Read the Bible

No God Besides Yahweh

¹ "But now hear, O Jacob, My ^(C1)servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:

² Thus says Yahweh who made you
And ^(C1)formed you from the womb, who ^(C2)will help you,
'^(C3)Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,
And you ^(C4)Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

³ 'For ^(C1)I will pour out water on ^(F1)the thirsty ground
And streams on the dry land;
I will ^(C2)pour out My Spirit on your ^(C3)seed
And My blessing on your offspring;

⁴ And they will spring up ^(F1)among the grass
Like ^(C1)poplars by streams of water.'

⁵ "This one will say, 'I am Yahweh's';
And this one ^(F1)will call on the name of Jacob;
And this one will ^(C1)write ^(F2)on his hand, 'Belonging to Yahweh,'
And will name Israel's name with honor.

⁶ "Thus says Yahweh, the ^(C1)King of Israel and his ^(C2)Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:

'I am the ^(C3)first, and I am the last,
And there is no God ^(C4)besides Me.

⁷ 'Who is like Me? ^(C1)Let him call out and declare it;
And let him tell it to Me in order,
^(F1)From the time that I established the ancient ^(F2)people.
And let them declare to them the things that are to come
And the events that are going to take place.

⁸ 'Do not be in dread and do not be afraid;
^(C1)Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it?
And ^(C2)you are My witnesses.
Is there any God ^(C3)besides Me,
Or is there any other ^(C4)Rock?
I know of none.'"

The Futility of Idolatry

⁹ Those who form ^(F1)a graven image are all of them ^(F2)futile, and their desirable things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ^(C1)put to shame.¹⁰ Who has formed a god or cast a graven image to ^(C1)no profit?¹¹ Behold, all his companions will be ^(C1)put to shame. The craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them be in dread, let them together be put to shame.

¹² The ^(C1)man crafts iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, ^(F1)forming it with hammers and working it with his powerful arm. He also gets hungry and has no power; he drinks no water and becomes weary.^13 (C1)Another crafts wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with ^(F1)a stylus. He makes it with planes and outlines it with a compass and makes it like the form of a man, like the glory of ^(C2)man, so that it may sit in a ^(C3)house.¹⁴ In order to cut cedars for himself, he takes a ^(F1)cypress or an oak and ^(F2)raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.¹⁵ Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also ^(C1)works to produce a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and ^(C2)falls down before it.¹⁶ Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm; I have seen the fire."¹⁷ But the rest of it he ^(C1)makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also ^(C2)prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god."

¹⁸ They do not ^(C1)know, nor do they understand, for He has ^(C2)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they will have no insight.¹⁹ No one causes this to return to his heart, nor is there ^(C1)knowledge or understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then ^(F1)I make the rest of it into an ^(C2)abomination; ^(F2)I fall down before a block of wood!"²⁰ He ^(F1)(C1)feeds on ashes; a ^(C2)deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver his soul, and he cannot say, "^(C3)Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

Yahweh Forgives and Redeems

²¹ "^(C1)Remember these things, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are ^(C2)My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will ^(C3)not be forgotten by Me.

²² "I have ^(C1)wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
And your sins like a cloud.
^(C2)Return to Me, for I have ^(C3)redeemed you."

^23 (C1)Shout for joy, O heavens, for Yahweh has done it!
Make a loud shout, you lower parts of the earth;
^(C2)Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For ^(C3)Yahweh has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He ^(C4)shows forth His beautiful glory.

²⁴ Thus says Yahweh, your ^(C1)Redeemer, and the one who ^(C2)formed you from the womb,

"I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things,
^(C3)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth ^(F1)all alone,

^25 (C1)Causing the ^(F1)omens of boasters to be annulled,
And ^(F2)making fools out of diviners,
^(C2)Causing wise men to turn back,
And ^(F2)making foolishness out of their knowledge,

^26 (C1)Confirming the word of His servant—
And the counsel of His messengers He will complete—
And being the One who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!'
And of the ^(C2)cities of Judah, '^(C3)They shall be built.'
And I will raise up her waste places again.

²⁷ "It is I who says to the depth of the sea, 'Be dried up!'
And I will make your rivers ^(C1)dry.

²⁸ "It is I who says of ^(C1)Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd!
And all My good pleasure he will complete.'
And saying of Jerusalem, '^(C2)She will be built,'
And of the temple, '^(F1)Your foundation will be laid.'"