1 Kings 18:15 Elijah answered, "By the living LORD, whom I serve, I promise that I will present myself to the king today."
16 So Obadiah went to King Ahab and told him, and Ahab set off to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw him, he said, "So there you are — the worst troublemaker in Israel!"
18 "I'm not the troublemaker," Elijah answered. "You are — you and your father. You are disobeying the LORD's commands and worshipping the idols of Baal.
19 Now order all the people of Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah who are supported by Queen Jezebel."
20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and the prophets of Baal to meet at Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah went up to the people and said, "How much longer will it take you to make up your minds? If the LORD is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!" But the people didn't say a word.
22 Then Elijah said, "I am the only prophet of the LORD still left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.
23 Bring two bulls; let the prophets of Baal take one, kill it, cut it in pieces, and put it on the wood — but don't light the fire. I will do the same with the other bull.
24 Then let the prophets of Baal pray to their god, and I will pray to the LORD, and the one who answers by sending fire — he is God." The people shouted their approval.
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since there are so many of you, you take a bull and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but don't set fire to the wood."
26 They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came.
27 At noon Elijah started making fun of them: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone on a journey! Or maybe he's sleeping, and you've got to wake him up!"
28 So the prophets prayed louder and cut themselves with knives and daggers, according to their ritual, until blood flowed.
29 They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard.
30 Then Elijah said to the people, "Come closer to me," and they all gathered around him. He set about repairing the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.
31 He took twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes named after the sons of Jacob, the man to whom the LORD had given the name Israel.
32 With these stones he rebuilt the altar for the worship of the LORD. He dug a trench round it, large enough to hold almost fourteen litres [NCV™: about thirteen quarts] of water.
33 Then he placed the wood on the altar, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood." They did so,
34 and he said, "Do it again" — and they did. "Do it once more," he said — and they did.
35 The water ran down round the altar and filled the trench.
36 At the hour of the afternoon sacrifice the prophet Elijah approached the altar and prayed, "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove now that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant and have done all this at your command.
37 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God, and that you are bringing them back to yourself."
38 The LORD sent fire down, and it burnt up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench.
39 When the people saw this, they threw themselves on the ground and exclaimed, "The LORD is God; the LORD alone is God!"
40 Elijah ordered, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any of them get away!" The people seized them all, and Elijah led them down to the River Kishon and killed them [AMP: (as God's law required ... Deut. 13:5; 18:20)]. (GNT)
[Deuteronomy 13:5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from the midst of you." (RSV)]
[Deuteronomy 18:20 "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die." (RSV)]
2 Kings 19:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
9 And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,
10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?
14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
16 LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
17 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
21 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
2Kings 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
1 Chronicles 16:19 Then God's people were few in number, and they were strangers in the land.
20 They went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another.
21 But he did not let anyone hurt them; he warned kings not to harm them.
22 He said, "Don't touch my chosen people, and don't harm my prophets."
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Every day tell how he saves us.
24 Tell the nations about his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does.
25 The LORD is great; he should be praised. He should be respected more than all the gods.
26 All the gods of the nations are only idols, but the LORD made the skies.
27 He has glory and majesty; he has power and joy in his Temple. (NCV™)
2 Chronicles 32:9 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,
10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?
11 Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?
13 Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand?
14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?
15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?
16 And his servants spake yet more against the LORD God, and against his servant Hezekiah.
17 He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.
18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.
19 And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.
20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
21 And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels [NKJV: some of his own offspring] slew him there with the sword.
Psalms 96:2 Sing to the LORD and praise his name; every day tell how he saves us.
3 Tell the nations of his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does,
4 because the LORD is great; he should be praised at all times. He should be honored more than all the gods,
5 because all the gods of the nations are only idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 The LORD has glory and majesty; he has power and beauty in his Temple. (NCV™)
Psalms 97:1 The LORD is king. Let the earth rejoice; faraway lands should be glad.
2 Thick, dark clouds surround him. His kingdom is built on what is right and fair.
3 A fire goes before him and burns up his enemies all around.
4 His lightning lights up the the world; when the people see it, they tremble.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens tell about his goodness, and all the people see his glory.
7 Those who worship idols should be ashamed; they brag about their gods. All the gods should worship the LORD.
8 When Jerusalem hears this, she is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice. They are happy because of your judgments, LORD.
9 You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; you are supreme over all gods.
10 People who love the LORD hate evil. The LORD watches over those who follow him and frees them from the power of the wicked. (NCV™)
Psalms 115:1 To you alone, O LORD, to you alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of your constant love and faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations ask us, "Where is your God?"
3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever he wishes.
4 Their gods are made of silver and gold, formed by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, and eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear, and noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel, and feet, but cannot walk; they cannot make a sound.
8 May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made.
9 Trust in the LORD, you people of Israel. He helps you and protects you.
10 Trust in the LORD, you priests of God. He helps you and protects you.
11 Trust in the LORD, all you that worship him. He helps you and protects you. (GNT)
Psalms 135:5 I know that our LORD is great, greater than all the gods.
6 He does whatever he wishes in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in the depths below.
7 He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth; he make lightning for the storms, and he brings out the wind from his storeroom.
8 In Egypt he killed all the first-born of men and animals alike.
9 There he performed miracles and wonders to punish the king and all his officials.
10 He destroyed many nations and killed powerful kings.
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and all the kings in Canaan.
12 He gave their lands to his people; he gave them to Israel.
13 LORD, you will always be proclaimed as God; all generations will remember you.
14 The LORD will defend his people; he will take pity on his servants.
15 The gods of the nations are made of silver and gold; they are formed by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, and eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear; they are not even able to breathe.
18 May all who made them and who trust in them become like the idols they have made! (GNT)
Isaiah 31:4 The LORD said to me, "No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they can't scare away a lion from an animal that it has killed; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep me, the LORD Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion.
5 Just as a bird hovers over its nest to protect its young, so I, the LORD Almighty, will protect Jerusalem and defend it."
6 The LORD said, "People of Israel, you have sinned against me and opposed me. But now, come back to me!
7 A time is coming when all of you will throw away the sinful idols you made out of silver and gold." (GNT)
Isaiah 37:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,
16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
17 Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
18 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
22 This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 37:33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
Isaiah 41:1 God says, "Be silent and listen to me, you distant lands! Get ready to present your case in court; you will have your chance to speak. Let us come together to decide who is right.
2 Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east, and makes him triumphant wherever he goes? Who gives him victory over kings and nations? His sword strikes them down as if they were dust. His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind.
3 He follows in pursuit and marches safely on, so fast that he hardly touches the ground!
4 Who was it that made this happen? Who has determined the course of history? I, the LORD, was there at the beginning, and I, the LORD, will be there at the end.
5 The people of distant lands have seen what I have done; they are frightened and tremble with fear. So they all assemble and come.
6 The craftsmen help and encourage one another.
7 The carpenter says to the goldsmith, 'Well done!' The man who beats the idol smooth encourages the one who nails it together. They say, 'The soldering is good' — and they fasten the idol in place with nails.
8 But you, Israel my servant, you are the people that I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, my friend.
9 I brought you from the ends of the earth; I called you from its farthest corners and said to you, 'You are my servant.' I did not reject you, but chose you.
10 Do not be afraid — I am with you! I am your God — let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.
11 Those who are angry with you will know the shame of defeat. Those who fight against you will die
12 and will disappear from the earth.
13 I am the LORD your God; I strengthen you and say, 'Do not be afraid; I will help you.'"
14 The LORD says, "Small and weak as you are, Israel, don't be afraid; I will help you. I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.
15 I will make you like a threshing-board, with spikes that are new and sharp. You will thresh mountains and destroy them; hills will crumble into dust.
16 You will toss them in the air; the wind will carry them off, and they will be scattered by the storm. Then you will be happy because I am your God; you will praise me, the holy God of Israel."
Isaiah 41:21 The LORD, the king of Israel, has this to say: "You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have!
22 Come here and predict what will happen, so that we will know it when it takes place. Explain to the court the events of the past, and tell us what they mean.
23 Tell us what the future holds — then we will know that you are gods! Do something good or bring some disaster; fill us with fear and awe!
24 You and all you do are nothing; those who worship you are disgusting [AMP: The worshiper who chooses you is an abomination (extremely disgusting and shamefully vile in God's sight)]!
25 I have chosen a man who lives in the east. I will bring him to attack from the north. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay.
26 Which of you predicted that this would happen, so that we could say that you were right? None of you said a word about it; no one heard you say a thing!
27 I, the LORD, was the first to tell Zion the news; I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say, 'Your people are coming! They are coming home!'
28 When I looked among the gods, none of them had a thing to say; not one could answer the questions I asked.
29 All these gods are useless; they can do nothing at all — these idols are weak and powerless." (GNT)
Isaiah 42:8 "I alone am the LORD your God. No other god may share my glory; I will not let idols share my praise.
9 The things I predicted have now come true. Now I will tell you of new things even before they begin to happen."
Isaiah 42:13 The LORD goes out to fight like a warrior; he is ready and eager for battle. He gives a war-cry, a battle-shout; he shows his power against his enemies.
14 God says, "For a long time I kept silent; I did not answer my people. But now the time to act has come; I cry out like a woman in labour.
15 I will destroy the hill and mountains and dry up the grass and trees. I will turn the river valleys into deserts and dry up the pools of water.
16 I will lead my blind people by roads they have never travelled. I will turn their darkness into light and make rough country smooth before them. These are my promises, and I will keep them without fail.
17 All who trust in idols, who call images their gods, will be humiliated and disgraced." (GNT)
Isaiah 44:6 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?"
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's no good making a metal image to worship as a god!
11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are humans 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 man 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 burnt up. I baked some bread on the embers 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.
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 saviour; 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 fortune-tellers and frustrate the predictions of astrologers [NCV™: I show that the signs of the lying prophets are false; I make fools of those who do magic]. The words of the wise I refute and show that their wisdom is foolishness [NCV™: I confuse even the wise; they think they know much, but I make them look foolish].
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." (GNT)
Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil [RSV: disaster]: I the LORD do all these things.
Isaiah 45:14 The Lord of hosts declares: "Exiles from Egypt, captives from Ethiopia, tall Sabæans too, shall pass before you, bowing down to you, in supplication, saying, 'God is among you only, besides him there is no god at all.
15 Yours is indeed the God of mystery, a God who saves [GNT: The God of Israel, who saves his people, is a God who conceals himself].
16 Shamed and disgraced are all his rivals; and they depart disgraced, who fashion idols;
17 while Israel is saved by the Eternal in a lasting triumph.' You never shall be shamed, never disgraced, world without end."
18 For this is the message of the Eternal, the true God, who formed the earth and fashioned it, who fixed it firm, made it no waste, but for inhabitants — "I am the Eternal, there is no god besides me;
19 I never spoke in secret, in dark corners, I never bade the sons of Jacob grope for me blindly; I the Eternal promise what is true, I predict honestly.
20 Gather together and come hither, ye who survive from the nations. Senseless are all who carry carved idols of wood, praying to gods that cannot save!
21 Let us hear your defence; consult what you can urge [AMP: Declare and bring forward your strong arguments (for praying to gods that cannot save)]. Who foretold all this of old? Who announced it long ago? Was it not I, the Eternal, I God alone, an upright God, a saviour? — besides me there is no god.
22 Turn to me and you are saved, all ends of the earth [NIV: Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; GNT: Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world]! As I am God and God alone,
23 I swear by myself, I swear a true word, never to be recalled, that every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue swear loyalty.
24 Jacob wins victory and power by the Eternal only; all who were enraged at him shall be defeated and disgraced,
25 but all the sons of Israel shall triumph and exult in the Eternal." (Moffatt)
Isaiah 46:1 "This is the end for Babylon's gods! Bel and Nebo once were worshipped, but now they are loaded on donkeys, a burden for the backs of tired animals.
2 The idols cannot save themselves; they are captured and carried away. This is the end for Babylon's gods!
3 Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all who are left of my people. I have cared for you from the time you were born.
4 I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is grey. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you.
5 With whom will you compare me?" says the LORD. "Is there anyone else like me?
6 People open their purses and pour out gold; they weigh out silver on the scales. They hire a goldsmith to make a god; then they bow down and worship it!
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they put it in place, and there it stands, unable to move from where it is. If anyone prays to it, it cannot answer or save him from disaster.
8 Remember this, you sinners; consider what I have done.
9 Remember what happened long ago; acknowledge that I alone am God and that there is no one else like me.
10 From the beginning I predicted the outcome; long ago I foretold what would happen. I said that my plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do.
11 I am calling a man to come from the east; he will swoop down like a hawk and accomplish what I have planned. I have spoken, and it will be done.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn people who think that victory is far away.
13 I am bringing the day of victory near — it is not far away at all. My triumph will not be delayed. I will save Jerusalem and bring honour to Israel there." (GNT)
Jeremiah 2:26 The LORD says, "Just as a thief is disgraced when caught, so all you people of Israel will be disgraced — your kings and officials, your priests and prophets.
27 You will all be disgraced — you that say that a tree is your father and that a rock is your mother. This will happen because you turned away from me instead of turning to me. But when you are in trouble, you ask me to come and save you.
28 Where are the gods that you made for yourselves? When you are in trouble, let them save you — if they can! Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities.
29 What is your complaint? Why have you rebelled against me?
30 I punished you, but it did no good; you would not let me correct you. Like a raging lion, you have murdered your prophets.
31 People of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Have I been like a desert to you, like a dark and dangerous land? Why, then, do you say that you will do as you please, that you will never come back to me?" (GNT)
Jeremiah 3:21 You can hear crying on the bare hilltops. It is the people of Israel crying and praying for mercy. They have become very evil and have forgotten the LORD their God.
22 "Come back to me, you unfaithful children, and I will forgive you for being unfaithful." "Yes, we will come to you, because you are the LORD our God.
23 It was foolish to worship idols on the hills and on the mountains [GNT: We were not helped at all by our pagan worship on the hill-tops]. Surely the salvation of Israel comes from the LORD our God.
24 Since our youth, shameful gods have eaten up in sacrifice everything our ancestors worked for — their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us like a blanket. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our ancestors. From our youth until now, we have not obeyed the LORD our God."
4:1 "If you will return, Israel, then return to me," says the LORD. "If you will throw away your idols that I hate, then don't wander away from me." (NCV™)
Jeremiah 50:33 The LORD Almighty says, "The people of Israel and of Judah are oppressed. All who captured them are guarding them closely and will not let them go.
34 But the one who will rescue them is strong — his name is the LORD Almighty. He himself will take up their cause and will bring peace to the earth, but trouble to the people of Babylonia."
35 The LORD says, "Death to Babylonia! Death to its people, to its rulers, to its men of wisdom.
36 Death to its lying prophets — what fools they are! Death to its soldiers — how terrified they are!
37 Destroy its horses and chariots! Death to its hired soldiers — how weak they are [KJV: they shall become as women; NCV™: they will be like frightened women]! Destroy its treasures; plunder and loot.
38 Bring a drought on its land and dry up its rivers. Babylonia is a land of terrifying idols that have made fools of the people. (GNT)
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