18 People like that don't even know what they are doing. Their eyes are shut so that they can't see the truth. Their minds are closed so that they can't understand it.
19 No one even stops to think about this. No one has any sense or understanding. If anyone did, he would say, "I used half of the wood for fuel. I even baked bread over the fire. I cooked meat. Then I ate it. Should I now make a statue of a god out of the wood that's left over? Should I bow down to a block of wood? The Lord would hate that."
20 That's as foolish as eating ashes! The mind of someone like that has led him down the wrong path. He can't save himself. He can't bring himself to say, "This thing I'm holding in my right hand isn't really a god at all."
21 The Lord says, "Family of Jacob, remember those things. People of Israel, you are my servants. I have made you. You are my servants. Israel , I will not forget you.
22 I will sweep your sins away as if they were a cloud. I will blow them away as if they were the morning mist. Return to me. Then I will set you free."
23 Sing with joy, you heavens! The Lord does wonderful things. Shout out loud, you earth! Burst into song, you mountains! Sing, you forests and all of your trees! The Lord sets the family of Jacob free. He shows his glory in Israel.
24 The Lord says, "People of Israel, I set you free. I formed you when you were born as a nation. "I am the Lord. I have made everything. I alone spread out the heavens. I formed the earth by myself.