Isaiah 44:14

Easy To Read Version

A man cuts down cedar, cypress, or maybe oak trees. (That man did not make the trees grow—those trees grew by their own power in the forest. If a man plants a pine tree, the rain makes the tree grow.)

Cross References

Isaiah 40:20

And for the base,\par he chooses a special kind of wood,\par a kind of wood that will not rot.\par Then he finds a good wood worker.\par And the worker makes a “god”\par that won’t fall over.\par

Isaiah 44:13

Another worker uses his stringline {\cf2\super [393]} and compass {\cf2\super [394]} to draw lines on the wood. \{This shows where he should cut\}. Then the man uses his chisels {\cf2\super [395]} and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers {\cf2\super [396]} to measure the statue. This way, the worker makes the wood look exactly like a man. And this statue of a man does nothing but sit in its house.

Isaiah 44:15

Then that man uses the tree to burn in his fire. The man cuts the tree into small pieces of wood. And he uses the wood to cook and keep him warm. The man starts a fire with some of the wood and bakes his bread. But the man still uses part of that wood to make a god—and the man worships that god! That god is a statue that the man made—but the man bows down before the statue!

Hosea 4:12

My people are asking pieces of wood for advice. They think those sticks will answer them. Why? Because they have chased after those false gods like prostitutes. {\cf2\super [38]} They left their God and became like prostitutes.

Habakkuk 2:19

It will be very bad for the person that says to a wooden statue, “Get up!” It will be very bad for the person that says to a stone that can’t speak, “Wake up!” Those things can’t help him. That statue may be covered with gold and silver, but there is no life in that statue.