1 Dead Idols and the Living God Bel Is. 21:9; Jer. 50:2 bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, Jer. 10:5 A burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, Judg. 18:17, 18, 24;2 Sam. 5:21; Jer. 48:7; Hos. 10:5, 6 But have themselves gone into captivity.
3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Deut. 32:11; Ps. 71:6; Is. 63:9 Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb:
4 Even to your old age, Mal. 3:6 I am He, And even to gray hairs Ps. 48:14 I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 “To Is. 40:18, 25 whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?
6 Is. 40:19; 41:6; Jer. 10:4 They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a Is. 44:12 goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
7 Is. 45:20; 46:1; Jer. 10:5 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though Is. 45:20 one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble.
8 “Remember this, and show yourselves men; Is. 44:19 Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 Deut. 32:7; Is. 42:9; 65:17 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and Is. 45:5, 21 there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Is. 45:21; 48:3 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, Ps. 33:11; Prov. 19:21; 21:30; Is. 14:24; 25:1; Acts 5:39; Heb. 6:17 ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey Is. 41:2, 25 from the east, The man Is. 44:28 who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed Num. 23:19 I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
12 “Listen to Me, you Ps. 76:5; Is. 48:4; Zech. 7:11, 12; Mal. 3:13 stubborn-hearted, (Rom. 10:3) Who are far from righteousness:
13 (Rom. 1:17) I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation Hab. 2:3 shall not linger. And I will place Is. 62:11; Joel 3:17; (1 Pet. 2:6) salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.