Isaiah 41

1 Keep silent toward Me, O islands, And the peoples pass on [to] power, They come near, then they speak, “Together we draw near to judgment.”

Come quietly before me, O sea-lands, and let the peoples get together their strength: let them come near; then let them say what they have to say: let us put forward our cause against one another.

2 Who stirred up a righteous one from the east? He calls him to His foot, He gives nations before him, And He causes him to rule kings, He gives [them] as dust [to] his sword, As driven stubble [to] his bow.

Who sent out from the east one who is right wherever he goes? he gives the nations into his hands, and makes him ruler over kings; he gives them as the dust to his sword, as dry stems before the wind to his bow.

3 He pursues them, he passes over in safety A path he does not enter with his feet.

He goes after them safely, not touching the road with his feet.

4 Who has worked and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, YHWH, the first, and with the last I [am] He.

Whose purpose and work was it? His who sent out the generations from the start. I the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he.

5 Islands have seen and fear, The ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, indeed, they come.

The sea-lands saw it, and were in fear; the ends of the earth were shaking: they came near.

6 They each help his neighbor, And to his brother he says, “Be strong.”

They gave help everyone to his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Take heart!

7 And an artisan strengthens the refiner, A smoother [with] a hammer, Him who is beating [on] an anvil, saying, “For joining it [is] good,” And he strengthens it with nails, it is not moved!

So the metal-worker put heart into the gold-worker, and he who was hammering the metal smooth said kind words to the iron-worker, saying of the plate, It is ready: and he put it together with nails, so that there might be no slipping.

8 And you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham, My lover,

But as for you, Israel, my servant, and you, Jacob, whom I have taken for myself, the seed of Abraham my friend:

9 Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called you, And I say to you, You [are] My servant, I have chosen you, and not rejected you.

You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and sent for from its farthest parts, saying to you, You are my servant, whom I have taken for myself, and whom I have not given up:

10 Do not be afraid, for I [am] with you, do not look around, for I [am] your God, I have strengthened you, Indeed, I have helped you, indeed, I upheld you, With the right hand of My righteousness.

Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support.

11 Behold, all those displeased with you, They are ashamed and blush, They are as nothing, indeed, The men who strive with you perish.

Truly, all those who are angry with you will be made low and put to shame: those desiring to do you wrong will come to nothing and never again be seen.

12 You seek them, and do not find them, The men who debate with you, They are as nothing, indeed, as nothing, The men who war with you.

You will make search for your haters but they will not be there; those who make war against you will be as nothing and will come to destruction.

13 For I, your God YHWH, Am strengthening your right hand, He who is saying to you, “Do not fear, I have helped you.”

For I, the Lord your God, have taken your right hand in mine, saying to you, Have no fear; I will be your helper.

14 Do not fear, O worm Jacob, You men of Israel, I helped you, a declaration of YHWH, Even your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Have no fear, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will be your helper, says the Lord, even he who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel.

15 Behold, I have set you for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, you thresh mountains, And beat small, and make hills as chaff.

See, I will make you like a new grain-crushing instrument with teeth, crushing the mountains small, and making the hills like dry stems.

16 You winnow them, and a wind lifts them up, And a whirlwind scatters them, And you rejoice in YHWH, [And] boast yourself in the Holy One of Israel.

You will send the wind over them, and it will take them away; they will go in all directions before the storm-wind: you will have joy in the Lord, and be glad in the Holy One of Israel.

17 The poor and the needy are seeking water, And there is none, Their tongue has failed with thirst, I, YHWH, answer them, The God of Israel—I do not forsake them.

The poor and crushed are looking for water where no water is, and their tongue is dry for need of it: I the Lord will give ear to their prayer, I the God of Israel will not give them up.

18 I open rivers on high places, And fountains in midst of valleys, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land becomes springs of water.

I will make rivers on the dry mountain-tops, and fountains in the valleys: I will make the waste land a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

19 I give in a wilderness the cedar, Shittah, and myrtle, and oil-tree, I set in a desert the fir-pine and box-wood together.

I will put in the waste land the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive-tree; and in the lowland will be planted the fir-tree, the plane, and the cypress together:

20 So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of YHWH has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

So that they may see and be wise and give their mind to it, and that it may be clear to them all that the hand of the Lord has done this, and that the Holy One of Israel has made it.

21 Bring your cause near, says YHWH, Bring your mighty ones near, says the King of Jacob.

Put forward your cause, says the Lord; let your strong argument come out, says the King of Jacob.

22 They bring [them] near, and declare to us that which happens, Declare the first things—what they [are], And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or cause us to hear the coming things.

Let the future be made clear to us: give us news of the past things, so that we may give thought to them; or of the things to come, so that we may see if they are true.

23 Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that you [are] gods, Indeed, you may do good or do evil, And we look around and see [it] together.

Give us word of what will be after this, so that we may be certain that you are gods: yes, do good or do evil, so that we may all see it and be surprised.

24 Behold, you [are] of nothing, and your work of nothing, An abomination—it fixes on you.

But you are nothing, and your work is of no value: foolish is he who takes you for his gods.

25 I have stirred up [one] from the north, And he comes, From the rising of the sun he calls in My Name, And he comes in [on] prefects as [on] clay, And as a potter treads down mire.

I have sent for one from the north, and from the dawn he has come; in my name he will get rulers together and go against them; they will be like dust, even as the wet earth is stamped on by the feet of the potter.

26 Who has declared from the first, and we know? And formerly, and we say, “Righteous?” Indeed, there is none declaring, Indeed, there is none proclaiming, Indeed, there is none hearing your sayings.

Who has given knowledge of it from the first, so that we may be certain of it? and from the start, so that we may say, His word is true? There is no one who gives news, or says anything, or who gives ear to your words.

27 First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem I give one proclaiming tidings,

I was the first to give word of it to Zion, and I gave the good news to Jerusalem.

28 And I see that there is no man, Indeed, of these that there is no counselor, And I ask them, and they return word:

And I saw that there was no man, even no wise man among them, who might give an answer to my questions.

29 “Behold, all of them [are] vanity, Their works [are] nothing, Their molten images [are] wind and emptiness!”

Truly they are all nothing, their works are nothing and of no value: their metal images are of no more use than wind.