But now,O LORD,You are our Father,We are the clay,and You our potter;And allof us are the workof Your hand.
Is it rightfor You indeedto oppress,To rejectthe laborof Your hands,And to lookfavorablyon the schemesof the wicked?
Knowthat the LORDHimselfis God;It is He who has madeus, and not we ourselves;[We are] His peopleand the sheepof His pasture.
Your handsmademe and fashionedme; Giveme understanding,that I may learnYour commandments.
The LORDwill accomplishwhatconcernsme; Your lovingkindness,O LORD,is everlasting;Do not forsakethe worksof Your hands.
O God,whyhave You rejected[us] forever?Why does Your angersmokeagainst the sheepof Your pasture?
Come,let us worshipand bowdown,Let us kneelbeforethe LORDour Maker.
"Whyshould the Egyptiansspeak,saying,'With evil[intent] He broughtthem out to killthem in the mountainsand to destroythem from the faceof the earth?Turnfrom Your burningangerand changeYour mindabout[doing] harmto Your people.
"Then you shall sayto Pharaoh,'Thussaysthe LORD,"Israelis My son,My firstborn.
whomthe LORDof hostshas blessed,saying,"Blessedis EgyptMy people,and Assyriathe workof My hands,and IsraelMy inheritance."
You turn[things] around!Shall the potterbe consideredas equal with the clay,That whatis madewould sayto its maker,"He did not makeme"; Or whatis formedsayto him who formedit, "He has nounderstanding"?
"I, even I, am the one who wipesout your transgressionsfor My own sake,And I will not rememberyour sins.
Everyonewho is calledby My name,And whom I have createdfor My glory,Whom I have formed,evenwhom I have made."
"Rememberthesethings,O Jacob,And Israel,for you are My servant;I have formedyou, you are My servant,O Israel,you will not be forgottenby Me.
Thussaysthe LORD,your Redeemer,and the one who formedyou from the womb,"I, the LORD,am the makerof allthings,Stretchingout the heavensby MyselfAnd spreadingout the earthallalone,
Thussaysthe LORD,the HolyOneof Israel,and his Maker:"AskMe aboutthe thingsto comeconcerningMy sons,And you shall committo Me the workof My hands.
"Woeto [the one] who quarrelswith his Maker--An earthenwarevesselamongthe vesselsof earth!Will the claysayto the potter,'Whatare you doing?'Or the thingyou are making[say], 'He hasnohands'?
"For I will not contendforever,Norwill I alwaysbe angry;For the spiritwould growfaintbeforeMe, And the breath[of those whom] I have made.
"Then allyour people[will be] righteous;They will possessthe landforever,The branchof My planting,The workof My hands,That I may be glorified.
For You are our Father,thoughAbrahamdoes not knowus And Israeldoes not recognizeus. You, O LORD,are our Father,Our Redeemerfrom of oldis Your name.
For He said,"Surely,they are My people,Sonswho will not dealfalsely."So He becametheir Savior.
For a childwill be bornto us, a sonwill be givento us; And the governmentwill reston His shoulders;And His namewill be calledWonderfulCounselor,MightyGod,EternalFather,Princeof Peace.
"With weepingthey will come,And by supplicationI will leadthem; I will make them walkby streamsof waters,On a straightpathin which they will not stumble;For I ama fatherto Israel,And Ephraimis My firstborn."
Yet the numberof the sonsof IsraelWill be like the sandof the sea,Whichcannotbe measuredor numbered;And in the placeWhereit is saidto them, "You are not My people,"It will be saidto them, "[You are] the sonsof the livingGod."
"Do we not allhave onefather?Has not oneGodcreatedus? Whydo we dealtreacherouslyeachagainst his brotherso as to profanethe covenantof our fathers?
"You are doingthe deedsof your father."They saidto Him, "We were not bornof fornication;we haveoneFather:God."
For you are allsonsof Godthroughfaithin ChristJesus.
And ifyou belong to Christ,thenyou are Abraham'sdescendants,heirsaccordingto promise.
For we are His workmanship,createdin ChristJesusfor goodworks,whichGodprepared beforehandsothat we would walkin them.
"Do you thusrepaythe LORD,O foolishand unwisepeople?Is not He your Fatherwho has boughtyou? He has madeyou and establishedyou.
Yet they are Your people,even Your inheritance,whomYou have broughtout by Your greatpowerand Your outstretchedarm.'
