Isaiah 41

1 "Keep silent before me, islands, and let the peoples renew their strength. Let them come near, then let them speak. Let's meet together for 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 has raised up one from the east? Whom he called to his foot in righteousness? He hands over nations to him, and makes him rule over kings. He gives them like the dust to his sword, like the 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, and passes by safely, Even by a way that he had not gone 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 it, calling the generations from the beginning? 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 The coastlands have seen, and fear. The farthest parts of the earth tremble. They approach, and come.

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

6 Everyone helps his neighbor. They say to their brothers, "Be strong."

One helped another, And said to him, “Be of good courage!”

7 So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith. He who smoothes with the hammer encourages him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good;" and he fastens it with nails, that it might not totter.

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 "But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham my friend,

But thou, O Israel, my servant, Thou, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Offspring of Abraham, my friend!

9 you whom I have taken hold of from places far away on the earth, and summoned from its border, and said 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 be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold 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 Look, all those who are incensed against you will be disappointed and confounded. Those who strive with you will be like nothing, and shall 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 will seek them, and won't find them, even those who contend with you. Those who war against you will be as nothing, as a non-existent thing.

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, YHWH your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Do not be afraid. I will help 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 be afraid, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel. I will help you," says YHWH, "and your Redeemer is 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 Look, I have made you into a new sharp threshing instrument with teeth. You will thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and will make the hills like 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 will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and the whirlwind will scatter them. You will rejoice in YHWH. You will glory 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 needy seek water, and there is none. Their tongue fails for thirst. I, YHWH, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will 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 will open rivers on the bare heights, and springs 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 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 will put cedar, acacia, myrtle, and oil trees in the wilderness. I will set fir trees, pine, and box trees together in the desert;

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 that they may see, know, consider, and understand together, that 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 Produce your cause," says YHWH. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the King of Jacob.

Bring forward your cause, saith Jehovah; Produce your strong reasons, saith the king of Jacob.

22 "Let them come near and declare to us what shall happen. Declare the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or show us things to come.

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 to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, 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 Look, you are of nothing, and your work is of nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination.

Behold, ye are less than nothing, And your work is less than naught; An abomination is he that chooseth you!

25 "I have raised up one from the north, and he has come; from the rising of the sun, one who calls on my name; and he shall come on rulers as on mortar, and as the potter treads clay.

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 it from the beginning, that we may know? And before, that we may say, 'He is right?' Surely, there is no one who declares. Surely, there is no one who shows. Surely, there is no one who hears your words.

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 I am the first to say to Zion, 'Look, look at them;' and I will give one who brings good news to Jerusalem.

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

28 When I look, there is no man; even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask of them, can answer a 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 Look, all of them, their works are vanity and nothing. Their molten images are wind and confusion.

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