Isaiah 44:16-20

44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –

over that half he cooks ¹  meat;

he roasts a meal and fills himself.

Yes, he warms himself and says,

‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’

44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;

he bows down to it and worships it.

He prays to it, saying,

‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’

44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,

for their eyes are blind and cannot see;

their minds do not discern. ² 

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’ ³ 

44:20 He feeds on ashes; ⁴ 

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ⁵ 

[44:16]  ¹ tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”

[44:18]  ² tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”

[44:19]  ³ tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.

[44:20]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”

[44:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”