Isaiah 45:20

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Gather together and come! Approach together, you refugees from the nations! Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Isa 43:9 : 9 All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm,‘It is true.’
  • Isa 46:1 : 1 The Lord Carries His People Bel kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals.
  • Jer 10:5 : 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
  • Jer 10:8 : 8 The people of those nations are both stupid and foolish. Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless!
  • Jer 10:14 : 14 All these idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham. There is no breath in any of those idols.
  • Jer 25:15-29 : 15 Judah and the Nations Will Experience God’s Wrath So the LORD, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision.“Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” 17 So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath. 18 I made Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. Such is already becoming the case! 19 I made all of these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; his attendants, his officials, his people, 20 the foreigners living in Egypt; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines, the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod; 21 all the people of Edom, Moab, Ammon; 22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon; all the kings of the coastlands along the sea; 23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples; 24 all the kings of Arabia who live in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri; all the kings of Elam; all the kings of Media; 26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms which are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the LORD’s wrath, the king of Babylon must drink it. 27 Then the LORD said to me,“Tell them that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘Drink this cup until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until you fall down and can’t get up. For I will send wars sweeping through you.’ 28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says‘You most certainly must drink it! 29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. So how can you possibly avoid being punished? You will not go unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, affirm it!’
  • Jer 50:28 : 28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees are coming from the land of Babylon. They are coming to Zion to declare there how the LORD our God is getting revenge, getting revenge for what they have done to his temple.
  • Jer 51:6-9 : 6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. Flee to save your lives. Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins. For it is time for the LORD to wreak his revenge. He will pay Babylonia back for what she has done. 7 Babylonia had been a gold cup in the LORD’s hand. She had made the whole world drunk. The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. So they have all gone mad. 8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. Cry out in mourning over it! Get medicine for her wounds! Perhaps she can be healed! 9 Foreigners living there will say,‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed. Let’s leave Babylonia and each go back to his own country. For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions. It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’
  • Jer 51:17-18 : 17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham. There is no breath in any of those idols. 18 They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed. When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
  • Hab 2:18-20 : 18 What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things? 19 Woe to the one who says to wood,‘Wake up!’– he who says to speechless stone,‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life’s breath inside it. 20 But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence!”
  • Rom 1:21-23 : 21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
  • Eph 2:12 : 12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
  • Eph 2:16 : 16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed.
  • Rev 18:3-9 : 3 For all the nations have fallen from the wine of her immoral passion, and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.” 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,“Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, 5 because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes. 6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 7 As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself,‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!” 9 Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. 10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,“Woe, woe, O great city, Babylon the powerful city! For in a single hour your doom has come!” 11 Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer– 12 cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, slaves and human lives. 14 (The ripe fruit you greatly desired has gone from you, and all your luxury and splendor have gone from you– they will never ever be found again!) 15 The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn, 16 saying,“Woe, woe, O great city– dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls– 17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” And every ship’s captain, and all who sail along the coast– seamen, and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18 and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up,“Who is like the great city?”
  • Isa 46:6-7 : 6 Those who empty out gold from a purse and weigh out silver on the scale hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god. They then bow down and worship it. 7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress.
  • Isa 48:5-7 : 5 I announced them to you beforehand; before they happened, I predicted them for you, so you could never say,‘My image did these things, my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’ 6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! Will you not admit that what I say is true? From this point on I am announcing to you new events that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. 7 Now they come into being, not in the past; before today you did not hear about them, so you could not say,‘Yes, I know about them.’
  • Jer 2:27-28 : 27 They say to a wooden idol,‘You are my father.’ They say to a stone image,‘You gave birth to me.’ Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say,‘Come and save us!’ 28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them save you when you are in trouble. The sad fact is that you have as many gods as you have towns, Judah.
  • 1 Kgs 18:26-29 : 26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying,“Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them,“Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.” 28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. 29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response.
  • Ps 115:8 : 8 Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.
  • Isa 4:2 : 2 The Branch of the Lord At that time the crops given by the LORD will bring admiration and honor; the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight to those who remain in Israel.
  • Isa 41:5-6 : 5 The coastlands see and are afraid; the whole earth trembles; they approach and come. 6 They help one another; one says to the other,‘Be strong!’
  • Isa 41:21 : 21 The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods“Present your argument,” says the LORD.“Produce your evidence,” says Jacob’s king.
  • Isa 42:17-18 : 17 Those who trust in idols will turn back and be utterly humiliated, those who say to metal images,‘You are our gods.’” 18 The Lord Reasons with His People“Listen, you deaf ones! Take notice, you blind ones!
  • Isa 44:17-20 : 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!’ 18 They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern. 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?’ 20 He feeds on ashes; 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?’

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Isa 45:21-22
    2 verses
    78%

    21Tell me! Present the evidence! Let them consult with one another! Who predicted this in the past? Who announced it beforehand? Was it not I, the LORD? I have no peer, there is no God but me, a God who vindicates and delivers; there is none but me.

    22Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer.

  • Isa 44:17-18
    2 verses
    75%

    17With 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!’

    18They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern.

  • Joel 3:11
    74%

    11Lend your aid and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves to that place.” Bring down, O LORD, your warriors!

  • Jer 16:19-20
    2 verses
    74%

    19Then I said,“LORD, you give me strength and protect me. You are the one I can run to for safety when I am in trouble. Nations from all over the earth will come to you and say,‘Our ancestors had nothing but false gods– worthless idols that could not help them at all.

    20Can people make their own gods? No, what they make are not gods at all.”

  • Jer 2:27-28
    2 verses
    73%

    27They say to a wooden idol,‘You are my father.’ They say to a stone image,‘You gave birth to me.’ Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say,‘Come and save us!’

    28But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them save you when you are in trouble. The sad fact is that you have as many gods as you have towns, Judah.

  • Hos 13:4
    73%

    4Well-Fed Israel Will Be Fed to Wild Animals But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me; except me there is no Savior.

  • Ezek 20:32
    73%

    32“‘What you plan will never happen. You say,“We will be like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.”

  • Isa 45:14-17
    4 verses
    73%

    14The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope This is what the LORD says:“The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia, along with the Sabeans, those tall men, will be brought to you and become yours. They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down to you and pray to you:‘Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!’”

    15Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer!

    16They will all be ashamed and embarrassed; those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.

    17Israel will be delivered once and for all by the LORD; you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.

  • Isa 42:17
    72%

    17Those who trust in idols will turn back and be utterly humiliated, those who say to metal images,‘You are our gods.’”

  • Isa 37:19-20
    2 verses
    72%

    19They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them.

    20Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”

  • 2 Kgs 19:18-19
    2 verses
    72%

    18They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them.

    19Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, LORD, are the only God.”

  • Jer 11:12
    72%

    12Then those living in the towns of Judah and in Jerusalem will go and cry out for help to the gods to whom they have been sacrificing. However, those gods will by no means be able to save them when disaster strikes them.

  • Isa 44:9-10
    2 verses
    72%

    9All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.

    10Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless?

  • Jer 5:20
    71%

    20“Proclaim this message among the descendants of Jacob. Make it known throughout Judah.

  • Isa 40:20
    71%

    20To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; he then seeks a skilled craftsman to make an idol that will not fall over.

  • Isa 40:18
    71%

    18To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him?

  • Zeph 2:1
    71%

    1The Prophet Warns the People Bunch yourselves together like straw, you undesirable nation,

  • Isa 43:11-12
    2 verses
    71%

    11I, I am the LORD, and there is no deliverer besides me.

    12I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you. You are my witnesses,” says the LORD,“that I am God.

  • Isa 27:11
    70%

    11When its branches get brittle, they break; women come and use them for kindling. For these people lack understanding, therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them; the one who formed them has no mercy on them.

  • Isa 66:18-19
    2 verses
    70%

    18“I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; they will come and witness my splendor.

    19I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain to the nations– to Tarshish, Pul, Lud(known for its archers), Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

  • Isa 45:5
    70%

    5I am the LORD, I have no peer, there is no God but me. I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me.

  • Hab 2:19
    70%

    19Woe to the one who says to wood,‘Wake up!’– he who says to speechless stone,‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life’s breath inside it.

  • Isa 55:5
    70%

    5Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you.

  • Deut 4:28
    70%

    28There you will worship gods made by human hands– wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell.

  • Isa 46:7
    70%

    7They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress.

  • Isa 45:19
    70%

    19I have not spoken in secret, in some hidden place. I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,‘Seek me in vain!’ I am the LORD, the one who speaks honestly, who makes reliable announcements.

  • Jer 5:15
    70%

    15The LORD says,“Listen, nation of Israel! I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you. It will be a nation that was founded long ago and has lasted for a long time. It will be a nation whose language you will not know. Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.

  • 1 Chr 16:35
    70%

    35Say this prayer:“Deliver us, O God who delivers us! Gather us! Rescue us from the nations! Then we will give thanks to your holy name, and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.”

  • Jer 1:16
    69%

    16In this way I will pass sentence on the people of Jerusalem and Judah because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.”

  • Isa 17:8
    69%

    8They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made.

  • Ezek 20:45
    69%

    45Prophecy Against the South(21:1) The LORD’s message came to me:

  • Isa 5:26
    69%

    26He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth. Look, they come quickly and swiftly.

  • Deut 32:37
    69%

    37He will say,“Where are their gods, the rock in whom they sought security,

  • Isa 34:1
    69%

    1The Lord Will Judge Edom Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention, you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and everything that lives in it.

  • Isa 56:8
    69%

    8The Sovereign LORD says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:“I will still gather them up.”

  • Jer 50:4
    69%

    4“When that time comes,” says the LORD,“the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together. They will come back with tears of repentance as they seek the LORD their God.

  • Isa 43:9
    69%

    9All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm,‘It is true.’