44:1  "But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen:

44:2  Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ' Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

44:3  'For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;

44:4  And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.'

44:5  "This one will say, 'I belong to the LORD; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, 'Belonging to the LORD,' And will name Israel's name with honor.

44:6  "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I proclaim myself as the first and the last, And there exists no God besides Me.

44:7  'Who compares to Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that will come And the events that will take place.

44:8   'Do not tremble and do not fear; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you witness for Me Does any God exist besides Me, Or do we know of any other Rock? I know of none.'"

44:9  Those who fashion a graven image behave in a futile manner, and their precious things have no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will fall into shame.

44:10  Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit?

44:11  Behold, all his companions will fall into shame, for the craftsmen themselves show themselves mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together fall into shame.

44:12  The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.

44:13   Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house.

44:14  Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.

44:15  Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it.

44:16  Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and has become satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I feel warm, I have seen the fire."

44:17  But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for I consider you as my god."

44:18  They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

44:19  No one recalls, nor can we find 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 I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!"

44:20  He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, " Do I not find a lie in my right hand?"

44:21  " Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you I consider My servant; I have formed you, I have made you My servant, O Israel, I will not forget you.

44:22  "I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."

44:23   Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory.

44:24  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, have made all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,

44:25  Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

44:26   Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers I say of Jerusalem, 'She shall become inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah, ' People shall build them.' And I will raise up her ruins again.

44:27  " I say to the depth of the sea, ' Dry up!' And I will make your rivers dry.

44:28  " I say of Cyrus, ' I consider him my shepherd! And he will perform all My desire ' And he declares of Jerusalem, ' They will build her,' And of the temple, 'You will lay your foundation .'"