Isaiah 41
1 Listen to me in silence, you people who live in lands beyond the sea. Let the nations regain their strength. Then let them come and speak, and let us join together for judgment.
Keep silence before me, O islands; and let nations acquire new strength: let them approach, then let them speak, together let us come near to judgment.
2 Who has encouraged this one from the east who is called into God's service to do what is right? He gives him nations, and helps him trample kings underfoot. He makes them like dust with his sword, and turns them into chaff with his bow, blown before him on the wind.
Who waked up from the east the man whom righteousness met in his steps? he giveth up nations before him, and maketh him rule over kings; that his sword may render them as the dust, as driven stubble, his bow.
3 He chases them down, and goes on unharmed, not following the usual routes.
He pursueth them, passeth along in safety, by a path which his feet have not gone over before.
4 Who has achieved and done this, calling into existence each generation from the beginning of time? I, the Lord, the first and the last, I am the one.
Who hath wrought and done it? he who called the generations from the beginning; I the Lord, [who am] the first, and with the latest I am the same.
5 The islands watch in fear, the distant lands tremble. They get together and consult.
The isles saw it, and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they draw near, and come.
6 They all help each other, encouraging one another to “Be strong!”
They help one another; and each one saith to his brother, Be strong!
7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith; the one who beats out the metal with a hammer encourages the one hitting the anvil, saying the soldering is good. They nail the idol down so it won't fall over.
So the smith encouraged the melter, he that smootheth with the hammer him that striketh on the anvil; saying of the solder, It is good; and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, the ones I have chosen, descendants of my friend Abraham,
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend;
9 I brought you back from distant lands, I called you back from faraway places, telling you, “You are my servants.” I have chosen you, and I have not abandoned you.
Thou, whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the midst of its chiefs, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you! Don't be frightened for I, your God, will make you strong, and I will certainly help you. I will support you with my strong hand, acting for what is right.
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 the right hand of my righteousness.
11 See—everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who fight against you will end up as nothing and die.
Behold, ashamed and confounded shall be all that were incensed against thee; they shall be as naught and perish—the men that strive with thee.
12 Even though you look for your enemies, you won't find them. Those who attack you will become absolutely nothing.
Thou wilt seek them, and shalt not find them, the men that contend with thee; they shall be as naught and as nothing, the men that make war against thee.
13 For I the Lord will grab you by the hand and tell you, “Don't be afraid! I myself will help you.
For I the Lord thy God lay hold of thy right hand; [I am he] who saith unto thee, Fear not, I help thee.
14 Don't be frightened, Jacob, you little worm, you people of Israel, for I will help you,” declared the Lord your Savior, the Holy One of Israel.
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, ye few men of Israel: I myself help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 Look! I will make you into a new and sharp threshing device, with many pointed teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush the hills, turning them into chaff.
Behold, I have rendered thee a threshing instrument, sharp, new, having many teeth: thou shalt thresh mountains, and beat them small, and shalt render the hills as chaff.
16 You will throw them into the air, the wind will carry them away, and a storm will scatter them. Then you will be happy in the Lord, and boast about the Holy One of Israel.
Thou shalt scatter them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the storm shall disperse them; but thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, in the Holy One of Israel shalt thou glorify thyself.
17 The poor and needy search for water, but don't find any—their tongues are dry with thirst. I, the Lord, will respond to them; I, the God of Israel, won't abandon them.
The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue is dried up with thirst: I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18 I will open up rivers in the desolate highlands and springs in the valleys. I will make pools in the wilderness and springs in the desert.
I will open on naked mountain-peaks rivers, and in the midst of valleys fountains; I will change the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into springs of water.
19 I will plant cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees in the desert. I will place evergreens in the desert, firs and box trees together.
I will place 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;
20 In this way everyone can see and know, they can think about it and draw the conclusion that the it is the Lord who has done this, that the Holy One of Israel made it happen.
In order that they may see, and know and take [it to heart], and comprehend together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21 “Now you submit your case,” says the Lord. “Present your evidence,” says the King of Jacob.
Produce your cause, saith the Lord: bring forward your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
22 “Let them come and tell us what's about to happen. Let them explain the things of the past, so that we can think about them and discover the final outcome. Or they can tell us about the future.
Let them bring them forward and tell us what shall happen: the former things—what are they?—tell us, that we may take it to heart, and know the result of them; or let us hear the things that are to come.
23 Predict what's coming so we can know for sure that you are gods. At least do something, good or bad, to impress us when we see it.
Tell the events that are to happen hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be astonished, and see it together.
24 But look at you! You're nothing, and you can't do anything! Anyone who chooses you is disgusting!
Behold, ye are less than nothing, and your work less than a breath: [he that is] an abomination [alone] chooseth you.
25 I have encouraged the one who comes from the north. He is from the east, and will respect me. He will tread on rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter treading on clay.
I have waked up one from the north, and he cometh; from the rising of the sun one who will call on my name: and he shall [over-]come princes as mortar, and as the potter treadeth down the clay.
26 Who announced this beforehand so that we could know about it? Who let us know in the past, so that now we could say: ‘He was right’? None of you announced it, none of you predicted it, and nobody heard you say a word!
Who hath told it from the beginning, that we may know it? and aforetimes, that we may say, “it is right?” but indeed there is none that telleth, indeed there is none that letteth us hear, indeed there is none that heareth your words.
27 I was the first to announce to Zion: ‘Look, here they are!’ I was the one who brought to Jerusalem the good news.
The first [was I to say] to Zion, Behold, there they are; and to Jerusalem will I give one that bringeth good tidings.
28 I look at these idols, and find there is no one who can say anything. None of them can give advice; when I ask them something, they can't even answer.
And I ever look, and there is no man; and among these there is no counsellor, that they could answer a word.
29 Look at them! They're all evil, deceptive things. They can't do anything! They're just idols full of hot air!”
Behold, they all are naught; their works are nothing: wind and vanity are their molten images.
