Isaiah 41

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

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.

2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.

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.

3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

He chases them down, and goes on unharmed, not following the usual routes.

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

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.

5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

The islands watch in fear, the distant lands tremble. They get together and consult.

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

They all help each other, encouraging one another to “Be strong!”

7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smoothes with the hammer him that stroke the anvil, saying, It is ready for the soldering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

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.

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

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, the ones I have chosen, descendants of my friend Abraham,

9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from the chief men thereof, and said unto you, You are my servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away.

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.

10 Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.

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.

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with you shall perish.

See—everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who fight against you will end up as nothing and die.

12 You shall seek them, and shall not find them, even them that contended with you: they that war against you shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nothing.

Even though you look for your enemies, you won't find them. Those who attack you will become absolutely nothing.

13 For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.

For I the Lord will grab you by the hand and tell you, “Don't be afraid! I myself will help you.

14 Fear not, you worm Jacob, and all of you men of Israel; I will help you, says the LORD, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

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.

15 Behold, I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff.

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.

16 You shall fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and you shall rejoice in the LORD, and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel.

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.

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

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.

18 I will open rivers in high places, 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 up rivers in the desolate highlands and springs in the valleys. I will make pools in the wilderness and springs in the desert.

19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:

I will plant cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees in the desert. I will place evergreens in the desert, firs and box trees together.

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

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.

21 Produce your cause, says the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob.

“Now you submit your case,” says the Lord. “Present your evidence,” says the King of Jacob.

22 Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things in order to come.

“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.

23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that all of you are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

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.

24 Behold, all of you are of nothing, and your work of nothing: an abomination is he that chooses you.

But look at you! You're nothing, and you can't do anything! Anyone who chooses you is disgusting!

25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treads clay.

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.

26 Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know? and in time past, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that shows, yea, there is none that declares, yea, there is none that hears your words.

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!

27 The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that brings good tidings.

I was the first to announce to Zion: ‘Look, here they are!’ I was the one who brought to Jerusalem the good news.

28 For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

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.

29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

Look at them! They're all evil, deceptive things. They can't do anything! They're just idols full of hot air!”