The Lord Is the Only God
1 The Lord says,
“Listen now, Israel, my servant,
my chosen people, the descendants of Jacob.
2 I am the Lord who created you;
from the time you were born, I have helped you.
Do not be afraid; you are my servant,
my chosen people whom I love.
3 “I will give water to the thirsty land
and make streams flow on the dry ground.
I will pour out my spirit on your children
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will thrive like well-watered grass,
like willows by streams of running water.
5 “One by one, people will say, ‘I am the Lord's.’
They will come to join the people of Israel.
They each will mark the name of the Lord on their arms
and call themselves one of God's people.”
6 The Lord, who rules and protects Israel,
the Lord Almighty, has this to say:
“I am the first, the last, the only God;
there is no other god but me.
7 Could anyone else have done what I did?
Who could have predicted all that would happen
from the very beginning to the end of time?
8 Do not be afraid, my people!
You know that from ancient times until now
I have predicted all that would happen,
and you are my witnesses.
Is there any other god?
Is there some powerful god I never heard of?”
Idolatry Is Ridiculed
9 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant—and they will be disgraced. 10 It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god! 11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial—they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace.
12 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired.
13 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house. 14 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow. 15 A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. 16 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, “How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!” 17 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god—save me!”
18 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth. 19 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, “Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!”
20 It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.
The Lord, the Creator and Savior
21 The Lord says,
“Israel, remember this;
remember that you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant,
and I will never forget you.
22 I have swept your sins away like a cloud.
Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”
23 Shout for joy, you heavens!
Shout, deep places of the earth!
Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest!
The Lord has shown his greatness
by saving his people Israel.
24 “I am the Lord, your savior;
I am the one who created you.
I am the Lord, the Creator of all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens;
when I made the earth, no one helped me.
25 I make fools of fortunetellers
and frustrate the predictions of astrologers.
The words of the wise I refute
and show that their wisdom is foolishness.
26 But when my servant makes a prediction,
when I send a messenger to reveal my plans,
I make those plans and predictions come true.
I tell Jerusalem that people will live there again,
and the cities of Judah that they will be rebuilt.
Those cities will rise from the ruins.
27 With a word of command I dry up the ocean.
28 I say to Cyrus, ‘You are the one who will rule for me;
you will do what I want you to do:
you will order that Jerusalem be rebuilt
and that the foundations of the Temple be laid.’”
Omhepo yonghenda tai yandjwa
1 “Ndelenee paife Jakob, omupiya wange, pwilikina, naIsrael, nde ku hoolola. 2 Omwene omushiti woye, omumi woye, fimbo wa li medimo lanyoko, Oye ou he ku kwafa, ota ti: Ino tila, omupiya wange, Jakob, oove Jesurun, nde ku hoolola! 3 Osheshi ohandi ka tila omeva kombada yaau a fya enota nomilonga kombada yedu la kukuta. Ame ohandi ka tilila Omhepo yange kombada yoludalo loye nenangeko noupuna kombada yoitutumine yoye, 4 opo va mene ngaashi omwiidi nongaashi omimbalandongo pomatondokelo omeva. 5 Umwe ta ka tya: ‘Aame owOmwene,’ nomukwao ota ka ifana edina laJakob, nomukwao vali ota ka shangela meke laye nokutya: ‘Aame owOmwene,’ ndele te liluku nedina lefimano laIsrael.”
6 Omwene, ohamba yaIsrael nOmukulili waye, Omwene Kalunga komatanga ovakwaita ota ti: “Aame ou, omutete nomuxuuninwa, Aame andike Kalunga, kape na vali umwe. 7 Ndele olyelye ngaashi Aame? Ne shi udife, ne shi shiivife, ye ne shi ulikile nge, okudja kefiku linya nda shita oshiwana shonale. Na shiivife ei yokomesho naai tai ka shikula. 8 Inamu kala mwa haluka, nye inamu tila! Inandi shi ku shiivifila noku ku udifila nalenale? Ndele onye eendobwedi dange! Ope na tuu Kalunga kamwe kehe fi Aame? Ahowe, kape na emanya limwe lexupifo, kandi mu shii nande umwe.”
Oulai wokulongela oikalunga
9 Ovahongi vomafanohongwa aveshe ovongaho, noiholike yavo kai na oshilonga; neendobwedi davo kadi wete ko, noinadi shiiva sha, nosho ngaha tava fifwa ohoni. 10 Olyelye ta hongo kalunga nolyelye ta teleke efano, lo itali eta ouwa washa? 11 Taleni, ovashikuli valo aveshe otava ka fifwa ohoni, novanongo ovo ovanhu! Nava ongale aveshe, nava holoke, nava haluke, nava fifwe ohoni mumwe
12 Omuhambwidi woivela ota longo nonghwato moupyu wediko, ote li hambula nohamala ndele te li longo neenghono domaoko aye; mokulonga kwaye e udite ondjala, neenghono da pwa mo, iha nu nande omeva, ndele ta loloka. 13 Omuhongi woipilangi ota shili ongodi; ta findi omifinda nomya; ote shi shate noshato ndele te shi yeleke noshiyelekifo ndele te shi hongo efano lomulumenhu, pawapalo lomunhu, shi kale meumbo.
14 Umwe ota i a ka tete omisederi, ndele ta kufa omufyati ile omwoonde, ote likulifile omuti umwe mokati komiti domofuka, ta twike omusederi nodula otai u kulike. 15 Opo nee omuti ou owa wapalela oikuni yovanhu yokutema omundilo, ndele ta tyava po imwe a xuxumukwe; imwe te i kufa po a pakife po omungome, imwe te i hongo kalunga ndele te li linyongamene; ta hongo oshihongwafano ndele te shi twile eengolo. 16 Hano imwe ote i temifa omundilo, imwe ote i pakifa po ombelela, ta li ombelela ya telekwa, ndele ta kuta, ta kala po ta xuxumukwa, ta ti: “Iyaloo, onda xuxumukwa nonda mona omundilo.” 17 Ndele eshi sha xupa po ote shi hongo kalunga, oshihongwafano shaye, te shi twile eengolo, ndele te shi linyongamene, ndele ta ti: “Xupife nge, osheshi oove kalunga kange!” 18 Vo kave shi shii, ndele kave udite ko, osheshi omesho avo okwa fifikinifwa, vaha mone ko, nomitima davo opo va kale vehe udite ko; 19 ndele vo ihava diladila sha, kape neshiivo ile eendunge dokutya: “Imwe onde i xwika po momundilo, nomakala onde a pakifa po omungome, nde liyofela ombelela ndele nde i lya po; noshixupe shayo ondi shi ninge ngeno oixuna yongaho? Ondi nokutwila oshitetela shomuti eengolo hamba?” 20 Oye ou a hokwa omute, okwa hongaulwa komutima wa pukifwa, ye ita xupifa omwenyo waye, ndele ita ti: “Meke lange lokolulyo kamu na nande oipupulu?”
Israel ta filwa onghenda ndele ta kulilwa
21 Akutu Jakob naave Israel, dimbulukwa oinima ei, osheshi oove omupiya wange; Ame onde ku ma, oove omupiya wange, ihandi ku dimbwa, Israel. 22 Ame ohandi dimi po omatauluko oye ngaashi omudidimbe nomatimba oye ongaashi oshilemo. Alukile nge, osheshi Ame onde ku kulila. 23 Akutu nye omaulu, nyakukweni, osheshi Omwene okwe shi ninga, kuwilileni pombada, onye eembwili domedu, hafeni pombada, onye eemhunda nomifitu nomiti adishe di li mo. Osheshi Omwene okwa kulila Jakob ndele te ke lifimanekifila Israel.
24 Omwene Omukulili woye, ou e ku ma fimbo wa li medimo lanyoko, ota ti: “Aame Omwene ou handi wanifa aishe, onda valela eulu. Aame andike, nda yala edu, olyelye a kala pwaame? 25 Ou, handi hanauna po omadidiliko ovaxunganeki voipupulu, ndele handi shimike eemhulile, handi shunifa ovanamayele konima, ndele handi shitukifa ounongo wavo oulai. 26 Aame ou, handi wanifa ondjovo yomupiya wange ndele handi wanifa eenghundafana dovatumwa vange. Aame ou, handi lombwele Jerusalem: Ou na okunangekwa! Noilando yaJuda: Omu na okutungululwa! Ndele Ame handi ka tungulula omakulukuma asho. 27 Aame ou, handi lombwele oule womeni: ‘Pwinina, nomilonga doye ohandi ke di pwininika.’ 28 Aame ou, handi lombwele Kores: ‘Omufita wange! Ndele ye ota fikifa ehalo lange la wana’, eshi ta ti kuJerusalem: ‘Ove tungwa!’ Nokotembeli: ‘Omakanghameno oye naa dikwe!’ ”
