19 The workman melteth an image, or the goldsmith beateth it out in gold, or the goldsmith maketh silver plates.

20 Doth not [a]the poor choose out a tree that will not rot, for an oblation? he seeketh also unto him a cunning workman, to prepare an image that shall not be moved.

21 Know ye nothing? have ye not heard [b]it? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood it by the [c]foundation of the earth?

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 40:20 He showeth the rage of the idolaters, seeing that the poor that have not to suffice their own necessities, will defraud themselves to serve their idols.
  2. Isaiah 40:21 Have ye not the word of God, which plainly condemneth idolatry?
  3. Isaiah 40:21 Can you not learn by the visible creatures whom God hath made to observe your use, that you should not serve them nor worship them?

19 As for an idol,(A) a metalworker casts it,
    and a goldsmith(B) overlays it with gold(C)
    and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
    selects wood(D) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
    to set up an idol(E) that will not topple.(F)

21 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?(G)
Has it not been told(H) you from the beginning?(I)
    Have you not understood(J) since the earth was founded?(K)

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