Through the Bible – Day 285

₁The gods Bel and Nebo

are down on their knees,

as wooden images of them

are carried away

on weary animals.

₂They are down on their knees

to rescue the heavy load,

but the images are still taken

to a foreign country.

₃You survivors in Israel,

listen to me, the LORD.

Since the day you were born,

I have carried you along.

₄I will still be the same

when you are old and grey,

and I will take care of you.

I created you. I will carry you

and always keep you safe.

₅Can anyone compare with me?

Is anyone my equal?

₆Some people hire a goldsmith

and give silver and gold

to be formed into an idol

for them to worship.

₇They carry the idol

on their shoulders,

then put it on a stand,

but it cannot move.

They call out to the idol

when they are in trouble,

but it doesn't answer,

and it cannot help.

₈Now keep this in mind,

you sinful people.

And don't ever forget it.

₉I alone am God!

There are no other gods;

no one is like me.

Think about what happened

many years ago.

₁₀From the very beginning,

I told what would happen

long before it took place.

I kept my word ₁₁and brought

someone from a distant land

to do what I wanted.

He attacked from the east,

like a hawk swooping down.

Now I will keep my promise

and do what I planned.

₁₂You people are stubborn

and far from being safe,

so listen to me.

₁₃I will soon come to save you.

I am not far away

and will waste no time;

I take pride in Israel

and will save Jerusalem.

₁City of Babylon,

you are delicate

and untouched,

but that will change.

Surrender your royal power

and sit in the dust.

₂Start grinding grain!

Take off your veil.

Strip off your fine clothes

and cross over rivers.

₃You will suffer the shame

of going naked,

because I will take revenge,

and no one can escape.

₄I am the LORD All-Powerful,

the holy God of Israel.

I am their Saviour.

₅Babylon, be silent!

Sit in the dark.

No longer will nations

accept you as their queen.

₆I was angry with my people.

So I let you take their land

and bring disgrace on them.

You showed them no mercy,

but were especially cruel

to those who were old.

₇You thought that you

would be queen for ever.

You didn't care what you did;

it never entered your mind

that you might get caught.

₈You think that you alone

are all-powerful,

that you won't be a widow

or lose your children.

All you care about is pleasure,

but listen to what I say.

₉Your magic powers and charms

will suddenly fail,

then you will be a widow

and lose your children.

₁₀You hid behind evil

like a shield and said,

“No one can see me!”

You were fooled by your wisdom

and your knowledge;

you felt sure that you alone

were in full control.

₁₁But without warning,

disaster will strike—

and your magic charms

won't help at all.

₁₂Keep using your magic powers

and your charms

as you have always done.

Perhaps—just perhaps—

you will frighten somebody!

₁₃You have worn yourself out,

asking for advice

from those who study the stars

and tell the future

month after month.

Go and ask them how to be saved

from what will happen.

₁₄People who trust the stars

are as helpless as straw

in a flaming fire.

No one can even keep warm,

sitting by a fire

that feeds only on straw.

₁₅These are the fortune-tellers

you have done business with

all your life.

But they don't know

where they are going,

and they can't save you.

₁People of Israel,

you come from Jacob's family

and the tribe of Judah.

You claim to worship me,

the LORD God of Israel,

but you are lying.

₂You call Jerusalem your home

and say you depend on me,

the LORD All-Powerful,

the God of Israel.

₃Long ago I announced

what was going to be,

then without warning,

I made it happen.

₄I knew you were stubborn

and hard-headed.

₅And I told you these things,

so that when they happened

you would not say,

“The idols we worship did this.”

₆You heard what I said,

and you have seen it happen.

Now admit that it's true!

I will show you secrets

you have never known.

₇Today I am doing something new,

something you cannot say

you have heard before.

₈You have never been willing

to listen to what I say;

from the moment of your birth,

I knew you would rebel.

₉I, the LORD, am true to myself;

I will be praised for not punishing

and destroying you.

₁₀I tested you in hard times

just as silver is refined

in a heated furnace.

₁₁I did this because of who I am.

I refuse to be dishonoured

or share my praise

with any other god.

₁₂Israel, my chosen people,

listen to me.

I alone am the LORD,

the first and the last.

₁₃With my own hand

I created the earth

and stretched out the sky.

They obey my every command.

₁₄Gather around me, all of you!

Listen to what I say.

Did any of your idols

predict this would happen?

Did they say that my friend

would do what I want done

to Babylonia?

₁₅I was the one who chose him.

I have brought him this far,

and he will be successful.

₁₆Come closer and listen!

I have never kept secret

the things I have said,

and I was here

before time began.

By the power of his Spirit

the LORD God has sent me

₁₇with this message:

People of Israel,

I am the holy LORD God,

the one who rescues you.

For your own good,

I teach you, and I lead you

along the right path.

₁₈How I wish that you

had obeyed my commands!

Your success and good fortune

would then have overflowed

like a flooding river.

₁₉Your nation would be blessed

with more people

than there are grains of sand

along the seashore.

And I would never have let

your country be destroyed.

₂₀Now leave Babylon!

Celebrate as you go.

Be happy and shout

for everyone to hear,

“The LORD has rescued

his servant Israel!

₂₁He led us through the desert

and made water flow from a rock

to satisfy our thirst.

₂₂But the LORD has promised

that none who are evil

will live in peace.”