And now, hearken to return to My Torah, Jacob My servant.

As I will pour water on the thirsty Just as I pour water on the thirsty, so will I pour My spirit on your seed.

And they shall sprout among the grass among Esau (mss. and K’li Paz). [The Jewish nation will grow] through the proselytes who will join them. [The expression,] “among the grass” refers to Esau, for it is stated concerning Edom (supra 34:13): “And it shall be the habitat of jackals, an abode (חָצִיר) for ostriches.” (Editions reading, “Amalek,” are erroneous cf. reference.)

This one shall say, “I am the Lord’s.” These are the perfectly righteous.

and this one shall call himself by the name of Jacob. These are the children, the sons of the wicked.

and this one shall write [with] his hand, “To the Lord,” These are the repentant.

and adopt the name Israel These are the proselytes. So it was taught in Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan (36:1).

And who will call [that he is] like Me And who will call that he is like Me and tell and arrange for me all that transpired since I placed the ancient people and until now?

the ancient people All the creatures.

and the signs Marvelous things.

and those that will come And those destined to come, let them tell, as I do now, for the Temple has not yet been destroyed, and you have not been exiled, and neither has Cyrus been born, but I am reporting it to you.

and be not dismayed Heb. תִּרְהוּ. There is no similar word, and its interpretation according to its context is like תֵּחַתּוּ, be not dismayed from making My name known among the heathens (nations [K’li Paz and mss.]).

let you hear from Mount Sinai, and I told you there that there is no God besides Me.

and you are My witnesses that I opened for you seven heavens and showed you that there is no other, and you are My witnesses to this thing that there is no God besides Me.

and there is no rock I did not know Jonathan renders: And there is no strong one unless he is given strength by Me.

I did not know Heb. יָדַעְתִּי. An expression similar to (Exodus 33:17) “And I knew you by name (וָאֵדָעֲךָ)”; (Deut. 2:7) “He knew (יָדַע) your going”; (Hosea 13:5) “I knew you (יְדַעְתִּיךָ) in the desert.”

and they are their witnesses The idols are witnesses of the shame of their worshipers, for we see that they neither see nor know, yet they were worshiping them.

so that they be ashamed Those who worship them.

molded Heb. נָסָךְ, an expression of pouring and a molten image (מַסֵּכָה). The ‘nun’ in the word is a radical sometimes omitted, e.g., the ‘nun’ of נשך, biting, and of נגף, plaguing.

Behold, all his colleagues of that fashioner and molder of graven images, who join him to worship his creation and his molten image, shall be ashamed.

and they are smiths those fashioners and molders, and they are of men, surely their creation is vanity.

The ironsmith a smith of iron.

an axe Heb. מַעֲצָָד. That is one of the tools of the blacksmiths.

and he works the image. with coal Heb. פֶּחָם, charbon in French.

and with sledge hammers Heb. מַקָּבוֹת, marteau in French.

he fashions it Heb. יִצְּרֵהוּ, an expression of fashioning.

and he made it with his strong arm; yea he is hungry etc. Even he, the fashioner, lacks strength and is weak, for if he becomes hungry he has no strength, or if he does not drink water, he becomes faint immediately. Surely his product has no power to help.

The carpenter And if he comes to make it of wood, and he is a carpenter, the following is his method.

stretched out a line as is the custom of the carpenters, and according to the line, יְתָאֲרֵהוּ בַשֶּׂרֶד, he straightens it with a saw, which they call doloire in French. he beautifies it Heb. יְתָאֲרֵהוּ, he beautifies it.

he fixes it with planes Heb. מַקְצֻעוֹת. He smoothes it with a plane and a blade. Jonathan renders מַקְצֻעוֹת as אִיזְמֵלַיָּא, knives or blades.

and with a compass he rounds it Heb. יְתָאֳרֵהוּ, an expression similar to (Josh. 15:9): “And the border circled (וְתָאַר).” If he comes to make circular drawings, he draws around it with a compass, compas in French.

like the beauty of a man That is a woman, who is the beauty of her husband.

ilex and an oak kinds of non-fruit-producing trees.

and he reinforced it with forest trees He makes for it types of reinforcements, either for strength or for beauty, with types of trees, one different from the other in their appearance.

he planted a sapling When he finds a branch or a sapling that is fit for that, he plants it for that and the rain makes it grow.

a sapling Heb. אֹרֶן, a young sapling, ploncon in O.F.

And it was for man to ignite And part of that very tree was for man’s necessities, [viz.] to ignite.

and he took from the trees. and he warmed his body opposite them.

he even heated an oven with them and baked bread.

he even made a God from what was left over.

And he does not give it thought [lit. and he does not return to his heart.] Half of it I burnt with fire.

and he has neither knowledge nor understanding [lit. and there is neither knowledge nor understanding] in him to say this.

to rotten wood Heb. לְבוּל עֵץ, to decay of wood.

[To] a provider [made] of ashes, a deceived heart has perverted him His heart, which was deceived, turned him aside to make for himself a provider of ashes. The image, half of which was burned and made into ashes, this fool says that it is his provider and patron. Another explanation: רוֹעֶה אֵפֶר is an expression of companionship. One who worships idols associates himself with the idol, which is ash.

and he shall not save [i.e.,] the misled one shall not save his soul, saying, “Is there not falsehood in my right hand?” and separate from it.

do not forget Me Do not forget My fear.

I erased your transgressions like a thick cloud in Egypt and in the desert. Now too, return to Me.

burst out An expression of opening the mouth.

and the One Who formed you from the womb From the time that (Gen. 25:22) “the children struggled within her,” I was your help and I chose you.

Who stretched forth the heavens alone...Who frustrates the signs of imposters Since I stretched forth the heavens, I can, therefore, frustrate their signs.

imposters Heb. בַּדִּים. They are stargazers, who predict the future through signs of the heavens, and since many times they lie, they are called בַּדִּים, imposters, for I change the heavenly princes, and these who ask of them err, and since the astrologers of Babylon were stargazers, as Scripture states (infra 47:13), “Let them stand now, and let the gazers into the heavens save you.” He, therefore, states that He will frustrate the signs of their imposters, for I am He Who frustrated the signs of the imposters of Egypt.

He fulfills the word of His servant Moses.

and the counsel of His messengers One angel said to Jacob (Gen. 32:27), “Israel shall be your name,” and I fulfilled his words. Here too, I will fulfill the counsel of My prophets who say concerning Jerusalem, “It shall be settled.”

Who says to the deep, “Be dry” Who says to Babylon, “Be dry.”

and I will dry up your rivers Since it is situated on rivers, he compares the slaying of its population to the drying up of rivers.

My shepherd My king.