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].
| החרישו אלי איים ולאמים יחליפו כח יגשו אז ידברו יחדו למשפט נקרבה |
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.
| מי העיר ממזרח צדק יקראהו לרגלו יתן לפניו גוים ומלכים ירד--יתן כעפר חרבו כקש נדף קשתו |
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.
| ירדפם יעבור שלום ארח ברגליו לא יבוא |
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].”
| מי פעל ועשה קרא הדרות מראש אני יהוה ראשון ואת אחרנים אני הוא |
5 [People who live on] [PRS] islands in the ocean are afraid while they watch. People in remote areas tremble and gather together.
| ראו איים ויראו קצות הארץ יחרדו קרבו ויאתיון |
6 They encourage each other and say to each other, “Be strong!'
| איש את רעהו יעזרו ולאחיו יאמר חזק |
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!
| ויחזק חרש את צרף מחליק פטיש את הולם פעם אמר לדבק טוב הוא ויחזקהו במסמרים לא ימוט |
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.
| ואתה ישראל עבדי יעקב אשר בחרתיך זרע אברהם אהבי |
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.’
| אשר החזקתיך מקצות הארץ ומאציליה קראתיך ואמר לך עבדי אתה בחרתיך ולא מאסתיך |
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.
| אל תירא כי עמך אני אל תשתע כי אני אלהיך אמצתיך אף עזרתיך--אף תמכתיך בימין צדקי |
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.
| הן יבשו ויכלמו כל הנחרים בך יהיו כאין ויאבדו אנשי ריבך |
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].
| תבקשם ולא תמצאם אנשי מצתך יהיו כאין וכאפס אנשי מלחמתך |
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.’
| כי אני יהוה אלהיך--מחזיק ימינך האמר לך אל תירא אני עזרתיך |
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.
| אל תיראי תולעת יעקב מתי ישראל אני עזרתיך נאם יהוה וגאלך קדוש ישראל |
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.
| הנה שמתיך למורג חרוץ חדש--בעל פיפיות תדוש הרים ותדק וגבעות כמץ תשים |
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.
| תזרם ורוח תשאם וסערה תפיץ אותם ואתה תגיל ביהוה בקדוש ישראל תתהלל |
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.
| העניים והאביונים מבקשים מים ואין--לשונם בצמא נשתה אני יהוה אענם אלהי ישראל לא אעזבם |
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.
| אפתח על שפיים נהרות ובתוך בקעות מעינות אשים מדבר לאגם מים וארץ ציה למוצאי מים |
19 I will plant [trees] in the desert— cedar [trees], acacia [trees], myrtle [trees], olive [trees], cypress [trees], fir [trees], and pine [trees].
| אתן במדבר ארז שטה והדס ועץ שמן אשים בערבה ברוש תדהר ותאשור--יחדו |
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.
| למען יראו וידעו וישימו וישכילו יחדו--כי יד יהוה עשתה זאת וקדוש ישראל בראה |
21 [I], Yahweh, the true king of Israel say [to you nations], “Tell what your idols can do for you!
| קרבו ריבכם יאמר יהוה הגישו עצמותיכם יאמר מלך יעקב |
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.
| יגישו ויגידו לנו את אשר תקרינה הראשנות מה הנה הגידו ונשימה לבנו ונדעה אחריתן או הבאות השמיענו |
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!
| הגידו האתיות לאחור ונדעה כי אלהים אתם אף תיטיבו ותרעו ונשתעה ונרא (ונראה) יחדו |
24 But [that is impossible, because] idols are absolutely worthless [HYP]; they can do nothing, and I detest those who decide [to worship] idols.”
| הן אתם מאין ופעלכם מאפע תועבה יבחר בכם |
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.
| העירותי מצפון ויאת ממזרח שמש יקרא בשמי ויבא סגנים כמו חמר וכמו יוצר ירמס טיט |
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.
| מי הגיד מראש ונדעה ומלפנים ונאמר צדיק אף אין מגיד אף אין משמיע--אף אין שמע אמריכם |
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!’
| ראשון לציון הנה הנם ולירושלם מבשר אתן |
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.
| וארא ואין איש ומאלה ואין יועץ ואשאלם וישיבו דבר |
29 Think about it: Those idols are all useless, worthless [DOU] things. They are [as meaningless as] [MET] the wind.”
| הן כלם און אפס מעשיהם רוח ותהו נסכיהם |
