Isaiah’s Condemnation of Idols

Who would fashion a god

Or cast a statue

That can do no good?

Lo, all its adherents shall be shamed.

…

The craftsman in iron, with his tools,

Works it over charcoal

And fashions it by hammering,

Working with the strength of his arm.

Should he go hungry, his strength would ebb;

Should he drink no water, he would grow faint.

The craftsman in wood measures with a line

And marks out a shape with a stylus;

He forms it with scraping tools,

Marking it out with a compass.

He gives it a human form,

The beauty of a man, to dwell in a shrine.

For his use he cuts down cedars;

He chooses ilex trees and oaks.

He sets aside trees of the forest;

Or plants cedars, and the rain makes them grow.

All this serves man for fuel:

He takes some to warm himself,

And he builds a fire and bakes bread.

He also makes a god of it and worships it,

Fashions an idol and bows down to it!

Part of it he burns in a fire:

On that part he roasts meat,

He eats the roast and is sated;

He also warms himself and cries,

“Ah, I am warm! I can feel the heat!”

Of the rest he makes a god—his own carving!

He bows down to it, worships it;