King James Bible
"He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved."
This describes someone too poor to afford the typical metal offerings for idol-making. In the context of Isaiah's critique of idolatry, even the destitute participate in false worship, showing how pervasive idol-making had become across all economic classes. The impoverished person carefully selects durable wood as a substitute for costly materials. This ironic detail highlights human effort to create a lasting god from perishable materials, contrasting with the eternal nature of the true God Isaiah proclaims. Despite poverty, the person invests in skilled craftsmanship to fashion the idol. The emphasis on human skill in creating a deity underscores the absurdity of worshipping something made by human hands. The goal is an immovable, stable idol—yet this very need for physical stability reveals its powerlessness. Isaiah mocks the contrast between these man-made gods that must be secured from falling and the sovereign God who establishes the earth itself.