Esajas 41
1 Hør mig i Tavshed, I fjerne Strande, lad Folkene hente ny Kraft, komme hid og tage til Orde, lad os sammen gå frem for Retten!
Be silent [and hearken] unto me, O ye Coastlands, And let the Races of Men renew their strength, —Let them approach, then, let them speak, Together, for controversy, let us draw near: —
2 Hvo vakte i Østen ham, hvis Fod går 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 Strå,
Who roused up one from the East, In righteousness, called him to his feet, —Set before him nations And over kings, caused him to rule, His sword, made [them] like dust, His bow like driven chaff:
3 forfølger dem, går uskadt frem ad en Vej, hans Fod ej har trådt.
He pursued them passed along safely, —Upon the path of his own feet, entered he 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 performed, Calling the generations, in advance? I, Yahweh, [who am] First, And with them who are last, I, am the Same!
5 Fjerne Strande så det med Gru, den vide Jord følte Rædsel, de nærmede sig og kom.
Coastlands have seen, so they fear, The ends of the earth, are in dread, —They have drawn near, and have come:
6 Den ene hjælper den anden og siger: "Broder, fat Mod!"
Every man, to his neighbour, giveth help, —And to his brother, saith Take courage!
7 Mesteren opmuntrer Guldsmeden, Glatteren ham, der hamrer; Lodningen tager han god og sømmer det fast, så det står.
So, the carver, hath encouraged, the goldsmith, he that maketh smooth with the hammer, him that smiteth the anvil, —Saying of the welding, It is, good, Then hath he fastened it with nails—it must not totter!
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 loving one;
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 from the extremities thereof, have called thee, —And said to thee, My Servant, thou! I have chosen thee and not cast thee off,
10 Frygt ikke, thi jeg er med dig, vær ej rådvild, thi jeg er din Gud! Med min Retfærds højre styrker, ja hjælper, ja støtter jeg dig.
Do not fear, for with thee, I am! Look not around, for, I, am thy God, —I have emboldened thee, Yea I have helped thee, Yea I have upheld thee with my righteous right-hand.
11 Se, Skam og Skændsel får alle, som er dig fjendske, til intet bliver de, der trætter med dig, de forgår.
Lo! they shall turn pale and be ashamed—All they who have been incensed against thee, —They shall become as nothing and perish—The men who have been thine accusers:
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, but shalt not find them—The men who have contended with thee, They shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought—The men who have warred against thee;
13 Thi jeg, som er HERREN din Gud, jeg griber din Hånd, siger til dig: Frygt kun ikke, jeg er din Hjælper.
For I, Yahweh thy God am firmly grasping thy right-hand, —Who am saying unto thee Do not fear! I, have become thy helper!
14 Frygt ikke, Jakob, du Orm, Israel, du Kryb! Jeg hjælper dig, lyder det fra HERREN, din Genløser er Israels Hellige.
Do not fear, Thou worm Jacob, Ye men of Israel, —I, have become thy helper, Declareth Yahweh, And thy redeemer The Holy One of Israel.
15 Se, jeg gør dig til Tærskeslæde, en ny med mange Tænder; du skal tærske og knuste Bjerge, og Høje skal du gøre til Avner;
Lo! I have made of thee a new pointed threshing sledge, owning teeth, —Thou shalt thresh mountains and crush them, And, hills—like chaff, shalt thou make:
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, a wind, shall carry them away, And, a whirlwind, scatter, them, —But, thou, shalt exult in Yahweh, And, in the Holy One of Israel, shalt thou boast thyself.
17 Forgæves søger de arme og fattige Vand, deres Tunge brænder af Tørst; jeg, HERREN, vil bønhøre dem, dem svigter ej Israels Gud.
As for the oppressed and the needy. Seeking water when there is none, Their tongue with thirst being parched I—Yahweh, will answer them, The God of Israel, I 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, On bare hills rivers, and In the midst of plains, fountains, —I will make The desert, a lake of water, and Parched 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 set in the desert! Cedar, acacia, and myrtle, and oil-tree, —I will place, in the waste plain, Cypress, holm-oak, and sherbin-cedar, together
20 at de må se og kende, mærke sig det og indse, at HERRENs Hånd har gjort det, Israels Hellige skabt det.
That men may see and observe and consider and understand at once, That, the hand of Yahweh, hath done this, That the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21 Fremlæg eders Sag, siger HERREN, kom med Bevis! siger Jakobs Konge.
Bring near your contention, Saith Yahweh, —Advance your defences, 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 advance them, and tell us, What shall happen, —Things known in advance—what they were, tell ye, That we may lay them to our heart and mark the after-story of them, Or, things yet to come, let us hear:
23 Forkynd, hvad der siden vil ske, at vi kan se, I er Guder! Gør noget, godt eller ondt, så måler vi os med hinanden!
Tell ye the events which shall be here-after, That we may perceive that gods, ye are, —Surely ye must do something—good or bad, That we may be amazed and behold it, at once.
24 Se, I er intet, eders Gerning Luft, vederstyggelig, hvo eder vælger.
Lo! ye, are, of nought, And your work is a puff of breath, —An abomination, 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 hath come, From the rising of the sun, calleth he on my Name, —And he hath come, on deputies, as though they were mortar, And as a potter treadeth clay.
26 Hvo forkyndte det før, så vi vidste det, forud, så vi sagde: "Han fik Ret!" Nej, ingen har forkyndt eller sagt det, ingen har hørt eders Ord.
Who hath told in advance, that we might know, And beforetime, that we might say Right! Nay, there is none who can tell. Nay, there is none who can let us hear, Nay, there is none who can understand what ye utter.
27 Først jeg har forkyndt det for Zion, sendt Jerusalem Glædesbud.
He who is First, [can say], To Zion, Lo! there they are! And to Jerusalem, A herald of good-tidings, do I give.
28 Jeg ser mig om der er ingen, ingen af dem ved Råd, så de svarer mig på mit Spørgsmål.
So I look, And there is not, a Man! Even among these And there is none to advise, —That, when I ask them, can answer a word.
29 Se, alle er de intet, deres Værker Luft, deres Billeder Vind og Tomhed.
Lo! as to all of them, Vanity—nothingness, are their works, Wind and emptiness, their molten images!
