Isaiah 41
41
God’s Help to Israel
1“Be silent before Me, O islands,#41:1 Or coastlands; also in verse 5
and let the peoples renew their strength.
Let them come forward and testify;
let us together draw near for judgment.
2Who has aroused one from the east
and called him to his feet in righteousness #41:2 Or from the east, whom victory meets at every step?
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to windblown chaff with his bow.
3He pursues them, going on safely,
hardly touching the path with his feet.
4Who has performed this and carried it out,
calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord—the first and the last—
I am He.”
5The islands see and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward.
6Each one helps the other
and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
and he who wields the hammer
cheers him who strikes the anvil,
saying of the welding, “It is good.”
He nails it down so it will not be toppled.
8“But you, O Israel, My servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
descendant of Abraham My friend—
9I brought you from the ends of the earth
and called you from its farthest corners.
I said, ‘You are My servant.’
I have chosen and not rejected you.
10Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will surely help you;
I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
11Behold, all who rage against you
will be ashamed and disgraced;
those who contend with you
will be reduced to nothing and will perish.
12You will seek them but will not find them.
Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.
13For I am the Lord your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and tells you: Do not fear,
I will help you.
14Do not fear, O worm of Jacob,
O few men of Israel.
I will help you,” declares the Lord.
“Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge,
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.
16You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away;
a gale will scatter them.
But you will rejoice in the Lord;
you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17The poor and needy seek water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18I will open rivers on the barren heights,
and fountains in the middle of the valleys.
I will turn the desert into a pool of water,
and the dry land into flowing springs.
19I will plant cedars in the wilderness,
acacias, myrtles, and olive trees.
I will set cypresses #41:19 Or pines or junipers or firs in the desert,
elms and boxwood together,
20so that all may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this
and the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
Meaningless Idols
21“Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Submit your arguments,” says the King of Jacob.
22“Let them come and tell us what will happen.
Tell the former things,
so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming.
23Tell us the things that are to come,
so that we may know that you are gods.
Yes, do something good or evil,
that we may look on together in dismay.
24Behold, you are nothing
and your work is of no value.
Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
25I have raised up one from the north, and he has come—
one from the east who calls on My name.
He will march over rulers as if they were mortar,
like a potter who treads the clay.
26Who has declared this from the beginning,
so that we may know,
and from times past,
so that we may say: ‘He was right’?
No one announced it, no one foretold it,
no one heard your words.
27I was the first to tell Zion:#41:27 Or Formerly I said to Zion:
‘Look, here they are!’
And I gave to Jerusalem
a herald of good news.
28When I look, there is no one;
there is no counselor among them;
when I ask them,
they have nothing to say.
29See, they are all a delusion;
their works amount to nothing;
their images are as empty as the wind.
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Isaiah 41: BSB
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
Isaiah 41
41
God’s Help for Israel
1“Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea.
Bring your strongest arguments.
Come now and speak.
The court is ready for your case.
2“Who has stirred up this king from the east,
rightly calling him to God’s service?
Who gives this man victory over many nations
and permits him to trample their kings underfoot?
With his sword, he reduces armies to dust.
With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.
3He chases them away and goes on safely,
though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.
4Who has done such mighty deeds,
summoning each new generation from the beginning of time?
It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last.
I alone am he.”
5The lands beyond the sea watch in fear.
Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.
6The idol makers encourage one another,
saying to each other, “Be strong!”
7The carver encourages the goldsmith,
and the molder helps at the anvil.
“Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.”
Carefully they join the parts together,
then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.
8“But as for you, Israel my servant,
Jacob my chosen one,
descended from Abraham my friend,
9I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
and will not throw you away.
10Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
11“See, all your angry enemies lie there,
confused and humiliated.
Anyone who opposes you will die
and come to nothing.
12You will look in vain
for those who tried to conquer you.
Those who attack you
will come to nothing.
13For I hold you by your right hand—
I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
14Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob,
don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you.
I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’
15You will be a new threshing instrument
with many sharp teeth.
You will tear your enemies apart,
making chaff of mountains.
16You will toss them into the air,
and the wind will blow them all away;
a whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in the Lord.
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none,
and their tongues are parched from thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer them.
I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.
18I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.
I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.
I will fill the desert with pools of water.
Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.
19I will plant trees in the barren desert—
cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.
20I am doing this so all who see this miracle
will understand what it means—
that it is the Lord who has done this,
the Holy One of Israel who created it.
21“Present the case for your idols,”
says the Lord.
“Let them show what they can do,”
says the King of Israel.#41:21 Hebrew the King of Jacob. See note on 14:1.
22“Let them try to tell us what happened long ago
so that we may consider the evidence.
Or let them tell us what the future holds,
so we can know what’s going to happen.
23Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead.
Then we will know you are gods.
In fact, do anything—good or bad!
Do something that will amaze and frighten us.
24But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all.
Those who choose you pollute themselves.
25“But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north.
From the east he will call on my name.
I will give him victory over kings and princes.
He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.
26“Who told you from the beginning
that this would happen?
Who predicted this,
making you admit that he was right?
No one said a word!
27I was the first to tell Zion,
‘Look! Help is on the way!’#41:27 Or ‘Look! They are coming home.’
I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.
28Not one of your idols told you this.
Not one gave any answer when I asked.
29See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
All your idols are as empty as the wind.
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