An Hour Well Spent

³ Listen to me, house of Jacob, all that remains from the house of Israel who have been borne by me since pregnancy, whom I carried from the womb ⁴ until you grow old. I am the one, and until you turn gray I will support you. I have done it, and I will continue to bear it; I will support and I will rescue. ⁵ To whom will you liken me and count me equal and compare me so that we are alike? ⁶ Those who pour out gold from a bag and weigh silver with a balance hire a metalworker; then he makes a god. They bow down; they worship; ⁷ they carry the idol on their shoulders and support it; they set it down, and it stands still, unable to move from its place. If one cries out to it, it doesn’t answer. It can’t save people from their distress. ⁸ Remember this and take courage; take it to heart, you rebels. ⁹ Remember the prior things—from long ago; I am God, and there’s no other. I am God! There’s none like me,