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The Blessings of Israel

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

² This is what the LORD says, He who made you
And ^(C1)formed you from the womb, who ^(C2)will help you:
'^(C3)Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And ^(F1)(C4)Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

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

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

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

⁶ "This is what the LORD says, He who is the ^(C1)King of Israel and his ^(C2)Redeemer, the LORD of armies:

'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 proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
^(F1)Beginning with My establishing of the ancient ^(F2)nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.

⁸ 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
^(C1)Have I not long since announced it 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 Foolishness of Idolatry

⁹ Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ^(C1)put to shame.¹⁰ Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to ^(C1)no benefit?¹¹ Behold, all his companions will be ^(C1)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.

¹² The ^(C1)craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, ^(F1)fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and ^(F2)his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.^13 (C1)The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of ^(C2)mankind, so that it may sit in a ^(C3)house.¹⁴ He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow.¹⁵ Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also ^(C1)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and ^(C2)bows down before it.¹⁶ Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire."¹⁷ Yet the rest of it he ^(C1)makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also ^(C2)prays to it and says, "Save 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 cannot comprehend.¹⁹ No one ^(F1)remembers, 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 ^(F2)I make the rest of it into an ^(C2)abomination, ^(F3)I bow down before a block of wood!"²⁰ He ^(F1)(C1)feeds on ashes; a ^(C2)deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save ^(F2)himself, nor say, "^(C3)Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

God Forgives and Redeems

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

²² "I have ^(C1)wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a ^(F1)heavy mist.
^(C2)Return to Me, for I have ^(C3)redeemed you."

^23 (C1)Shout for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
^(C2)Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For ^(C3)the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He ^(C4)shows His glory.

²⁴ This is what the LORD says, He who is your ^(C1)Redeemer, and the One who ^(C2)formed you from the womb:

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

^25 (C1)Causing the ^(F1)omens of diviners to fail,
^(F2)Making fools of fortune-tellers;
^(C2)Causing wise men to turn back
And ^(F3)making their knowledge ridiculous,

^26 (C1)Confirming the word of His servant
And ^(F1)carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!'
And of the ^(C2)cities of Judah, '^(C3)They shall be built.'
And I will raise her ruins again.

²⁷ "I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, 'Dry up!'
And I will make your rivers ^(C1)dry up.

²⁸ "It is I who says of ^(C1)Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.'
And ^(F1)he says of Jerusalem, '^(C2)She will be built,'
And of the temple, '^(F2)Your foundation will be laid.'"