Isaiah 44:9-20
Holman Christian Standard Bible
9 All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure does not profit.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.(A)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
for no profit?(B)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.
12 The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn’t drink water and is faint.
13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human likeness,(C)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
14 He cuts down[a] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
15 It serves as fuel for man.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
He prays to it,(D) “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 Such people[b] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for He has shut their eyes[c] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
19 No one reflects,
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
I will make something detestable(E) with the rest of it,
and I will bow down to a block of wood.”
20 He feeds on[d] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot deliver himself,
or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”(F)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit To cut down for himself
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit They
- Isaiah 44:18 Or for their eyes are shut
- Isaiah 44:20 Or He shepherds
Jeremiah 2:8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
8 The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord?”
The experts in the law no longer knew Me,(A)
and the rulers(B) rebelled against Me.
The prophets prophesied by[a] Baal(C)
and followed useless idols.(D)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:8 = in the name of
Jeremiah 2:11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods?(A)
(But they were not gods!(B))
Yet My people have exchanged their[a] Glory
for useless idols.(C)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:11 Ancient Jewish tradition reads My
Habakkuk 2:18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
18 What use is a carved idol
after its craftsman carves it?
It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.
For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it
and makes idols that cannot speak.
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