Isaiah 45:18-46:13

English Standard Version

¹⁸^(A)For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
    (he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
    (he established it;
he ^(B)did not create it empty,
    ^(C)he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
¹⁹^(D)I did not speak in secret,
    in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
    ^(E)‘Seek me in vain.’^[a]
I the Lord speak ^(F)the truth;
    I declare what is right.

²⁰^(G)“Assemble yourselves and come;
    draw near together,
    you survivors of the nations!
^(H)They have no knowledge
    who ^(I)carry about their wooden idols,
^(J)and keep on praying to a god
    that cannot save.
²¹^(K)Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God ^(L)and a Savior;
    there is none besides me.

²²“Turn to me and be saved,
    ^(M)all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
²³^(N)By myself I have sworn;
    from my mouth has gone out in ^(O)righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
^(P)‘To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear allegiance.’^[b]

²⁴^(Q)“Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
    are righteousness and ^(R)strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
    ^(S)all who were incensed against him.
²⁵In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
    shall be justified and shall glory.”

The Idols of Babylon and the One True God

46 ^(T)Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
    their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
    as burdens on weary beasts.
²They stoop; they bow down together;
    they cannot save the burden,
    but ^(U)themselves go into captivity.

³“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
    all the remnant of the house of Israel,
^(V)who have been borne by me from before your birth,
    carried from the womb;
⁴^(W)even to your old age I am he,
    and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
    I will carry and will save.

⁵^(X)“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
    and compare me, that we may be alike?
⁶^(Y)Those who lavish gold from the purse,
    and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
    ^(Z)then they fall down and worship!
⁷^(AA)They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
    they set it in its place, and it stands there;
    ^(AB)it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
    or save him from his trouble.

⁸“Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, ^(AC)you transgressors,
⁹    remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
¹⁰^(AD)declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ^(AE)‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
¹¹^(AF)calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
^(AG)I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

¹²“Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
    you who are far from righteousness:
¹³^(AH)I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
    and my salvation will not delay;
^(AI)I will put salvation in Zion,
    for Israel my glory.”