one—
Whose right hand a-He has-a grasped,
Treading down nations before him,
b-Ungirding the loins of kings,-b
Opening doors before him
And letting no gate stay shut:
2I will march before you
And level c-the hills that loom up;-c
I will shatter doors of bronze
And cut down iron bars.
3I will give you treasures concealed in the dark
And secret hoards—
So that you may know that it is I the LORD,
The God of Israel, who call you by name.
4For the sake of My servant Jacob,
Israel My chosen one,
I call you by name,
I hail you by title, though you have not known Me.
5I am the LORD and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.
I engird you, though you have not known Me,
6So that they may know, from east to west,
That there is none but Me.
I am the LORD and there is none else,
7I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe—
I the LORD do all these things.
8Pour down, O skies, from above!
Let the heavens rain down victory!
Let the earth open up and triumph sprout,
Yes, let vindication spring up:
I the LORD have created it.
9Shame on him who argues with his Maker,
Though naught but a potsherd of earth!
Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing?
d-Your work has no handles”?-d
10Shame on him who asks his father, “What are you begetting?”
Or a woman, “What are you bearing?”
11Thus said the LORD,
Israel’s Holy One and Maker:
e-Will you question Me-e on the destiny of My children,
Will you instruct Me about the work of My hands?
12It was I who made the earth
And created man upon it;
My own hands stretched out the heavens,
And I marshaled all their host.
13It was I who roused himf for victory
And who level all roads for him.
He shall rebuild My city
And let My exiled people go
Without price and without payment
—said the LORD of Hosts.
14Thus said the LORD:
Egypt’s wealth and Nubia’s gains
And Sabaites, g-long of limb,-g
Shall pass over to you and be yours,
Pass over and follow you in fetters,
Bow low to you
And reverently address you:
“Only among you is God,
There is no other god at all!
15You are indeed a God who concealed Himself,
O God of Israel, who bring victory!
16Those who fabricate idols,
All are shamed and disgraced;
To a man, they slink away in disgrace.
17But Israel has won through the LORD
Triumph everlasting.
You shall not be shamed or disgraced
In all the ages to come!”
18For thus said the LORD,
The Creator of heaven who alone is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who alone established it—
He did not create it a waste,
But formed it for habitation:
I am the LORD, and there is none else.
19I did not speak in secret,
At a site in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the stock of Jacob,
“Seek Me out in a wasteland”—
I the LORD, who foretell reliably,
Who announce what is true.
20Come, gather together,
Draw nigh, you remnants of the nations!
No foreknowledge had they who carry their wooden images
And pray to a god who cannot give success.
21Speak up, compare testimony—
Let them even take counsel together!
Who announced this aforetime,
Foretold it of old?
Was it not I the LORD?
Then there is no god beside Me,
No God exists beside Me
Who foretells truly and grants success.
22Turn to Me and gain success,
All the ends of earth!
For I am God, and there is none else.
23By Myself have I sworn,
From My mouth has issued truth,
A word that shall not turn back:
To Me every knee shall bend,
Every tongue swear loyalty.
24h-They shall say: “Only through the LORD
Can I find victory and might.-h
When people i-trust in-i Him,
All their adversaries are put to shame.
25It is through the LORD that all the offspring of Israel
Have vindication and glory.”
46 Bela is bowed, Neboa is cowering,
Their images are a burden for beasts and cattle;
The things youb would carry [in procession]
Are now piled as a burden
On tired [beasts].
2They cowered, they bowed as well,
They could not rescue the burden,c
And they themselves went into captivity.
3Listen to Me, O House of Jacob,
All that are left of the House of Israel,
Who have been carried since birth,
Supported since leaving the womb:
4Till you grow old, I will still be the same;
When you turn gray, it is I who will carry;
I was the Maker, and I will be the Bearer;
And I will carry and rescue [you].
5To whom can you compare Me
Or declare Me similar?
To whom can you liken Me,
So that we seem comparable?
6Those who squander gold from the purse
And weigh out silver on the balance,d
They hire a metal worker to make it into a god,
To which they bow down and prostrate themselves.
7They must carry it on their backs and transport it;
When they put it down, it stands,
It does not budge from its place.
If they cry out to it, it does not answer;
It cannot save them from their distress.
8Keep this in mind, and e-stand firm!-e
Take this to heart, you sinners!
9Bear in mind what happened of old;
For I am God, and there is none else,
I am divine, and there is none like Me.
10I foretell the end from the beginning,
And from the start, things that had not occurred.
I say: My plan shall be fulfilled;
I will do all I have purposed.
11I summoned that swooping bird from the East;f
From a distant land, the man for My purpose.
I have spoken, so I will bring it to pass;
I have designed it, so I will complete it.
12Listen to Me, you g-stubborn of heart,-g
Who are far from victory:
13I am bringing My victory close;
It shall not be far,
And My triumph shall not be delayed.
I will grant triumph in Zion
To Israel, in whom I glory.
47 Get down, sit in the dust,
Fair Maiden Babylon;
Sit, dethroned, on the ground,
O Fair Chaldea;
Nevermore shall they call you
The tender and dainty one.
2Grasp the handmill and grind meal.
Remove your veil,
Strip off your train, bare your leg,
Wade through the rivers.
3Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
And your shame shall be exposed.
I will take vengeance,
a-And let no man intercede.
4Our Redeemer—LORD of Hosts is His name—
Is the Holy One of Israel.-a
5Sit silent; retire into darkness,
O Fair Chaldea;
Nevermore shall they call you
Mistress of Kingdoms.
6I was angry at My people,
I defiled My heritage;
I put them into your hands,
But you showed them no mercy.
Even upon the aged you made
Your yoke exceedingly heavy.
7You thought, “I shall always be
The mistress still.”
You did not take these things to heart,
You gave no thought to the end of it.
8And now hear this, O pampered one—
Who dwell in security,
Who think to yourself,
“I am, and there is none but me;
I shall not become a widow
Or know loss of children”—
9These two things shall come upon you,
Suddenly, in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood
Shall come upon you in full measure,
Despite your many enchantments
And all your countless spells.
10You were secure in your wickedness;
You thought, “No one can see me.”
It was your skill and your science
That led you astray.
And you thought to yourself,
“I am, and there is none but me.”
11Evil is coming upon you
Which you will not know how to b-charm away;-b
Disaster is falling upon you
Which you will not be able to appease;
Coming upon you suddenly
Is ruin of which you know nothing.
12Stand up, with your spells and your many enchantments
On which you labored since youth!
Perhaps you’ll be able to profit,
Perhaps you c-will find strength.-c
13You are helpless, despite all your art.
Let them stand up and help you now,
The scannersd of heaven, the star-gazers,
Who announce, month by month,
Whatever will come upon you.
14See, they are become like straw,
Fire consumes them;
They cannot save themselves
From the power of the flame;
This is no coal for warming oneself,
No fire to sit by!
15This is what they have profited you—
The traders you dealt with since youth—
Each has wandered off his own way,
There is none to save you.
48 Listen to this, O House of Jacob,
Who bear the name Israel
And have issued from the watersa of Judah,
Who swear by the name of the LORD
And invoke the God of Israel—
Though not in truth and sincerity—
2For youb are called after c-the Holy City-c
And youb do lean on the God of Israel,
Whose name is LORD of Hosts:
3Long ago, I foretold things that happened,
From My mouth they issued, and I announced them;
Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4Because I know how stubborn you are
(Your neck is like an iron sinew
And your forehead bronze),
5Therefore I told you long beforehand,
Announced things to you ere they happened—
That you might not say, “My idol caused them,
My carved and molten images ordained them.”
6You have d-heard all this; look, must you not acknowledge it?-d
As of now, I announce to you new things,
Well-guarded secrets you did not know.
7Only now are they created, and not of old;
d-Before today-d you had not heard them;
You cannot say, “I knew them already.”
8You had never heard, you had never known,
Your ears were not opened of old.
Though I know that you are treacherous,
That you were called a rebel from birth,
9For the sake of My name I control My wrath;
To My own glory, d-I am patient-d with you,
And I will not destroy you.
10See, I refine you, but not as silver;
I test you in the furnace of affliction.
11For My sake, My own sake, do I act—
Lest [My name]e be dishonored!
I will not give My glory to another.
12Listen to Me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:
I am He—I am the first,
And I am the last as well.
13My own hand founded the earth,
My right hand spread out the skies.
I call unto them, let them stand up.
14Assemble, all of you, and listen!
Who among youf foretold these things:
d-“He whom the LORD loves
Shall work His will against Babylon,
And, with His might, against Chaldea”?-d
15I, I predicted, and I called him;
I have brought him and he shall succeed in his mission.
16Draw near to Me and hear this:
From the beginning, I did not speak in secret;
From the time anything existed, I was there.g
“And now the Lord God has sent me, h-endowed
with His spirit.”-h
17Thus said the LORD your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
I the LORD am your God,
Instructing you for your own benefit.
Guiding you in the way you