Isaiah 41
1 [Yahweh says], “You [people who live on] [APO] islands in the ocean, be silent in front of me [while I ask you some questions]! Then you can be courageous and talk to me. We will meet together and decide [which one of us is right].
ἐγκαινίζεσθε πρός με νῆσοι οἱ γὰρ ἄρχοντες ἀλλάξουσιν ἰσχύν ἐγγισάτωσαν καὶ λαλησάτωσαν ἅμα τότε κρίσιν ἀναγγειλάτωσαν
2 Who has urged this king to come from the east? Who has enabled his [army] to righteously defeat many nations and to trample their kings under their feet? With their swords they cut [their enemies] into tiny pieces [HYP]; with their arrows they cause their enemies to scatter like [SIM] the wind scatters chaff.
τίς ἐξήγειρεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν δικαιοσύνην ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν κατὰ πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ πορεύσεται δώσει ἐναντίον ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐκστήσει καὶ δώσει εἰς γῆν τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν καὶ ὡς φρύγανα ἐξωσμένα τὰ τόξα αὐτῶν
3 Even though they march through areas where they have not gone previously, they pursue [their enemies] and continue to march, and nothing stops them.
καὶ διώξεται αὐτοὺς καὶ διελεύσεται ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ
4 Who has enabled rulers to do [DOU] mighty things like that? Who has done that throughout all generations? It is I, Yahweh; I was the first [one to do things like that], and I will be the last one [to do them].”
τίς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐποίησεν ταῦτα ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὴν ὁ καλῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ γενεῶν ἀρχῆς ἐγὼ θεὸς πρῶτος καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐγώ εἰμι
5 [People who live on] [PRS] islands in the ocean are afraid while they watch. People in remote areas tremble and gather together.
εἴδοσαν ἔθνη καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς ἤγγισαν καὶ ἤλθοσαν ἅμα
6 They encourage each other and say to each other, “Be strong!'
κρίνων ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ βοηθῆσαι καὶ ἐρεῖ
7 The craftsmen encourage those who make things from gold, and the men who flatten metal encourage those who hammer metal (on an anvil/into shape). They all say, “The idol has been well made!” And then they carefully nail down the idol in order that it will not topple over!
ἴσχυσεν ἀνὴρ τέκτων καὶ χαλκεὺς τύπτων σφύρῃ ἅμα ἐλαύνων ποτὲ μὲν ἐρεῖ σύμβλημα καλόν ἐστιν ἰσχύρωσαν αὐτὰ ἐν ἥλοις θήσουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ οὐ κινηθήσονται
8 [Yahweh says], “[You people of] Israel [are like] my servants; you are [descendants of] Jacob, whom I chose; [you are] descendants of Abraham, who [I said is] my friend.
σὺ δέ Ισραηλ παῖς μου Ιακωβ ὃν ἐξελεξάμην σπέρμα Αβρααμ ὃν ἠγάπησα
9 I summoned you from very distant places [DOU] on the earth, and I said ‘I [want you to] serve me; I have chosen you, and I will not reject you.’
οὗ ἀντελαβόμην ἀπ’ ἄκρων τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκ τῶν σκοπιῶν αὐτῆς ἐκάλεσά σε καὶ εἶπά σοι παῖς μου εἶ ἐξελεξάμην σε καὶ οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπόν σε
10 Do not be afraid, because I will (be with/help) you. Do not be discouraged, because I am your God. I will enable you to be strong, and I will help you; I will hold you up with my powerful arm by which you will be rescued.
μὴ φοβοῦ μετὰ σοῦ γάρ εἰμι μὴ πλανῶ ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ὁ θεός σου ὁ ἐνισχύσας σε καὶ ἐβοήθησά σοι καὶ ἠσφαλισάμην σε τῇ δεξιᾷ τῇ δικαίᾳ μου
11 It is certain that all those who are angry with you [Israeli people] will be disgraced [DOU]. Those who oppose you will be wiped out; they will all die.
ἰδοὺ αἰσχυνθήσονται καὶ ἐντραπήσονται πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοί σοι ἔσονται γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ὄντες καὶ ἀπολοῦνται πάντες οἱ ἀντίδικοί σου
12 If you search for those who tried to conquer you, you will not find them, [because they will all have disappeared]. Those who attacked you will not exist [any more].
ζητήσεις αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἳ παροινήσουσιν εἰς σέ ἔσονται γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ὄντες καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται οἱ ἀντιπολεμοῦντές σε
13 [It will be as though] I will hold you up by your right hand. I am Yahweh, your God, and I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid, [because] I will help you.’
ὅτι ἐγὼ ὁ θεός σου ὁ κρατῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς σου ὁ λέγων σοι μὴ φοβοῦ
14 Although you people of Israel [DOU] [think that you are as insignificant as] worms, do not be afraid [of your enemies], because I will help you. I am Yahweh, the one who rescues you; I am the Holy One of Israel.
Ιακωβ ὀλιγοστὸς Ισραηλ ἐγὼ ἐβοήθησά σοι λέγει ὁ θεὸς ὁ λυτρούμενός σε Ισραηλ
15 [I will cause] you to be like [MET] a (threshing sledge/big piece of metal that has sharp teeth for separating grain from chaff). You will tear [your enemies to bits], causing them to be like bits of chaff on the mountains.
ἰδοὺ ἐποίησά σε ὡς τροχοὺς ἁμάξης ἀλοῶντας καινοὺς πριστηροειδεῖς καὶ ἀλοήσεις ὄρη καὶ λεπτυνεῖς βουνοὺς καὶ ὡς χνοῦν θήσεις
16 You will toss them up into the air, and a strong wind will blow them away [DOU]. [When that happens], you will rejoice about what I [have done for you]; you will praise me, the Holy One of Israel.
καὶ λικμήσεις καὶ ἄνεμος λήμψεται αὐτούς καὶ καταιγὶς διασπερεῖ αὐτούς σὺ δὲ εὐφρανθήσῃ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις Ισραηλ καὶ ἀγαλλιάσονται
17 When poor and needy people need water and they have no water, and their tongues are very dry because they are very thirsty, I, Yahweh, will come and help them. I, the God to whom you Israeli people belong, will never abandon them.
οἱ πτωχοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐνδεεῖς ζητήσουσιν γὰρ ὕδωρ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς δίψης ἐξηράνθη ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός ἐγὼ ἐπακούσομαι ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψω αὐτούς
18 I will cause rivers to flow for them on the barren hills. I will give them fountains in the valleys. I will fill [HYP] the desert with pools of water. Water from springs will flow into rivers, and the rivers will flow across the dry ground.
ἀλλὰ ἀνοίξω ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ποταμοὺς καὶ ἐν μέσῳ πεδίων πηγάς ποιήσω τὴν ἔρημον εἰς ἕλη καὶ τὴν διψῶσαν γῆν ἐν ὑδραγωγοῖς
19 I will plant [trees] in the desert— cedar [trees], acacia [trees], myrtle [trees], olive [trees], cypress [trees], fir [trees], and pine [trees].
θήσω εἰς τὴν ἄνυδρον γῆν κέδρον καὶ πύξον καὶ μυρσίνην καὶ κυπάρισσον καὶ λεύκην
20 [I will do that] in order that people who see it will think about it, and they will know and understand [DOU] that it is [I], Yahweh, who have done it; it is what [I], the Holy One of Israel, have done.
ἵνα ἴδωσιν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ ἐννοηθῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστῶνται ἅμα ὅτι χεὶρ κυρίου ἐποίησεν ταῦτα πάντα καὶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ισραηλ κατέδειξεν
21 [I], Yahweh, the true king of Israel say [to you nations], “Tell what your idols can do for you!
ἐγγίζει ἡ κρίσις ὑμῶν λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός ἤγγισαν αἱ βουλαὶ ὑμῶν λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς Ιακωβ
22 Bring them here to tell us what is going to happen! Ask them to tell us what things happened long ago, in order that we may think about those things, and learn if those things that they predicted really happened. Or, ask them to tell us about the future, in order that we can know what will happen.
ἐγγισάτωσαν καὶ ἀναγγειλάτωσαν ὑμῖν ἃ συμβήσεται ἢ τὰ πρότερα τίνα ἦν εἴπατε καὶ ἐπιστήσομεν τὸν νοῦν καὶ γνωσόμεθα τί τὰ ἔσχατα καὶ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα εἴπατε ἡμῖν
23 [Yes], those idols should tell us what will happen in the future. If they do that, we will know that they are really gods. Tell them to do something—either something good or something bad! Tell them to do something that will cause us to be amazed and afraid!
ἀναγγείλατε ἡμῖν τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐπ’ ἐσχάτου καὶ γνωσόμεθα ὅτι θεοί ἐστε εὖ ποιήσατε καὶ κακώσατε καὶ θαυμασόμεθα καὶ ὀψόμεθα ἅμα
24 But [that is impossible, because] idols are absolutely worthless [HYP]; they can do nothing, and I detest those who decide [to worship] idols.”
ὅτι πόθεν ἐστὲ ὑμεῖς καὶ πόθεν ἡ ἐργασία ὑμῶν ἐκ γῆς βδέλυγμα ἐξελέξαντο ὑμᾶς
25 “[But] I have incited/urged a ruler who will come [with his army] from the north. I have summoned him to come from [his country, which is] east [of Israel], and I have given him my authority [MTY]. I will [enable his army to conquer other rulers]; they will trample those leaders like [SIM] a man who makes clay pots first tramples the clay.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἤγειρα τὸν ἀπὸ βορρᾶ καὶ τὸν ἀφ’ ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν κληθήσονται τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐρχέσθωσαν ἄρχοντες καὶ ὡς πηλὸς κεραμέως καὶ ὡς κεραμεὺς καταπατῶν τὸν πηλόν οὕτως καταπατηθήσεσθε
26 (Who told you people long ago that this would happen?/No one told you people long ago that this would happen!) [RHQ] (Who predicted it, with the result that we can say, ‘What he predicted was correct!’?/No one predicted it, with the result that we can say, ‘What he predicted was correct!’) [RHQ] No one else said that it would happen.
τίς γὰρ ἀναγγελεῖ τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἵνα γνῶμεν καὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐροῦμεν ὅτι ἀληθῆ ἐστιν οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ προλέγων οὐδὲ ὁ ἀκούων ὑμῶν τοὺς λόγους
27 I was the first one to tell [the people of] Jerusalem, ‘Listen to this! I have appointed a messenger to tell good news to you!’
ἀρχὴν Σιων δώσω καὶ Ιερουσαλημ παρακαλέσω εἰς ὁδόν
28 None of your idols told you that [DOU]. And when I asked them questions, none of them was able to give me any answers.
ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἰδοὺ οὐδείς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἀναγγέλλων καὶ ἐὰν ἐρωτήσω αὐτούς πόθεν ἐστέ οὐ μὴ ἀποκριθῶσίν μοι
29 Think about it: Those idols are all useless, worthless [DOU] things. They are [as meaningless as] [MET] the wind.”
εἰσὶν γὰρ οἱ ποιοῦντες ὑμᾶς καὶ μάτην οἱ πλανῶντες ὑμᾶς
