Isaiah 41
41
1Listen to me in silence, you people who live in lands beyond the sea. Let the nations regain their strength. Then let them come and speak, and let us join together for judgment.#41:1. From what follows, and the context of previous verses, this chapter appears to be a call to decide between the true God and idols.
2Who has encouraged this one from the east who is called into God's service#41:2. “Into God's service”: literally, “to his feet.” to do what is right?#41:2. The prophecy is usually taken to refer to King Cyrus. He gives him nations, and helps him trample kings underfoot. He makes them like dust with his sword, and turns them into chaff with his bow, blown before him on the wind. 3He chases them down, and goes on unharmed, not following the usual routes. 4Who has achieved and done this, calling into existence each generation from the beginning of time? I, the Lord, the first and the last, I am the one.
5The islands watch in fear, the distant lands tremble. They get together and consult. 6They all help each other, encouraging one another to “Be strong!” 7The craftsman encourages the goldsmith; the one who beats out the metal with a hammer encourages the one hitting the anvil, saying the soldering is good. They nail the idol down so it won't fall over.
8But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, the ones I have chosen, descendants of my friend Abraham, 9I brought you back from distant lands, I called you back from faraway places, telling you, “You are my servants.” I have chosen you, and I have not abandoned you. 10Don't be afraid, for I am with you! Don't be frightened for I, your God, will make you strong, and I will certainly help you. I will support you with my strong hand, acting for what is right.
11See—everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who fight against you will end up as nothing and die. 12Even though you look for your enemies, you won't find them. Those who attack you will become absolutely nothing. 13For I the Lord will grab you by the hand and tell you, “Don't be afraid! I myself will help you. 14Don't be frightened, Jacob, you little worm, you people of Israel, for I will help you,” declared the Lord your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. 15Look! I will make you into a new and sharp threshing device,#41:15. “Threshing device”: used for processing grain. with many pointed teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush the hills, turning them into chaff. 16You will throw them into the air, the wind will carry them away, and a storm will scatter them. Then you will be happy in the Lord, and boast about the Holy One of Israel.
17The poor and needy search for water, but don't find any—their tongues are dry with thirst. I, the Lord, will respond to them; I, the God of Israel, won't abandon them. 18I will open up rivers in the desolate highlands and springs in the valleys. I will make pools in the wilderness and springs in the desert. 19I will plant cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees in the desert. I will place evergreens in the desert, firs and box trees together. 20In this way everyone can see and know, they can think about it and draw the conclusion that it is the Lord who has done this, that the Holy One of Israel made it happen.
21“Now you submit your case,”#41:21. Regarding the abilities of idols in contrast to the evidence of the actions of God already mentioned says the Lord. “Present your evidence,” says the King of Jacob. 22“Let them#41:22. Referring to the idols, the false gods. come and tell us what's about to happen. Let them explain the things of the past, so that we can think about them and discover the final outcome. Or they can tell us about the future. 23Predict what's coming so we can know for sure that you are gods. At least do something, good or bad, to impress us when we see it. 24But look at you! You're nothing, and you can't do anything! Anyone who chooses you is disgusting!
25I have encouraged the one who comes from the north. He is from the east,#41:25. If this prophecy is taken to refer to Cyrus (see verse 2), then he comes from the east (literally “the rising sun”), but his entrance into Palestine would be from the north. and will respect me.#41:25. “Respect me”: literally, “call on my name,” often associated with the idea of worship. He will tread on rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter treading on clay.#41:25. Both mortar and clay were mixed using the feet.
26Who announced this beforehand so that we could know about it? Who let us know in the past, so that now we could say: ‘He was right’? None of you announced it, none of you predicted it, and nobody heard you say a word!#41:26. Referring to the inability of idols to predict the future. 27I was the first to announce to Zion: ‘Look, here they are!’ I was the one who brought to Jerusalem the good news. 28I look at these idols, and find there is no one who can say anything.#41:28. Expanded for clarity. None of them can give advice; when I ask them something, they can't even answer. 29Look at them! They're all evil, deceptive things. They can't do anything! They're just idols full of hot air!#41:29. “Hot air”: literally, “wind and emptiness.””
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 41
41
Isaiah 41
1¶ Listen unto me, O islands; and let the peoples strengthen themselves; let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment.
2Who raised up righteousness from the east, called him that he might follow him, gave the Gentiles before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow.
3He pursued them and passed in peace by the way that his feet had never entered.
4Who has wrought and done it? Who calls the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and I, myself am with those who are last.
5The isles saw it and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid; they congregated and came.
6Each one helped his neighbour; and each one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smooths with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is well joined and he strengthened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
8But thou, Israel, my slave, Jacob whom I have chosen, art the seed of Abraham my friend.
9For I have taken thee from the ends of the earth and called thee from the boundaries thereof and said unto thee Thou shalt be my slave; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10¶ Do not fear for I am with thee; do not be dismayed, for I am thy God, who strengthens thee; I will help thee always; I will always uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11Behold, all those that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing; and those that strive with thee shall perish.
12Thou shalt seek them and shalt not find them, even those that contended with thee; those that war against thee shall be as nothing and as a thing of nought.
13For I am the Lord thy God that holds thy right hand saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, ye dead of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15Behold, I have placed thee as a threshing instrument, as a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; but thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17The poor and needy seek the waters that are not; their tongue fails for thirst; I the Lord will hear them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the plains; I will turn the wilderness into pools of water and the dry land into springs of water.
19I will bring forth in the wilderness cedars, thorns, myrtles, and olive trees; I will set in the desert the fir tree and the pine and the box tree together:
20That they may see and know and take warning and understand together that the hand of the Lord does this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21¶ Explain your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your foundations, saith the King of Jacob.
22Let them bring forth and declare unto us what shall happen; tell us what has happened from the beginning, and we shall consider it in our hearts; and we shall know what his end shall be, and cause us to understand that which is to come.
23Give us news of that which is to come hereafter that we may know that ye are gods; or at least do good or do evil that we may have something to tell, and together we shall marvel.
24Behold, ye are of nothing and your works of vanity; an abomination is he that chooses you.
25I have raised up one from the north, and he came from the rising of the sun; he called in my name and came unto princes as upon clay and as the potter treads clay.
26Who has declared from the beginning, that we shall know? and beforetime that we shall say, He is righteous? yea, there is no one that declares this, yea, there is no one that teaches, yea, there is no one that hears your words.
27I am the first that has taught these things unto Zion, and unto Jerusalem I brought the news.
28For I beheld, and there was no one; and I asked regarding these things, and there was no counsellor; I asked them, and they did not answer a word.
29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International