Isaiah 41

1 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.

Keep silence before me, O isles; and let the people renew [their] strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

2 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?

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

He pursued them, [and] passed safely; [even] by the way [that] he had not gone with his feet.

4 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.

Who hath wrought and done [it], calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I [am] he.

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

The isles saw [it], and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

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

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

7 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.

So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, [and] he that smootheth [with] the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It [is] ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, [that] it should not be moved.

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

But thou, Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

9 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!”

[Thou] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said to thee, Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

10 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!

Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yes, I will help thee; yes, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, all who are enraged against thee Shall be ashamed and confounded; All that contend with thee Shall come to nothing and perish.

Behold, all [they that were] incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that contend with thee shall perish.

12 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.

Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught.

13 For I, Jehovah, am thy God, that holdeth thee by the right hand, That saith to thee, “Fear not, I am thy helper!”

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying to thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, thou feeble people of Israel! I am thy helper, saith Jehovah; Thy redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15 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.

Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat [them] small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

16 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.

Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, [and] shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 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.

[When] the poor and needy seek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, [I] the God of Israel will not forsake them.

18 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.

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 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.

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, the pine, and the box-tree together:

20 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.

That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

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

Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong [reasons], saith the King of Jacob.

22 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!

Let them bring [them] forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they [are] that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come.

23 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!

Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye [are] gods: yes, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold [it] together.

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

Behold, ye [are] of nothing, and your work of naught: an abomination [is he that] chooseth you.

25 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.

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 treadeth clay.

26 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.

Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and before time, that we may say, [He is] righteous? verily, [there is] none that showeth, verily, [there is] none that declareth, verily, [there is] none that heareth your words.

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

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

28 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;

For I beheld, and [there was] no man; even among them, and [there was] no counselor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

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

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