44:9 All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol
that will prove worthless? 1
44:11 Look, all his associates 2 will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are mere humans. 3
Let them all assemble and take their stand!
They will panic and be put to shame.
44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool 4
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it 5 with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy; 6
he drinks no water and gets tired.
44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; 7
he marks out an outline of its form; 8
he scrapes 9 it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form, 10
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine. 11
44:14 He cuts down cedars
and acquires a cypress 12 or an oak.
He gets 13 trees from the forest;
he plants a cedar 14 and the rain makes it grow.
44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; 15
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16
44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks 17 meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’
44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it, saying,
‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’