1 “Jacob, you are my servant. Israel, I chose you. Listen to me! 2 I am the LORD, and I made you. I am the one who created you. I have helped you since you were in your mother’s womb. Jacob, my servant, don’t be afraid. Jeshurun,* Jeshurun Another name for Israel. It means “good” or “honest.” I chose you.

3 “I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless† bless This is a wordplay. This Hebrew word sounds like the word meaning “pool.” your family. 4 They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.

5 “One man will call himself, ‘I am the LORD’S.’ Another will use the name, ‘Jacob.’ Another man will sign his name as ‘The LORD’S Hand.’ And another will use the name, ‘Israel.’ ”

6 The LORD is the king of Israel. The LORD All-Powerful is the one who will set Israel free. And he says, “I am the only God. There are no other gods. I am the Beginning and the End. 7 There is no other God like me. If there is, that god should speak now. Let him lay out everything he has done since the time I made these ancient people. Let him show me the signs he gave long ago that prove he knew what would happen in the future.

8 “Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry. I am the one who always told you what would happen. You are my proof.‡ proof Or “witnesses.” There is no other God; I am the only one. There is no other ‘Rock’; I know I am the only one.”

9 Some people make idols, but they are worthless. They love their statues, which are useless. Those who serve as witnesses for these statues cannot even see. They don’t know enough to be ashamed.

10 Who made these false gods? Who covered these useless statues? 11 Workers made them, and the workers are only human. If they all would come together before me, we could discuss this. Then they would all be ashamed and afraid.

12 One worker uses his tools to heat iron over hot coals. Then he uses his hammer to beat the metal to shape it into a statue. He uses his own powerful arms, but when he gets hungry, he loses his strength. If he does not drink water, he becomes weak.

13 Another worker uses his string line§ string line In ancient times, this was a piece of string with wet paint on it. It was used to make straight lines on wood or stone. and compass* compass A tool used to draw circles and copy measurements. to draw lines on the wood to show where he should cut. Then he uses his chisels† chisels Sharp tools used to carve wood or stone. and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers‡ calipers A special measuring tool, like a compass. to measure the statue. In this way the worker makes the wood look exactly like a man, and this statue of a man does nothing but sit in the house.

14 To split the cedar tree, the worker took some oak or cypress wedges. To make sure he had plenty of wood, he planted some pines. But it was the rain that made them grow.

15 When the man wanted a fire, he took some of the wood to keep him warm. He also used some of it to bake his bread. But then he used that same wood to make a statue to worship as a god! That god is only a statue that he made, but he bows down to it! 16 He burns half of the wood in the fire. He uses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat until he is full. He burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says, “Good! Now I am warm, and I can see by the light of the fire.” 17 There is a little of the wood left, so he makes a statue and calls it his god. He bows down before it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god, save me!”

18 People like that don’t know what they are doing! They don’t understand. It is as if they have mud in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot understand. 19 They don’t realize what they are doing. They aren’t smart enough to think, “I burned half of the wood in the fire. I used the hot coals to bake my bread and cook the meat I ate. And I used the wood that was left to make this terrible thing. I am worshiping a block of wood!”

20 Someone like that is deceived. They don’t know what they are doing.§ They … doing Literally, “They eat ashes.” They cannot save themselves, and they will not admit, “This statue I am holding is a lie!”

25 False prophets tell lies, but the Lord shows that their lies are false. He makes fools of those who do magic. He confuses even the wise. They think they know a lot, but he makes them look foolish. 26 The Lord sends his servants to tell his messages to the people, and he makes those messages come true. He sends messengers to tell the people what they should do, and he proves that the advice is good.