UST ISA Chapter 46

◄ ISA 46 ► ║ ═ ©

46 Statues that represent Bel and Nebo

are lying face down.

People used to carry those statues in processions,

but now they have loaded them onto the backs of pack animals.

They are so heavy that it exhausts the animals to carry them.

2 All those statues are lying face down.

The gods that they represent can not keep their enemies from capturing them.

Those enemies take them away as prizes.

3 Yahweh says, “Listen to me, you surviving Israelites,

who are descendants of Jacob.

I have taken care of you ever since you were born.

4 I will continue to be the one who takes care of you

even when you become old.

I am the one who made you,

and I will rescue you and take very good care of you.

5 There is no god to whom you can compare me,

because none of them are like me or equal to me.

6 When people want to have an idol that represents a god,

they pay a metalworker to make one.

They pour out so much gold from their bags for him to use

that it seems as if they do not consider gold to be valuable.

They also weigh out much silver.

After he makes it, they bow down and worship it.

7 They pick it up and carry it on their shoulders

and put it in a shrine. It stays there and never moves.

Then people pray to it, but it does not do what they ask.

It does not save anyone who is in trouble.

8 You Israelites have been worshiping other gods instead of me.

You have forgotten something that you need to remind yourselves about.

Then you will be able to do what you should do.

9 Remember the things that I did long ago.

Only I am God; there is no other.

Yes, I am God, and no one is like me.

10 From the very beginning, I say what will happen in the end.

I announce what is going to happen before it happens.

I say, ‘What I plan will certainly happen;

I will do everything I want to do.’

11 I have summoned a man to come from the east

who will swoop down on his enemies like a hawk.

I am bringing him from a distant land to carry out my plan.

I have said what will happen, and I will make it happen.

I have planned it, and I will do it.

12 Listen to me, you stubborn people

who are doing things that are very wrong!

13 I am going to save you and make things right.

I will do this soon, without delaying.

I will rescue the people of Jerusalem,

and I will make the Israelites honorable again.”