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.”

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.

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 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.

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

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

Who has wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? 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 isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

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

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

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 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.

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

But you, Israel, are my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, 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 called you from the chief men thereof, and said unto you, You are my servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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 will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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:

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.

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.

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

Produce your cause, says the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, 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 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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:

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.

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

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