44

God’s Blessing on Israel

¹“Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
²Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
³For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
⁴They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
⁵One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.

There Is No Other God

⁶“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
⚓‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
⁷And ⚓who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
⁸Do not fear, nor be afraid;
⚓Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
⚓You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed ⚓there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”

Idolatry Is Foolishness

⁹⚓Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
⚓They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
¹⁰Who would form a god or mold an image
⚓That profits him nothing?
¹¹Surely all his companions would be ⚓ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.
¹²⚓The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
¹³The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
¹⁴He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
¹⁵Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
¹⁶He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
¹⁷And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”
¹⁸⚓They do not know nor understand;
For ⚓He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot ⚓understand.
¹⁹And no one ⚓considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
²⁰He feeds on ashes;
⚓A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a ⚓lie in my right hand?”

Israel Is Not Forgotten

²¹“Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be ⚓forgotten by Me!
²²⚓I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for ⚓I have redeemed you.”
²³⚓Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And ⚓glorified Himself in Israel.

Judah Will Be Restored

²⁴Thus says the Lord, ⚓your Redeemer,
And ⚓He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
⚓Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
²⁵Who ⚓frustrates the signs ⚓of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
⚓And makes their knowledge foolishness;
²⁶⚓Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
²⁷⚓Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
²⁸Who says of ⚓Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, ⚓“You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

44

Tus TSWV Tib Leeg Thiaj Yog Vajtswv

¹Tus TSWV hais tias,
“Cov Yixalayees uas yog kuv cov tubtxib,
Yakhauj cov xeebntxwv yog haivneeg uas kuv xaiv tseg lawm,
nimno nej cia li mloog kuv hais!
²Tus TSWV hais tias, kuv yog tus tsim nej,
kuv tsim nej rau hauv leej niam plab thiab kuv yuav pab nej:
Yakhauj uas yog kuv tus tubtxib, koj tsis txhob ntshai;
Yesuloos yog tus uas kuv xaiv tseg lawm!

³“Kuv yuav tso dej los rau hauv lub
tebchaws uas nqhis dej,
thiab ua kom muaj dej ntws saum tej
av uas qhuav nkig nkuav.
Kuv yuav tso kuv tus ntsujplig los
rau nej cov xeebntxwv,
thiab foom koob hmoov rau nej cov
menyuam.
⁴Lawv yuav hlob mos nyoos li tej nroj
uas tuaj ntawm ntug dej,
thiab zoo li tej ntoo uas tuaj ntawm
ntug dej.

⁵“Tej neeg ib leej hais rau ib leeg hais tias,
‘Kuv yog tus TSWV neeg.’
Lawv yuav kiav xeem ua neeg Yixalayees.
Nyias taus nyias sau tus TSWV lub
npe rau ntawm
nyias txhais npab hais tias nws yog Vajtswv haivneeg.”

⁶Tus TSWV yog cov Yixalayees tus
Vajntxwv thiab yog tus uas tsomkwm lawv,
tus TSWV uas muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus hais tias,
“Kuv yog lub hauvpaus thiab lub ntsis,
tsuas yog kuv thiaj yog Vajtswv xwb;
tsis muaj dua lwm tug vajtswv li lawm,
tsuas yog kuv tib leeg xwb.”
⁷Leejtwg thiaj muaj peevxwm ua tau
li kuv ua?
Leejtwg thiaj muaj peevxwm qhia txhua yam
puag thaum hauvpaus uas kuv tsim kuv haivneeg los
thiab mus txog thaum kawg rau peb mloog?
⁸Kuv haivneeg, nej tsis txhob ntshai!
Kuv twb qhia txhua yam uas tshwmsim
puag thaum hauvpaus rau nej paub los txog niaj hnub no,
thiab nej yog kuv cov timkhawv ntag.
Puas muaj lwm tus vajtswv nyob qhov ntawd?
Qhov ntawd puas muaj tej tus vajtswv
uas muaj hwjchim heev uas kuv tsis tau hnov dua li?

Kev Pe Mlom Tsis Muaj Nqis

⁹Cov neeg uas puab mlom yeej tsis tseemceeb thiab tej vajtswv uas lawv hwm tsis muaj nqis dabtsi. Cov neeg uas pe tej vajtswv no yog neeg digmuag thiab tsis paub qabhau, lawv yuav raug kev txajmuag. ¹⁰Qhov uas neeg nchuav mlom nyiaj mlom kub los pe, tsis muaj qabhau dabtsi li. ¹¹Txhua tus uas pe mlom yuav raug kev txajmuag; cov neeg uas puab mlom lawv yog neeg xwb, tsis muaj nqis dabtsi. Cia li tso lawv los rau ntawm lub rooj txiav txim; lawv yuav ntshai thiab txajmuag heev.
¹²Tus kws ntaus hlau muab ib thooj hlau coj mus hlawv rau hauv lub lwjhlaus. Nws sab npab uas muaj zog tuav rauj ntaus thooj hlau ua tau ib tug mlom. Thaum nws ua haujlwm nws tshaib plab, nqhis dej thiab tsaug muag kawg li.
¹³Tus txua ntoo muab hlua ntsuas thooj ntoo. Nws muab cwjmem kos thoob plaws, nws muab txaug los txaug thooj ntoo ntawd kom zoo nkaus li neeg tus yam ntxwv, thiab coj mus teeb rau hauv nws lub tsev. ¹⁴Nws ntov tej ntoo ciab lossis xaiv tej ntoo npeb lossis ntoo qhib hauv havzoov los siv. Lossis nws cog yub ntoo thuv cia, tos nag los ywg kom tej yub thuv ntawd hlob. ¹⁵Tus neeg ntawd muab ib tog los ua taws rauv, thiab muab ib tog los txua ua mlom. Nws muab ib tog ua taws rauv nte thiab rauv cub mov; dua li ntawd nws muab ib tog los txua ua ib tug mlom rau nws pe. ¹⁶Nws muab ibtxhia los ua taws rauv; nws ci nqaij noj qhuas ntxhias, thiab nws txaus siab heev; nws tau tej hluavtaws ntawd nte, nws hais tias, “Ua li cas yuav zoo thiab sov ua luaj! Tej ntoo no cig zoo kawg.” ¹⁷Tog ntoo uas seem, nws muab txua ua ib tug mlom; nws pe thiab teev tus mlom ntawd, nws thov tus mlom ntawd hais tias, “Koj yog kuv tus vajtswv, thov koj pab kom kuv dim lauj!”
¹⁸Lawv lub siab ruam kawg li, lawv qi muag nti thiab ntsaws qhovntsej kom lawv tsis pom thiab tsis paub dabtsi. ¹⁹Tus uas txua mlom ras tsis txog hais tias, “Kuv muab ib tog ntoo los ua taws rauv. Kuv ci ncuav thiab ci nqaij saum cov ncaig los noj. Tog ntoo uas seem, kuv muab txua ua ib tug mlom, thiab kuv tabtom pe tog ntoo ntawd ntag!”
²⁰Qhov uas nws pe mlom zoo li noj tshauv ntag. Lawv lub siab ruam coj lawv mus yuam kev. Lawv tsis pom hais tias tus mlom uas lawv tuav rawv ntawm tes tsis yog vajtswv hlo li.

Tus TSWV Yog Tus Tsim Thiab Yog Tus Cawmseej

²¹Tus TSWV hais tias,
“Yakhauj, nco ntsoov tej no.
Cov Yixalayees, nej yog kuv cov tubtxib uas kuv tsim.
Cov Yixalayees, nej yog kuv cov tubtxib
kuv yuav nco ntsoov nej mus li.
²²Kuv muab nej tej kev txhaum tshem
mus povtseg ib yam li tauv huab,
thiab tshem nej lub txim ib yam li
lub lwg dej thaum sawv ntxov.
Nej cia li rov los cuag kuv, kuv yog tus uas txhiv nej dim.”

²³Lub ntuj, cia li hu nkauj zoo siab rau
qhov tus TSWV ua tej no tiav lawm;
nruab tivtxwv, cia li tsa suab qw nrov nrov;
tej hauv roob, cia li hu nkauj zoo siab,
havzoov thiab txhua tus ntoo, cia li hu nkauj zoo siab!
Tus TSWV twb txhiv cov Yixalayees
dim lawm,
qhov uas nws ua li ntawd yog ua kom
sawvdaws pom nws lub tshwjchim uas ci ntsa iab.

²⁴“Kuv yog tus TSWV, kuv yog nej tus cawmseej;
kuv yog tus tsim nej rau hauv leej niam plab.
Kuv yog tus TSWV uas tsim ib puas tsav yam.
Kuv tib leeg yog tus nthuav lub ntuj;
kuv tib leeg yog tus tsim lub ntiajteb.
²⁵Kuv ua kom cov neeg saib hmoov tej
lus tsis tseeb,
thiab muab cov neeg uas txawj saib hnub saib hli
tej lus rhuav kom tsis tshwmsim raws li lawv hais.
Kuv tsis mloog tej lus uas cov neeg ntse hais,
thiab kuv ua kom lawv hais lawv tej lus tsis muaj kuab.
²⁶Tiamsis thaum kuv tus tubtxib mus
qhia tej uas yuav tshwmsim los
thiab thaum kuv tus tubtxib mus
qhia tej uas kuv yuav ua,
kuv yuav ua kom tej ntawd tiav raws
li tej lus uas kuv hais.
Kuv qhia lub nroog Yeluxalees hais tias,
yuav muaj neeg rov los nyob hauv,
thiab lawv yuav rov txhim kho cov
Yudas tej nroog dua tshiab;
thiab kuv yuav txhim kho lawv tej
vuas pob puas tas lawm dua tshiab.
²⁷Kuv hais rau dej hiavtxwv tob hais tias,
‘Cia li nqhuab, kuv yuav ua kom tej dej nqhuab tas huv tibsi.’
²⁸Kuv hais rau Xailas hais tias, ‘Koj yog kuv tus tub yug yaj,
koj yuav ua kuv tes haujlwm kom
tiav raws li kuv lub siab nyiam;
koj yuav hais kom neeg txhim kho
lub nroog Yeluxalees dua tshiab,
thiab hais kom lawv pua lub tuamtsev dua tshiab.’ ”