Where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them come—if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you have as many gods as y0u have cities, O Judah.
But Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother!” “No!” the king of Israel said to him, “For has Adonai brought these three kings together only to deliver them into the hand of Moab?”
“Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together, fugitives of the nations! Those who carry their wooden idols have no knowledge, praying to a god who cannot save.
They lift it upon a shoulder and carry it. They set in its place and there it stands. It does not budge from its place. Even if one cry to it, it cannot answer, nor save anyone from his trouble.”
When you cry out, will your collection of idols save you? The wind will carry them off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land, and will inherit My holy mountain.”
I will pronounce My judgments on them for all their wickedness— they have forsaken Me, offering incense to other gods, worshipping the works of their hands.
Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense—but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
For as numerous as your cities are your gods, O Judah, and as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing—altars to burn incense to Baal.
A luxuriant vine is Israel, who produces fruit for himself. Like the abundance of his fruit he has multiplied his altars. Like the goodness of his land, they made beautiful sacred pillars.
What use is an idol when its craftsman has carved it? Or a metal image—a teacher of lies? For a craftsman has trusted in the image that he created, to make dumb idols.
Oy to one who says to wood: “Awake!” To a dumb stone: “Rouse yourself!” Can it teach? Look, it is plated with gold and silver, but it has no spirit within it.