以赛亚书 44:9-20 Isaiah 44:9-20
制造雕刻偶像的尽都虚空；他们所喜悦的都无益处；他们的见证无所看见，无所知晓，他们便觉羞愧。谁制造神像，铸造无益的偶像？看哪，他的同伴都必羞愧。工匠也不過是人，任他们聚会，任他们站立，都必惧怕，一同羞愧。
铁匠把铁在火炭中烧热，用锤打铁器，用他有力的膀臂锤成；他饥饿而无力，不喝水而发倦。木匠拉线，用笔劃出样子，用刨子刨成形状，用圆尺劃了模样，仿照人的体态，做成人形，好住在房屋中。他砍伐香柏树，又取柞树（青桐）和橡树，在树林中选定了一棵。他栽种松树，得雨长养。这树，人可用以烧火；他自己取些烤火，又烧著烤饼，而且做神像跪拜，做雕刻的偶像向他叩拜。他把一分烧在火中，把一分烤肉吃饱。自己烤火说：啊哈，我暖和了，我见火了。他用剩下的做了一神，就是雕刻的偶像。他向这偶像俯伏叩拜，祷告他说：求你拯救我，因你是我的神。
他们不知道，也不思想；因为耶和华闭住他们的眼，不能看见，塞住他们的心，不能明白。谁心里也不醒悟，也没有知识，没有聪明，能说：我曾拿一分在火中烧了，在炭火上烤過饼；我也烤過肉吃。这剩下的，我岂要作可憎的物吗？我岂可向木墩子叩拜呢？他以灰为食，心中昏迷，使他偏邪，他不能自救，也不能说：我右手中岂不是有虚谎吗？
How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame. Who but a fool would make his own god - an idol that cannot help him one bit? All who worship idols will be disgraced
along with all these craftsmen - mere humans - who claim they can make a god. They may all stand together, but they will stand in terror and shame.
The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might. His work makes him hungry and weak. It makes him thirsty and faint. Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood
and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane
and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty
and puts it in a little shrine. He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then - yes, it’s true - he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol
and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
and to keep himself warm. He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.” Then he takes what’s left
and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”
Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat
and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?” The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”
