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, and hear me, ye distant lands. Ye nations, gather your strength! Let them come near; then let them speak; Let us go together into 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 hath raised up from the region of the East Him whom victory meeteth in his march? Who hath subdued nations before him, And given him dominion over kings? Who made their swords like dust, And their bows like driven stubble?

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

He pursued them, and passed in safety, By a path which his foot had never trodden.

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

Who hath wrought and done it? I, who have called the generations from the beginning, I, Jehovah, the first; And with the last also am I.

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

Distant nations saw it, and were afraid; The ends of the earth, and trembled; They drew near, and came together.

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

One helped another, And said to him, “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!

The carpenter encouraged the smith, He that smoothed with the hammer him that smote on the anvil, And said, “The soldering is good,” And he fastened it with nails that it might not fall.

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

But thou, O Israel, my servant, Thou, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Offspring 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.

Thou, whom I have led by the hand from the ends of the earth, And called from the extremities thereof, And said to thee, “Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee 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 not, for I am with thee; Faint not, for I, thy God, will strengthen thee; I will help thee, and sustain thee, with my right hand of salvation!

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 who are enraged against thee Shall be ashamed and confounded; All that contend with thee Shall come to nothing and 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.

Thou shalt seek and not find Them that contend with thee; They shall come to nothing, and be no more, Who make war against thee.

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, Jehovah, am thy God, that holdeth thee by the right hand, That saith to thee, “Fear not, I am thy 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.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, thou feeble people of Israel! I am thy helper, saith Jehovah; Thy redeemer is 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 thee a thrashing-wain, sharp and new, With double edges; Thou shalt thrash the mountains, and beat them small, And 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.

Thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them. But thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, And 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 is parched with thirst, I, Jehovah, 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 upon the bare hills, 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 and the acacia, The myrtle and the olive-tree; I will place in the desert the cypress, The plane-tree and the larch 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 Jehovah hath done this, And that the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

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

Bring forward your cause, saith Jehovah; Produce your strong reasons, saith 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 produce them, and show us what shall happen! Tell us what ye have predicted in times past, That we may consider, and know its fulfilment! Or declare to us things that are 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.

Let us hear what shall happen in future times, That we may know whether ye are gods; Do something, be it good or evil, That we may be astonished, and see it together!

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

Behold, ye are less than nothing, And your work is less than naught; An abomination is he that chooseth 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 cometh; From the rising of the sun he calleth upon my name; He trampleth upon princes as upon mortar; As the potter treadeth down the 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 hath declared this from the beginning, that we might know it, And long ago, that we might say, It is true? There was not one that foretold it, not one that declared it, Not one that heard your words.

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

I first said to Zion, Behold! behold them! And I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of glad 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:

I looked, but there was no man; Even among them, but there was none that gave counsel; I inquired of them that they might give an answer;

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

But behold, they are all vanity; Their works are nothing; Wind and emptiness are their molten images.