will thrive like watered grass,
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like willows on a riverbank.
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5. Some will proudly claim, 'I belong to the LORD.'
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Others will say, 'I am a descendant of Jacob.'
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Some will write the LORD's name on their hands
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and will take the name of Israel as their own."
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The Foolishness of Idols
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6. This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven's Armies:
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"I am the First and the Last;
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there is no other God.
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7. Who is like me?
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Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
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Let him do as I have done since ancient times
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when I established a people and explained its future.
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8. Do not tremble; do not be afraid.
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Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?
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You are my witnesses--is there any other God?
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No! There is no other Rock--not one!"
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9. How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
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These prized objects are really worthless.
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The people who worship idols don't know this,
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so they are all put to shame.
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10. Who but a fool would make his own god--
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an idol that cannot help him one bit?
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11. All who worship idols will be disgraced
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along with all these craftsmen--mere humans--
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who claim they can make a god.
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They may all stand together,
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but they will stand in terror and shame.
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12. The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,
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pounding and shaping it with all his might.
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His work makes him hungry and weak.
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It makes him thirsty and faint.
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13. Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood
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and draws a pattern on it.
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He works with chisel and plane
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and carves it into a human figure.
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He gives it human beauty
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and puts it in a little shrine.
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14. He cuts down cedars;
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he selects the cypress and the oak;
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he plants the pine in the forest
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to be nourished by the rain.
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15. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
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With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
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Then--yes, it's true--he takes the rest of it
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and makes himself a god to worship!
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He makes an idol
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and bows down in front of it!
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16. He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
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and to keep himself warm.
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He says, "Ah, that fire feels good."
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17. Then he takes what's left
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and makes his god: a carved idol!
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He falls down in front of it,
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worshiping and praying to it.
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"Rescue me!" he says.
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"You are my god!"
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18. Such stupidity and ignorance!
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Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
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Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
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19. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
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"Why, it's just a block of wood!
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I burned half of it for heat
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and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
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How can the rest of it be a god?
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Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?"
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20. The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
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He trusts something that can't help him at all.
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Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
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"Is this idol that I'm holding in my hand a lie?"
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Restoration for Jerusalem
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21. "Pay attention, O Jacob,
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for you are my servant, O Israel.
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I, the LORD, made you,
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and I will not forget you.
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22. I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
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I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
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Oh, return to me,
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for I have paid the price to set you free."
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23. Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing.
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Shout for joy, O depths of the earth!
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Break into song,
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O mountains and forests and every tree!
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For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
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and is glorified in Israel.
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24. This is what the LORD says--
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your Redeemer and Creator:
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"I am the LORD, who made all things.
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I alone stretched out the heavens.
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Who was with me
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when I made the earth?
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25. I expose the false prophets as liars
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and make fools of fortune-tellers.
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I cause the wise to give bad advice,
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thus proving them to be fools.
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26. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!
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By them I say to Jerusalem, 'People will live here again,'
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and to the towns of Judah, 'You will be rebuilt;
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I will restore all your ruins!'
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27. When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Dry up!'
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they will be dry.
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28. When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,'
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he will certainly do as I say.
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He will command, 'Rebuild Jerusalem';
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he will say, 'Restore the Temple.'"
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