18 They do not know, do not understand;their eyes are too clouded to see,their minds, to perceive.
19 He does not think clearly;he lacks the wit and knowledge to say,“Half the wood I burned in the fire,on its embers I baked bread,I roasted meat and ate.Shall I turn the rest into an abomination?Shall I worship a block of wood?”
20 He is chasing ashes!A deluded mind has led him astray;He cannot save himself,does not say, “This thing in my right hand—is it not a fraud?”
21 Remember these things, Jacob,Israel, for you are my servant!I formed you, a servant to me;Israel, you shall never be forgotten by me:
22 I have brushed away your offenses like a cloud,your sins like a mist;return to me, for I have redeemed you.
23 Raise a glad cry, you heavens—the Lord has acted!Shout, you depths of the earth.Break forth, mountains, into song,forest, with all your trees.For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,shows his glory through Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, your redeemer,who formed you from the womb:I am the Lord, who made all things,who alone stretched out the heavens,I spread out the earth by myself.