16Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

      18They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” 20He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

God Forgives and Redeems

21“Remember these things, O Jacob,
         And Israel, for you are My servant;
         I have formed you, you are My servant,
         O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

22“I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
         And your sins like a heavy mist.
         Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

23Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!
         Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
         Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
         O forest, and every tree in it;
         For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
         And in Israel He shows forth His glory.

      24Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
         “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things,
         Stretching out the heavens by Myself
         And spreading out the earth all alone,

25Causing the omens of boasters to fail,
         Making fools out of diviners,
         Causing wise men to draw back
         And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

26Confirming the word of His servant
         And performing the purpose of His messengers.
         It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
         And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
         And I will raise up her ruins again.

27“It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
         And I will make your rivers dry.

28“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
         And he will perform all My desire.’
         And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
         And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

NASB ©1995

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