Isaiah 41
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.
2Who 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.
3He pursues them
and passes by safely,
even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.
4Who has worked and done it,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, Yahweh, the first, and with the last, I am he.”
5The islands have seen, and fear.
The ends of the earth tremble.
They approach, and come.
6Everyone helps his neighbor.
They say to their brothers, “Be strong!”
7So 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.
8“But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham my friend,
9you 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.’
10Don’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.
11Behold, all those who are incensed against you will be disappointed and confounded.
Those who strive with you will be like nothing, and shall perish.
12You 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.
13For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand,
saying to you, ‘Don’t be afraid.
I will help you.’
14Don’t be afraid, you worm Jacob,
and you men of Israel.
I will help you,” says Yahweh.
“Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15Behold, 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.
16You will winnow them,
and the wind will carry them away,
and the whirlwind will scatter them.
You will rejoice in Yahweh.
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17The poor and needy seek water, and there is none.
Their tongue fails for thirst.
I, Yahweh, will answer them.
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18I 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.
19I will put cedar, acacia, myrtle, and oil trees in the wilderness.
I will set cypress trees, pine, and box trees together in the desert;
20that they may see, know, consider, and understand together,
that Yahweh’s hand has done this,
and the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21Produce your cause,” says Yahweh.
“Bring out your strong reasons!” says 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.
23Declare 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.
24Behold, you are nothing,
and your work is nothing.
He who chooses you is an abomination.
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.
26Who 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.
27I am the first to say to Zion, ‘Behold, look at them;’
and I will give one who brings good news to Jerusalem.
28When I look, there is no man,
even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask, can answer a word.
29Behold, all of their deeds are vanity and nothing.
Their molten images are wind and confusion.
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Isaiah 41: WEBUS
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Isaiah 41
41
The Lord versus the Nations’ Gods
1“Be silent before me, coasts and islands!#Is 11:11; Hab 2:20; Zch 2:13
And let peoples renew their strength.
Let them approach; let them testify;
let’s come together for the trial.
2Who has stirred up someone from the east?#Is 41:25; 45:1–3; 46:11; Rv 16:12
In righteousness he calls him to serve.#41:2 Or Righteousness calls him to serve#41:2 Lit to his foot#Is 42:6
The Lord hands nations over to him,#2Ch 36:23; Ezr 1:2
and he subdues kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like wind-driven stubble with his bow.
3He pursues them, going on safely,
hardly touching the path with his feet.
4Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I am the Lord, the first
and with the last#Is 43:10; 44:6; Rv 1:8,17; 22:13 — I am he.”#Is 43:13; 46:4; 48:12
5The coasts and islands see and are afraid,
the whole earth trembles.#Ps 67:7
They approach and arrive.
6Each one helps the other,
and says to another, “Take courage!”
7The craftsman encourages the metalworker;#Is 40:19
the one who flattens with the hammer
encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good.”
He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.#Is 40:20; 46:7
8But you, Israel, my servant,#Is 42:19; 43:10; 44:1–2,21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3; 54:17; Ezk 28:25; 37:25; Lk 1:54
Jacob, whom I have chosen,#Is 42:1; 43:10,20; 44:1–2; 45:4; 49:7; 65:9,15,22
descendant of Abraham, my friend#2Ch 20:7; Jms 2:23 —
9I brought#41:9 Or seized you from the ends of the earth
and called you from its farthest corners.
I said to you: You are my servant;
I have chosen you; I haven’t rejected you.#Is 43:5–7
10Do not fear, for I am with you;#Gn 26:24; 28:15; Is 43:5; Jr 1:19; 15:20; 42:11
do not be afraid, for I am your God.#Ezk 34:31
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.#Ex 15:6,12; Ps 18:35; 48:10; 63:8; 138:7; 139:10
11Be sure that all who are enraged against you
will be ashamed and disgraced;#Is 45:24
those who contend with you
will become as nothing and will perish.
12You will look for those who contend with you,
but you will not find them.
Those who war against you
will become absolutely nothing.
13For I am the Lord your God,#Is 43:3
who holds your right hand,
who says to you, “Do not fear,
I will help you.
14Do not fear, you worm Jacob,#Jb 25:6; Ps 22:6
you men#41:14 LXX reads small number; DSS read dead ones of Israel.
I will help you” —
this is the Lord’s declaration.
Your Redeemer#Is 43:14; 44:6,24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7,26; 54:5,8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16 is the Holy One of Israel.#Is 1:4
15See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board,
new, with many teeth.
You will thresh mountains and pulverize them
and make hills into chaff.#Mc 4:13; Hab 3:12
16You will winnow them#Jr 51:2
and a wind will carry them away,
a whirlwind will scatter them.
But you will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I will answer them.#Is 43:20; 44:3; 49:10; 55:1
I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them.
18I will open rivers on the barren heights,#Is 30:25
and springs in the middle of the plains.
I will turn the desert into a pool
and dry land into springs.#Ps 107:35; Is 35:6–7; 43:19
19I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees
in the wilderness.#Is 35:1; 55:13; 60:13
I will put juniper, elm, and cypress trees together
in the desert,
20so that all may see and know,
consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,#Jb 12:9; Is 66:14
the Holy One of Israel has created#Is 4:5 it.
21“Submit your case,” says the Lord.
“Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22“Let them come and tell us
what will happen.#Is 44:7–8; 45:21; 46:10
Tell us the past events,
so that we may reflect on them
and know the outcome,
or tell us the future.
23Tell us the coming events,#Is 42:9; 45:3; Jn 13:19
then we will know that you are gods.
Indeed, do something good or bad,
then we will be in awe#41:23 DSS read we may hear when we see it.
24Look, you are nothing#Ps 115:8; Is 44:9; 1Co 8:4
and your work is worthless.
Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
25“I have stirred up one from the north,#Jr 50:3 and he has come,
one from the east#Is 41:2; 46:11 who invokes my#41:25 DSS read his name.#Ezr 1:2–4
He will march over rulers as if they were mud,
like a potter who treads the clay.
26Who told about this from the beginning,
so that we might know,
and from times past,
so that we might say, ‘He is right’?
No one announced it,
no one told it,
no one heard your words.
27I was the first to say to Zion,#41:27 Lit First to Zion
‘Look! Here they are!’
And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news.#Is 40:9; 44:28; 52:7; Nah 1:15
28When I look, there is no one;
there is no counselor among them;
when I ask them, they have nothing to say.#Is 46:7
29Look, all of them are a delusion;#41:29 DSS, Syr read are nothing
their works are nonexistent;
their images are wind and emptiness.
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