Isaias (Isaiah) 41
41
1LET the islands keep silence before me, and the nations take new strength. Let them come near, and then speak: let us come near to judgment together.
2Who hath raised up the just one from the east, hath called him to follow him? He shall give the nations in his sight, and he shall rule over kings: he shall give them as the dust to his sword, as stubble driven by the wind, to his bow.
3He shall pursue them, he shall pass in peace: no path shall appear after his feet.
4Who hath wrought and done these things, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord. I am the first and the last.
5The islands saw it, and feared: the ends of the earth were astonished; they drew near, and came.
6Every one shall help his neighbour, and shall say to his brother: Be of good courage.
7The coppersmith striking with the hammer encouraged him that forged at that time, saying: It is ready for soldering. And he strengthened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
8But thou Israel art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend:
9In whom I have taken thee from the ends of the earth, and from the remote parts thereof have called thee, and said to thee: Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and have not cast thee away.
10Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am thy God. I have strengthened thee and have helped thee: and the right hand of my just one hath upheld thee.
11Behold, all that fight against thee shall be confounded and ashamed: they shall be as nothing; and the men shall perish that strive against thee.
12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find the men that resist thee. They shall be as nothing: and as a thing consumed the men that war against thee.
13For I am the Lord thy God, who take thee by the hand, and say to thee: Fear not. I have helped thee.
14Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, you that are dead of Israel. I have helped thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel.
15I have made thee as a new thrashing wain, with teeth like a saw. Thou shall thrash the mountains, and break them in pieces: and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them. And thou shalt rejoice in the Lord: in the Holy One of Israel thou shalt be joyful.
17The needy and the poor seek for waters, and there are none: their tongue hath been dry with thirst. I the Lord will hear them. I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18I will open rivers in the high hills, and fountains in the midst of the plains: I will turn the desert into pools of waters, and the impassable land into streams of waters.
19I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the thorn and the myrtle and the olive-tree: I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the elm, and the box-tree together:
20That they may see and know, and consider, and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21Bring your cause near, saith the Lord: bring hither, if you have any thing to allege, saith the King of Jacob.
22Let them come and tell us all things that are to come, tell us the former things what they were: and we will set our heart upon them, and shall know the latter end of them. And tell us the things that are to come.
23Shew the things that are to come hereafter: and we shall know that ye are gods. Do ye also good or evil, if you can: and let us speak and see together.
24Behold, you are of nothing, and your work of that which hath no being: he that hath chosen you is an abomination.
25I have raised up one from the north: and he shall come from the rising of the sun. He shall call upon my name: and he shall make princes to be as dirt, and as the potter treading clay.
26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? And from time of old, that we may say: Thou art just? There is none that sheweth, nor that foretelleth, nor that heareth your words.
27The first shall say to Sion: Behold, they are here, and to Jerusalem I will give an evangelist.
28And I saw: and there was no one even among them to consult, or who, when I asked, could answer a word.
29Behold, they are all in the wrong, and their works are vain: their idols are wind and vanity.
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Isaias (Isaiah) 41: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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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