< 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.
ἐγκαινίζεσθε πρός με νῆσοι οἱ γὰρ ἄρχοντες ἀλλάξουσιν ἰσχύν ἐγγισάτωσαν καὶ λαλησάτωσαν ἅμα τότε κρίσιν ἀναγγειλάτωσαν
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.
τίς ἐξήγειρεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν δικαιοσύνην ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν κατὰ πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ πορεύσεται δώσει ἐναντίον ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐκστήσει καὶ δώσει εἰς γῆν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν καὶ ὡς φρύγανα ἐξωσμένα τὰ τόξα αὐτῶν
3 He chases them down, and goes on unharmed, not following the usual routes.
καὶ διώξεται αὐτοὺς καὶ διελεύσεται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ
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.
τίς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐποίησεν ταῦτα ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν ὁ καλῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχῆς ἐγὼ θεὸς πρῶτος καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐγώ εἰμι
5 The islands watch in fear, the distant lands tremble. They get together and consult.
εἴδοσαν ἔθνη καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς ἤγγισαν καὶ ἤλθοσαν ἅμα
6 They all help each other, encouraging one another to “Be strong!”
κρίνων ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ βοηθῆσαι καὶ ἐρεῖ
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.
ἴσχυσεν ἀνὴρ τέκτων καὶ χαλκεὺς τύπτων σφύρῃ ἅμα ἐλαύνων ποτὲ μὲν ἐρεῖ σύμβλημα καλόν ἐστιν ἰσχύρωσαν αὐτὰ ἐν ἥλοις θήσουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ οὐ κινηθήσονται
8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, the ones I have chosen, descendants of my friend Abraham,
σὺ δέ Ισραηλ παῖς μου Ιακωβ ὃν ἐξελεξάμην σπέρμα Αβρααμ ὃν ἠγάπησα
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.
οὗ ἀντελαβόμην ἀπ’ ἄκρων τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκ τῶν σκοπιῶν αὐτῆς ἐκάλεσά σε καὶ εἶπά σοι παῖς μου εἶ ἐξελεξάμην σε καὶ οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπόν σε
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.
μὴ φοβοῦ μετὰ σοῦ γάρ εἰμι μὴ πλανῶ ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ὁ θεός σου ὁ ἐνισχύσας σε καὶ ἐβοήθησά σοι καὶ ἠσφαλισάμην σε τῇ δεξιᾷ τῇ δικαίᾳ μου
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.
ἰδοὺ αἰσχυνθήσονται καὶ ἐντραπήσονται πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοί σοι ἔσονται γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ὄντες καὶ ἀπολοῦνται πάντες οἱ ἀντίδικοί σου
12 Even though you look for your enemies, you won't find them. Those who attack you will become absolutely nothing.
ζητήσεις αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἳ παροινήσουσιν εἰς σέ ἔσονται γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ὄντες καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται οἱ ἀντιπολεμοῦντές σε
13 For I the Lord will grab you by the hand and tell you, “Don't be afraid! I myself will help you.
ὅτι ἐγὼ ὁ θεός σου ὁ κρατῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς σου ὁ λέγων σοι μὴ φοβοῦ
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.
Ιακωβ ὀλιγοστὸς Ισραηλ ἐγὼ ἐβοήθησά σοι λέγει ὁ θεὸς ὁ λυτρούμενός σε Ισραηλ
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.
ἰδοὺ ἐποίησά σε ὡς τροχοὺς ἁμάξης ἀλοῶντας καινοὺς πριστηροειδεῖς καὶ ἀλοήσεις ὄρη καὶ λεπτυνεῖς βουνοὺς καὶ ὡς χνοῦν θήσεις
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.
καὶ λικμήσεις καὶ ἄνεμος λήμψεται αὐτούς καὶ καταιγὶς διασπερεῖ αὐτούς σὺ δὲ εὐφρανθήσῃ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις Ισραηλ καὶ ἀγαλλιάσονται
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.
οἱ πτωχοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐνδεεῖς ζητήσουσιν γὰρ ὕδωρ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς δίψης ἐξηράνθη ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός ἐγὼ ἐπακούσομαι ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψω αὐτούς
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.
ἀλλὰ ἀνοίξω ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ποταμοὺς καὶ ἐν μέσῳ πεδίων πηγάς ποιήσω τὴν ἔρημον εἰς ἕλη καὶ τὴν διψῶσαν γῆν ἐν ὑδραγωγοῖς
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.
θήσω εἰς τὴν ἄνυδρον γῆν κέδρον καὶ πύξον καὶ μυρσίνην καὶ κυπάρισσον καὶ λεύκην
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.
ἵνα ἴδωσιν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ ἐννοηθῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστῶνται ἅμα ὅτι χεὶρ κυρίου ἐποίησεν ταῦτα πάντα καὶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ισραηλ κατέδειξεν
21 “Now you submit your case,” says the Lord. “Present your evidence,” says the King of Jacob.
ἐγγίζει ἡ κρίσις ὑμῶν λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός ἤγγισαν αἱ βουλαὶ ὑμῶν λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς Ιακωβ
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.
ἐγγισάτωσαν καὶ ἀναγγειλάτωσαν ὑμῖν ἃ συμβήσεται ἢ τὰ πρότερα τίνα ἦν εἴπατε καὶ ἐπιστήσομεν τὸν νοῦν καὶ γνωσόμεθα τί τὰ ἔσχατα καὶ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα εἴπατε ἡμῖν
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.
ἀναγγείλατε ἡμῖν τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐπ’ ἐσχάτου καὶ γνωσόμεθα ὅτι θεοί ἐστε εὖ ποιήσατε καὶ κακώσατε καὶ θαυμασόμεθα καὶ ὀψόμεθα ἅμα
24 But look at you! You're nothing, and you can't do anything! Anyone who chooses you is disgusting!
ὅτι πόθεν ἐστὲ ὑμεῖς καὶ πόθεν ἡ ἐργασία ὑμῶν ἐκ γῆς βδέλυγμα ἐξελέξαντο ὑμᾶς
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.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἤγειρα τὸν ἀπὸ βορρᾶ καὶ τὸν ἀφ’ ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν κληθήσονται τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐρχέσθωσαν ἄρχοντες καὶ ὡς πηλὸς κεραμέως καὶ ὡς κεραμεὺς καταπατῶν τὸν πηλόν οὕτως καταπατηθήσεσθε
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!
τίς γὰρ ἀναγγελεῖ τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἵνα γνῶμεν καὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐροῦμεν ὅτι ἀληθῆ ἐστιν οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ προλέγων οὐδὲ ὁ ἀκούων ὑμῶν τοὺς λόγους
27 I was the first to announce to Zion: ‘Look, here they are!’ I was the one who brought to Jerusalem the good news.
ἀρχὴν Σιων δώσω καὶ Ιερουσαλημ παρακαλέσω εἰς ὁδόν
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.
ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἰδοὺ οὐδείς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἀναγγέλλων καὶ ἐὰν ἐρωτήσω αὐτούς πόθεν ἐστέ οὐ μὴ ἀποκριθῶσίν μοι
29 Look at them! They're all evil, deceptive things. They can't do anything! They're just idols full of hot air!”
εἰσὶν γὰρ οἱ ποιοῦντες ὑμᾶς καὶ μάτην οἱ πλανῶντες ὑμᾶς