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 cannot save themselves, and they will not admit, “This statue I am holding is a lie!”
21. “Jacob, remember these things! Israel, remember, you are my servant. I made you, and you are my servant. So, Israel, don’t forget me.
22. Your sins were like a big cloud, but I wiped them all away. Your sins are gone, like a cloud that disappeared into thin air. I rescued and protected you, so come back to me.”
23. Skies, rejoice for what the Lord has done. Earth, shout for joy down to your deepest parts! Start singing, you mountains and all you trees in the forest! Yes, the Lord has saved Jacob. He has shown his glory by rescuing Israel.
24. The one who rescued you is the Lord, the one who formed you in your mother’s womb. He says, “I, the Lord, made everything. I put the skies there myself. I spread out the earth before me.”
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.