Isaiah 44

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 And now listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen.	1 And now hear, O Jacob, my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says Yahweh who made you, who formed you in the womb; he will help you. Do not be afraid,Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.	2 Thus saith the Lord that made and formed thee, thy helper from the womb: Fear not, O my servant Jacob, and thou most righteous whom I have chosen.
3 For I shal pour out water on the thirsty soil and streams on the dry ground. I shal pour out my spirit onyour descendants, my blessing on your offspring,	3 For I will pour out waters upon the thirsty ground, and streams upon the dry land: I will pour out my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy stock.
4 and they wil spring up among the grass, like wil ows on the banks of a stream.	4 And they shall spring up among the herbs, as willows beside the running waters.
5 One person wil say, 'I belong to Yahweh,' another wil cal himself by Jacob's name. On his handanother wil write 'Yahweh's' and be surnamed 'Israel'.	5 One shall say: I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand, To the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
6 Thus says Yahweh, Israel's king, Yahweh Sabaoth, his redeemer: I am the first and I am the last; thereis no God except me.	6 Thus saith the Lord the king of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts: I am the brat, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God.
7 Who is like me? Let him cal out, let him affirm it and convince me it is so; let him say what has beenhappening since I instituted an eternal people, and predict to them what will happen next!	7 Who is like to me? let him call and declare: and let him set before me the order, since I appointed the ancient people: and the things to come, and that shall be hereafter, let them shew unto them.
8 Have no fear, do not be afraid: have I not told you and revealed it long ago? You are my witnesses. Isthere any God except me? There is no Rock; I know of none.	8 Fear ye not, neither be ye troubled, from that time I have made thee to hear, and have declared: you are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me, a maker, whom I have not known?
9 The makers of idols are all nothingness; the works they delight in serve no purpose. And these are thewitness against them: they see nothing, they know nothing; and so they wil be put to shame.	9 The makers of idols are all of them nothing, and their best beloved things shall not profit them. They are their witnesses, that they do not see, nor understand, that they may be ashamed.
10 Who ever fashioned a god or cast an image without hope of gain?	10 Who hath formed a god, and made a graven thing that is profitable for nothing?
11 Watch how al its devotees wil be put to shame, and the men who made it too, who are only human.Let them al assemble, let them stand forward and feel both fear and shame!	11 Behold, all the partakers thereof shall be confounded: for the makers are men: they shall all assemble together, they shall stand and fear, and shall be confounded together.
12 The blacksmith makes an axe over the charcoal, beats it into shape with a hammer, works on it withhis strong arm. Then he feels hungry and his strength deserts him; having drunk no water, he is exhausted.	12 The smith hath wrought with his file, with coals, and with hammers he hath formed it, and hath wrought with the strength of his arm: he shall hunger and faint, he shall drink no water, and shall be weary.
13 The wood carver takes his measurements, outlines the image with chalk, executes it with the chisel,fol owing the outline with a compass. He makes it look like a human being, with human standards of beauty, sothat it can reside in a house.	13 The carpenter hath stretched out his rule, he hath formed it with a plane: he hath made it with corners, and hath fashioned it round with the compass: and he hath made the image of a man as it were a beautiful man dwelling in a house.
14 He has cut down cedars, has selected an oak and a terebinth which he has grown for himself amongthe trees in the forest and has planted a pine tree which the rain has nourished.	14 He hath cut down cedars, taken the holm, and the oak that stood among the trees of the forest: he hath planted the pine tree, which the rain hath nourished.
15 Once it is suitable to burn, he takes some of it to warm himself; having kindled it, he bakes bread. Buthe also makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol from it and bows down before it.	15 And it hath served men for fuel: he took thereof, and warmed himself: and he kindled it, and baked bread: but of the rest he made a god, and adored it: he made a graven thing, and bowed down before it.
16 Half of it he burns on the fire, over this half he roasts meat, eats it and is replete; at the same time hewarms himself and says, 'Ah, how warm I am, watching the flames!'	16 Part of it he burnt with fire, and with part of it he dressed his meat: he boiled pottage, and was filled, and was warmed, and said: Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.
17 With the remainder he makes a god, his idol, bows down before it, worships it and prays to it. 'Save me,' he says, 'for you are my god.'	17 But the residue thereof he made a god, and a graven thing for himself: he boweth down before it, and adoreth it, and prayeth unto it, saying: Deliver me, for thou art my God.
18 They know nothing, they understand nothing, since their eyes are incapable of seeing and their heartsof reflecting.	18 They have not known, nor understood: for their eyes are covered that they may not see, and that they may not understand with their heart.
19 Not one of them looks into his heart, not one of them has the knowledge and wit to think, 'I burned halfof it on the fire and cooked food over the embers. Am I right to make something disgusting out of what is left?Am I right to bow down before a block of wood?'	19 They do not consider in their mind, nor know, nor have the thought to say: I have burnt part of it in the fire, and I have baked bread upon the coals thereof: I have broiled flesh and have eaten, and of the residue thereof shall I make an idol? shall I fall down before the stock of a tree?
20 He hankers after ashes, his deluded heart has led him astray; he wil not save himself, he will notthink, 'What I have in my hand is nothing but a lie!'	20 Part thereof is ashes: his foolish heart adoreth it, and he will not save his soul, nor say: Perhaps there is a lie in my right hand.
21 Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, since you are my servant. I formed you, you are myservant; Israel, I shall not forget you.	21 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for thou art my servant. I have formed thee, thou art my servant, O Israel, forget me not.
22 I have dispel ed your acts of revolt like a cloud and your sins like a mist. Come back to me, for I haveredeemed you.	22 I have blotted out thy iniquities as a cloud, and thy sins as a mist: return to me, for I have redeemed thee.
23 Heavens, shout for joy, for Yahweh has acted! Underworld, shout aloud! Shout for joy, you mountains,forests and al your trees! For Yahweh has redeemed Jacob and displayed his glory in Israel.	23 Give praise, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath shewn mercy: shout with joy, ye ends of the earth: ye mountains, resound with praise, thou, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and Israel shall be glorified.
24 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, he who formed you in the womb: I, Yahweh, have made althings, I alone spread out the heavens. When I hammered the earth into shape, who was with me?	24 Thus saith the Lord thy redeemer, and thy maker, from the womb: I am the Lord, that make all things, that alone stretch out the heavens, that establish the earth, and there is none with me.
25 I, who foil the omens of soothsayers and make fools of diviners, who confound sages turning theirknowledge into folly,	25 That make void the tokens of diviners, and make the soothsayers mad. That turn the wise backward, and that, make their knowledge foolish.
26 who confirm the word of my servant and make the plans of my envoys succeed; who say toJerusalem, 'You wil be inhabited,' and to the towns of Judah, 'You wil be rebuilt and I shall restore the ruins ofJerusalem';	26 That raise up the word of my servant and perform the counsel of my messengers, who say to Jerusalem: Thou shalt be inhabited: and to the cities of Juda: You shall be built, and I will raise up the wastes thereof.
27 who say to the ocean, 'Dry up! I shal make your rivers run dry';	27 Who say to the deep: Be thou desolate, and I will dry up thy rivers.
28 who say to Cyrus, 'My shepherd.' He wil perform my entire wil by saying to Jerusalem, 'You wil berebuilt,' and to the Temple, 'You wil be refounded.'	28 Who say to Cyrus: Thou art my shepherd, and thou shalt perform all my pleasure. Who say to Jerusalem: Thou shalt be built: and to the temple: Thy foundations shall be laid.