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 before me, O islands; and let nations acquire new strength: let them approach, then let them speak, together let us come near to judgment.

2 Who has raised up one from the east? Who called him to his feet 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 waked up from the east the man whom righteousness met in his steps? he giveth up nations before him, and maketh him rule over kings; that his sword may render them as the dust, as driven stubble, his bow.

3 He pursues them and passes by safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.

He pursueth them, passeth along in safety, by a path which his feet have not gone over before.

4 Who has worked and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last, I am he.”

Who hath wrought and done it? he who called the generations from the beginning; I the Lord, [who am] the first, and with the latest I am the same.

5 The islands have seen, and fear. The ends of the earth tremble. They approach, and come.

The isles saw it, and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they draw near, and come.

6 Everyone helps his neighbor. They say to their brothers, “Be strong!”

They help one another; and each one saith to his brother, Be strong!

7 So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith. He who smooths 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.

So the smith encouraged the melter, he that smootheth with the hammer him that striketh on the anvil; saying of the solder, It is good; and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

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

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

9 you whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from its corners, and said to you, ‘You are my servant. I have chosen you and have not cast you away.’

Thou, whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the midst of its chiefs, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

10 Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t 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 thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee, yea, I uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, 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, ashamed and confounded shall be all that were incensed against thee; they shall be as naught and perish—the men that strive with thee.

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 nonexistent thing.

Thou wilt seek them, and shalt not find them, the men that contend with thee; they shall be as naught and as nothing, the men that make war against thee.

13 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’

For I the Lord thy God lay hold of thy right hand; [I am he] who saith unto thee, Fear not, I help thee.

14 Don’t be afraid, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel. I will help you,” says the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, ye few men of Israel: I myself help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 Behold, 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 have rendered thee a threshing instrument, sharp, new, having many teeth: thou shalt thresh mountains, and beat them small, and shalt render 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 the LORD. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Thou shalt scatter them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the storm shall disperse them; but thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, in the Holy One of Israel shalt thou glorify thyself.

17 The poor and needy seek water, and there is none. Their tongue fails for thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue is dried up with thirst: I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

18 I will open rivers on the bare heights, and springs in the middle of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

I will open on naked mountain-peaks rivers, and in the midst of valleys fountains; I will change the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into springs of water.

19 I will put cedar, acacia, myrtle, and oil trees in the wilderness. I will set cypress trees, pine, and box trees together in the desert;

I will place in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, 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, know, consider, and understand together, that the LORD’s hand has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

In order that they may see, and know and take [it to heart], and comprehend together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21 Produce your cause,” says the LORD. “Bring out your strong reasons!” says the King of Jacob.

Produce your cause, saith the Lord: bring forward your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

22 “Let them announce and declare to us what will 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 bring them forward and tell us what shall happen: the former things—what are they?—tell us, that we may take it to heart, and know the result of them; or let us hear the 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.

Tell the events that are to happen hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be astonished, and see it together.

24 Behold, you are nothing, and your work is nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination.

Behold, ye are less than nothing, and your work less than a breath: [he that is] an abomination [alone] 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 waked up one from the north, and he cometh; from the rising of the sun one who will call on my name: and he shall [over-]come princes as mortar, and 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 told it from the beginning, that we may know it? and aforetimes, that we may say, “it is right?” but indeed there is none that telleth, indeed there is none that letteth us hear, indeed there is none that heareth your words.

27 I am the first to say to Zion, ‘Behold, look at them;’ and I will give one who brings good news to Jerusalem.

The first [was I to say] to Zion, Behold, there they are; and to Jerusalem will I give one that bringeth good tidings.

28 When I look, there is no man, even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask, can answer a word.

And I ever look, and there is no man; and among these there is no counsellor, that they could answer a word.

29 Behold, all of their deeds are vanity and nothing. Their molten images are wind and confusion.

Behold, they all are naught; their works are nothing: wind and vanity are their molten images.