18-19 Pretty stupid, wouldn’t you say? Don’t they have eyes in their heads? Are their brains working at all? Doesn’t it occur to them to say, “Half of this tree I used for firewood: I baked bread, roasted meat, and enjoyed a good meal. And now I’ve used the rest to make an abominable no-god. Here I am praying to a stick of wood!”
20 This lover of emptiness, of nothing, is so out of touch with reality, so far gone, that he can’t even look at what he’s doing, can’t even look at the no-god stick of wood in his hand and say, “This is crazy.”
21-22 “Remember these things, O Jacob.Take it seriously, Israel, that you’re my servant.I made you, shaped you: You’re my servant.O Israel, I’ll never forget you.I’ve wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings.There’s nothing left of your sins.Come back to me, come back.I’ve redeemed you.”
23 High heavens, sing!God has done it.Deep earth, shout!And you mountains, sing!A forest choir of oaks and pines and cedars!God has redeemed Jacob.God’s glory is on display in Israel.
24 God, your Redeemer,who shaped your life in your mother’s womb, says:“I am God. I made all that is.With no help from you I spread out the skiesand laid out the earth.”
25-28 He makes the magicians look ridiculousand turns fortunetellers into jokes.He makes the experts look trivialand their latest knowledge look silly.But he backs the word of his servantand confirms the counsel of his messengers.He says to Jerusalem, “Be inhabited,”and to the cities of Judah, “Be rebuilt,”and to the ruins, “I raise you up.”He says to Ocean, “Dry up.I’m drying up your rivers.”He says to Cyrus, “My shepherd—everything I want, you’ll do it.”He says to Jerusalem, “Be built,”and to the Temple, “Be established.”