Old Testament · Prophets

Isaiah chapter 46

. sinks to the ground. Their statues are loaded onto beasts of burden, hoisted onto exhausted animals— they are just dead weight, a heavy load for a worn-out creature.Together they sink, they crumple— they cannot the load. They themselves go off into .“Listen to me, , all who remain of the house of Israel— you whom I have since before you were born, whom I have held since you were in the :Even when you turn gray, . Even when your hair goes white, I will you. I made you. I will bear you up. I will carry you, and I will .”“Who will you me to? Who is my equal? Who will you set side by side with me, as though we were the same?Some people pour gold from a bag and weigh out silver on a scale. They hire a , and he shapes it into a god. Then they —they actually kneel before it.They hoist it up on their shoulders and it around. They set it down in its spot, and there it stands. It cannot move from its place. Someone cries out to it, but it does not answer. It cannot their trouble.“Remember this and . Take it to heart, you .Remember what happened long ago. I am , and there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like me.I the end from the beginning, from ancient times I reveal what is not yet done. I say: My will stand. Everything I intend, I will accomplish.I am calling a from the east, from a distant land, the man who will . I have spoken it, and I will bring it about. I have designed it, and I will make it happen.Listen to me, you people, you who are far from doing :I am bringing my close—it is not far away. My will not be delayed. I will place rescue in , and my will rest on Israel.”