Isaiah 41

1 Keep silence before me, O islands, and let the peoples renew their strength. Let them come near, then let them speak. Let us come near together to judgment.

Keep silence, and hear me, ye distant lands. Ye nations, gather your strength! Let them come near; then let them speak; Let us go together into judgment.

2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, calls him to his foot, gives nations before him, and makes him rule over kings? He gives them as the dust to his sword, as the driven stubble to his bow.

Who hath raised up from the region of the East Him whom victory meeteth in his march? Who hath subdued nations before him, And given him dominion over kings? Who made their swords like dust, And their bows like driven stubble?

3 He pursues them, and passes on safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.

He pursued them, and passed in safety, By a path which his foot had never trodden.

4 Who has wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he.

Who hath wrought and done it? I, who have called the generations from the beginning, I, Jehovah, the first; And with the last also am I.

5 The isles have seen, and fear. The ends of the earth tremble, they draw near, and come.

Distant nations saw it, and were afraid; The ends of the earth, and trembled; They drew near, and came together.

6 They help every man his neighbor, and says to his brother, Be of good courage.

One helped another, And said to him, “Be of good courage!”

7 So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith, he who smoothes with the hammer, him who smites the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good, and he fastens it with nails, that it should not be moved.

The carpenter encouraged the smith, He that smoothed with the hammer him that smote on the anvil, And said, “The soldering is good,” And he fastened it with nails that it might not fall.

8 But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend,

But thou, O Israel, my servant, Thou, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Offspring of Abraham, my friend!

9 thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said to thee, Thou are my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away.

Thou, whom I have led by the hand from the ends of the earth, And called from the extremities thereof, And said to thee, “Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away!”

10 Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Fear not, for I am with thee; Faint not, for I, thy God, will strengthen thee; I will help thee, and sustain thee, with my right hand of salvation!

11 Behold, all those who are incensed against thee shall be put to shame and confounded. Those who strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish.

Behold, all who are enraged against thee Shall be ashamed and confounded; All that contend with thee Shall come to nothing and perish.

12 Thou shall seek them, and shall not find them, even those who contend with thee. Those who war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught.

Thou shalt seek and not find Them that contend with thee; They shall come to nothing, and be no more, Who make war against thee.

13 For I, Jehovah thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying to thee, Fear not, I will help thee.

For I, Jehovah, am thy God, that holdeth thee by the right hand, That saith to thee, “Fear not, I am thy helper!”

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel. I will help thee, says Jehovah, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, thou feeble people of Israel! I am thy helper, saith Jehovah; Thy redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 Behold, I have made thee as a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth. Thou shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff.

Behold, I will make thee a thrashing-wain, sharp and new, With double edges; Thou shalt thrash the mountains, and beat them small, And make the hills as chaff.

16 Thou shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them. And thou shall rejoice in Jehovah. Thou shall glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them. But thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, And glory in the Holy One of Israel.

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

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst, I, Jehovah, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

I will open rivers upon the bare 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 will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the oil tree. I will set in the desert the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together,

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia, The myrtle and the olive-tree; I will place in the desert the cypress, The plane-tree and the larch together.

20 that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

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

21 Produce your case, says Jehovah. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob.

Bring forward your cause, saith Jehovah; Produce your strong reasons, saith the king of Jacob.

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

Let them produce them, and show us what shall happen! Tell us what ye have predicted in times past, That we may consider, and know its fulfilment! Or declare to us things that are to come!

23 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.

Let us hear what shall happen in future times, That we may know whether ye are gods; Do something, be it good or evil, That we may be astonished, and see it together!

24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work is of naught. An abomination is he who chooses you.

Behold, ye are less than nothing, And your work is less than naught; An abomination is he that chooseth you!

25 I have raised up him from the north, and he has come, him who calls upon my name from the rising of the sun. And he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treads clay.

I have raised up one from the north, and he cometh; From the rising of the sun he calleth upon my name; He trampleth upon princes as upon mortar; As the potter treadeth down the clay.

26 Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know, and beforetime, that we may say, He is right? Yea, there is none who declares. Yea, there is none who shows. Yea, there is none who hears your words.

Who hath declared this from the beginning, that we might know it, And long ago, that we might say, It is true? There was not one that foretold it, not one that declared it, Not one that heard your words.

27 First to Zion. Behold, behold them, and I will give to Jerusalem him who brings good news.

I first said to Zion, Behold! behold them! And I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of glad tidings.

28 And when I look, there is no man. Even among them there is no counselor, that, when I ask of them, can answer a word.

I looked, but there was no man; Even among them, but there was none that gave counsel; I inquired of them that they might give an answer;

29 Behold, all of them, their works are vanity and nothing. Their molten images are wind and confusion.

But behold, they are all vanity; Their works are nothing; Wind and emptiness are their molten images.