‘Come, gather together, and approach, you fugitives of the nations. Those who carry their wooden idols and pray to a god who cannot save have no knowledge.
Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm – and they cannot do any good.
All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled. Who among them can declare this, and tell us the former things? Let them present their witnesses to vindicate themselves, so that people may hear and say, ‘It is true.’
At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.
There is a voice of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon. The voice announces in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance for his temple.
All of you, assemble and listen! Who among the idols has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he will accomplish his will against Babylon, and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.
So the Lord’s anger was against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, ‘Why have you sought a people’s gods that could not rescue their own people from you? ’
He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, ‘Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.’ But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.
When you cry out, let your collection of idols rescue you! The wind will carry all of them off, a breath will take them away. But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.