Esajas 41

1 Hør mig i Tavshed, I fjerne Strande, lad Folkene hente ny Kraft, komme hid og tage til Orde, lad os sammen gaa frem for Retten!

Keep silence before Me, O islands, and let the peoples renew their strength; let them draw near, then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment.

2 Hvo vakte i Østen ham, hvis Fod gaar fra Sejr til Sejr, hvo giver Folk i hans Vold og gør ham til Kongers Hersker? Han gør deres Sværd til Støv, deres Buer til flagrende Straa,

Who hath raised up one from the east, at whose steps victory attendeth? He giveth nations before him, and maketh him rule over kings; his sword maketh them as the dust, his bow as the driven stubble.

3 forfølger dem, gaar uskadt frem ad en Vej, hans Fod ej har traadt.

He pursueth them, and passeth on safely; the way with his feet he treadeth not.

4 Hvo gjorde og virkede det? Han, som længst kaldte Slægterne frem, jeg, HERREN, som er den første og end hos de sidste den samme.

Who hath wrought and done it? He that called the generations from the beginning. I, the LORD, who am the first, and with the last am the same.

5 Fjerne Strande saa det med Gru, den vide Jord følte Rædsel, de nærmede sig og kom.

The isles saw, and feared; the ends of the earth trembled; they drew near, and came.

6 Den ene hjælper den anden og siger: »Broder, fat Mod!«

They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother: 'Be of good courage.'

7 Mesteren opmuntrer Guldsmeden, Glatteren ham, der hamrer; Lodningen tager han god og sømmer det fast, saa det staar.

So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil, saying of the soldering: 'It is good'; and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

8 Men Israel, du min Tjener, Jakob, hvem jeg har udvalgt, — Ætling af Abraham, min Ven —

But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend;

9 hvem jeg tog fra Jordens Grænser og kaldte fra dens fjerneste Kroge, til hvem jeg sagde: »Du min Tjener, som jeg valgte og ikke vraged«:

Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the uttermost parts thereof, and said unto thee: 'Thou art My servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away';

10 Frygt ikke, thi jeg er med dig, vær ej raadvild, thi jeg er din Gud! Med min Retfærds højre styrker, ja hjælper, ja støtter jeg dig.

Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee; yea, I uphold thee with My victorious right hand.

11 Se, Skam og Skændsel faar alle, som er dig fjendske, til intet bliver de, der trætter med dig, de forgaar.

Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they that strove with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish.

12 Du søger, men finder ej dem, der kives med dig, til intet, til Luft bliver de, der strides med dig.

Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee; they that warred against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13 Thi jeg, som er HERREN din Gud, jeg griber din Haand, siger til dig: Frygt kun ikke, jeg er din Hjælper.

For I the LORD thy God hold thy right hand, who say unto thee: 'Fear not, I help thee.'

14 Frygt ikke, Jakob, du Orm, Israel, du Kryb! Jeg hjælper dig, lyder det fra HERREN, din Genløser er Israels Hellige.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15 Se, jeg gør dig til Tærskeslæde, en ny med mange Tænder; du skal tærske og knuse Bjerge, og Høje skal du gøre til Avner;

Behold, I make thee a new threshing-sledge having sharp teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

16 du kaster dem, Vinden tager dem, Stormen hvirvler dem bort. Men du skal juble i HERREN, rose dig af Israels Hellige.

Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 Forgæves søger de arme og fattige Vand, deres Tunge brænder af Tørst; jeg, HERREN, vil bønhøre dem, dem svigter ej Israels Gud.

The poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I the LORD will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

18 Fra nøgne Høje sender jeg Floder og Kilder midt i Dale; Ørkenen gør jeg til Vanddrag, det tørre Land til Væld.

I will open rivers on the high hills, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

19 I Ørkenen giver jeg Cedre, Akacier, Myrter, Oliven; i Ødemark sætter jeg Cypresser tillige med Elm og Gran,

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia-tree, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane-tree, and the larch together;

20 at de maa se og kende, mærke sig det og indse, at HERRENS Haand har gjort det, Israels Hellige skabt det.

That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21 Fremlæg eders Sag, siger HERREN, kom med Bevis! siger Jakobs Konge.

Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

22 De træde nu frem og forkynde os, hvad der herefter skal ske. Sig frem, hvad I har forudsagt, at vi kan granske derover og se, hvad Udfald det fik; eller kundgør os, hvad der kommer!

Let them bring them forth, and declare unto us the things that shall happen; the former things, what are they? Declare ye, that we may consider, and know the end of them; or announce to us things to come.

23 Forkynd, hvad der siden vil ske, at vi kan se, I er Guder! Gør noget, godt eller ondt, saa maaler vi os med hinanden!

Declare the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods; yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

24 Se, I er intet, eders Gerning Luft, vederstyggelig, hvo eder vælger.

Behold, ye are nothing, and your work a thing of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you.

25 Jeg vakte ham fra Norden, og han kom, jeg kaldte ham fra Solens Opgang. Han nedtramper Fyrster som Dynd, som en Pottemager ælter sit Ler.

I have roused up one from the north, and he is come, from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon My name; and he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.

26 Hvo forkyndte det før, saa vi vidste det, forud, saa vi sagde: »Han fik Ret!« Nej, ingen har forkyndt eller sagt det, ingen har hørt eders Ord.

Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say that he is right? Yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that announceth, yea, there is none that heareth your utterances.

27 Først jeg har forkyndt det for Zion, sendt Jerusalem Glædesbud.

A harbinger unto Zion will I give: 'Behold, behold them', and to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings.

28 Jeg ser mig om — der er ingen, ingen af dem ved Raad, saa de svarer mig paa mit Spørgsmaal.

And I look, but there is no man; even among them, but there is no counsellor, that, when I ask of them, can give an answer.

29 Se, alle er de intet, deres Værker Luft, deres Billeder Vind og Tomhed.

Behold, all of them, their works are vanity and nought; their molten images are wind and confusion.