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
Israel Encouraged
1“Listen to Me in silence, you coastlands,
And let the peoples gain new strength;
Let them come forward, then let them speak;
Let’s come together for judgment.
2“Who has stirred one from the east
Whom He calls in righteousness to His #41:2 Lit footfeet?
He turns nations over to him
And subdues kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
Like the wind-driven chaff with his bow.
3“He pursues them, passing on in safety,
By a way he had not been #41:3 Lit goingtraversing with his feet.
4“Who has performed and accomplished it,
Summoning the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’ ”
5¶The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
The ends of the earth tremble;
They have approached and have come.
6Each one helps his neighbor
And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7So the craftsman encourages the smelter,
And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
And he fastens it with nails,
So that it will not totter.
8“But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of Abraham My friend,
9You whom I have #41:9 Lit seizedtaken from the ends of the earth
And called from its remotest parts,
And said to you, ‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11“Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12“You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
14“Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you people of Israel;
I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your #41:14 Or Redeemer, the Holy OneRedeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15“Behold, I turned you into a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges;
You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them,
And make the hills like chaff.
16“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will rejoice in the Lord,
You will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17¶“The poor and needy are seeking water, but there is none,
And their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, will answer them Myself;
As the God of Israel I will not abandon them.
18“I will open rivers on the bare heights,
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land fountains of water.
19“I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia, the myrtle, and the olive tree;
I will place the juniper in the desert,
Together with the elm tree and the cypress,
20So that they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21¶“#41:21 Lit Bring nearPresent your case,” the Lord says.
“Bring forward your evidence,”
The King of Jacob says.
22Let them bring them forward and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the former events, declare what they were,
So that we may consider them and know their outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming;
23Declare the things that are going to come afterward,
So that we may know that you are gods;
Indeed, do good or evil, that we may be afraid and fear together.
24Behold, you are less than nothing,
And your work is less than nothing!
He who chooses you is an abomination.
25¶“I have put one from the north into motion, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon rulers as upon #41:25 I.e., the building materialmortar,
As the potter treads on clay.”
26Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”?
There was no one at all who declared,
There was no one at all who proclaimed,
There was no one at all who heard your words.
27“Previously I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’
28“But when I look, there is no one,
And there is no counselor #41:28 Lit out of thoseamong them
Who, if I ask, can give an answer.
29“Behold, all of them are #41:29 Another reading is nothingfalse;
Their works are nothing,
Their cast metal images are wind and emptiness.
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