Isaiah 46:6

⁴ Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.

⁵ To whom will you liken Me or count Me equal? To whom will you compare Me, that we should be alike?

They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship.

⁷ They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

⁸ Remember this and be brave; take it to heart, you transgressors!

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship.
KJV: They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
WEB: Some pour out gold from the bag, and weigh silver in the balance. They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god. They fall down— yes, they worship.
ASV: Such as lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, they hire a goldsmith, and he maketh it a god; they fall down, yea, they worship.
DARBY: They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance; they hire a goldsmith, and he maketh it a God: they fall down, yea, they worship.
BLB: Those lavishing gold from the bag and weighing silver on the scales, they hire a goldsmith, that he might make it a god. They bow low, even bow down;

ÅB: De rister gull ut av pungen og veier sølv på vekten, de leier en gullsmed som skal gjøre det til en gud, så de kan falle ned og tilbe;
OTB: Noen tar gull fra sine poser og måler ut sølv på vekten; de ansetter en gullsmed til å forme det til en guddom, og de bøyer seg og tilber det.
B1930: De ryster gull ut av pungen og veier sølv på vekten, de leier en gullsmed som skal gjøre det til en gud, så de kan falle ned og tilbede;

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Acts 17:29
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
Read in context
Jeremiah 10:14
Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them.
Read in context
Isaiah 40:19–20
To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains?
Read in context
Hosea 8:4–6
They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction.
Read in context
Isaiah 2:8
Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
Read in context
1 Kings 12:28
After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
Read in context
Daniel 3:5–15
As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Read in context
Jeremiah 10:3–4
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.
Read in context