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.”

“Listen before me in silence, you coastlands; let the nations renew their strength; let them come near and speak; let us come near together to argue a dispute.

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 has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and helps him subdue kings. He turns them to dust with his sword, like windblown stubble with his bow.

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

He pursues them and passes by safely, by a swift path that his feet scarcely touch.

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 performed and accomplished these deeds? Who has summoned the generations from the beginning? I, Yahweh, the first, and with the last ones, I am he.

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

The isles have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they approach and come.

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

Everyone helps his neighbor, and every one says to one another, 'Be encouraged.'

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 encourages the goldsmith, and he who works with the hammer encourages him who works with an anvil, saying of the welding, 'It is good.' They fasten it with nails so it will not topple over.

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

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the 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.

you whom I am bringing back from the ends of the earth, and whom I called from the far away places, and to whom I said, 'You are my servant;' I have chosen you and not rejected you.

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.

Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, and I will help you, and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

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

See, they will be ashamed and disgraced, all who have been angry with you; they will be as nothing and will perish, those who oppose you.

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 seek and will not find those who contended with you; those who warred against you will be like nothing, absolutely 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, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Do not fear; I am helping 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.

Do not fear, Jacob you worm, and you men of Israel; I will help you—this is Yahweh's declaration, 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.

Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge, new and two-edged; you will thresh the mountains and crush them; you will make the hills like 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 will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away; the wind will scatter them. You will rejoice in Yahweh, you will rejoice 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 oppressed and needy look for water, but there is none, and their tongues are parched for thirst; I, Yahweh, will respond to their prayers; 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 make streams to flow down the slopes, and springs in the middle of the valleys; I will make the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into 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.

In the wilderness I will set the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the olive tree. I will set the cypress in the desert plain, with the pines and the cypress box trees.

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.

I will do this so that the people may see, recognize, and understand together, that the hand of Yahweh has done this, that 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.

“Present your case,” says Yahweh, “present your best arguments for your idols,” 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 us their own arguments; have them come forward and declare to us what will happen, so we may know these things well. Have them tell us of earlier predictive declarations, so we can reflect on them and know how they were fulfilled.

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.

Tell things about the future, that we may know if you are gods; do something good or evil, that we may be frightened and impressed.

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

See, you idols are nothing and your deeds are nothing; the one who chooses you is detestable.

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 comes; from the sun's rising I summon him who calls on my name, and he will trample the rulers like mud, like a potter who is treading on 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 announced this from the beginning, that we might know? Before this time, that we may say, “He is right”? Indeed none of them decreed it, yes, none heard you say anything.

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

I first said to Zion, “Look here they are;” I sent a herald 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:

When I look, there is no one, not one among them who can give good advice, who, when I ask, can answer a word.

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

Look, all of them are nothing, and their deeds are nothing; their cast metal figures are wind and emptiness.