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, 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 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. 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 and compass to draw lines on the wood to show where he should cut. Then he uses his chisels and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers 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.