Isaiah 41
41
Fear Not, for I Am with You
1 # [Hab. 2:20; Zech. 2:13] Listen to me in silence, #See ch. 11:11O coastlands;
let the peoples renew their strength;
let them approach, then let them speak;
let us together draw near for judgment.
2 # ch. 46:11; [ch. 45:1] Who stirred up one from the east
whom victory meets at every #[Judg. 4:10] step?#41:2 Or whom righteousness calls to follow?
#
2 Chr. 36:23 He gives up nations before him,
so that he tramples kings underfoot;
he makes them like dust with his sword,
# ch. 40:24 like driven stubble with his bow.
3He pursues them and passes on safely,
by paths his feet have not trod.
4 # [ver. 26] Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
# ch. 43:10, 11; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:8, 17; 22:13 I, the Lord, the first,
and with the last; I am he.
5 # See ch. 11:11 The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
the ends of the earth tremble;
they have drawn near and come.
6Everyone helps his neighbor
and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7 # ch. 40:19 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith,
and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
and they strengthen it with nails #[ch. 40:20]so that it cannot be moved.
8But you, Israel, #ch. 44:1, 2 my servant,
Jacob, #Deut. 7:6; 10:15; 14:2; Ps. 135:4; [1 Pet. 2:9] whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, #2 Chr. 20:7; James 2:23my friend;
9you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called #ch. 43:5, 6 from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are #[See ver. 8 above] my servant,
# [See ver. 8 above] I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with #Ps. 48:10my righteous right hand.
11 # [ch. 45:24] Behold, all who are incensed against you
shall be put to shame and confounded;
those who strive against you
shall be as nothing and shall perish.
12 #
Ps. 37:10 You shall seek those who contend with you,
but you shall not find them;
# ch. 40:17 those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all.
13For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
14Fear not, you #[Ps. 22:6] worm Jacob,
you men of Israel!
I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;
your #ch. 54:5; [Ps. 78:35]; See ch. 43:14Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 #
Mic. 4:13 Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,
new, sharp, and having teeth;
you shall thresh #[ch. 2:14]the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff;
16 # [Jer. 51:2] you shall winnow them, and #[ver. 2] the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
# ch. 45:25 And you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
17 # [ch. 44:3] When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18 # ch. 35:6, 7 I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
#
Ps. 107:35
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
19 # ch. 35:1, 2; 55:12, 13 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert #ch. 60:13the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
20that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together,
that #Job 12:9the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
The Futility of Idols
21Set forth your case, says the Lord;
bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
22Let them bring them, and #[ver. 26; ch. 44:7; 45:21; 46:10]tell us
what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they are,
that we may consider them,
that we may know their outcome;
or declare to us the things to come.
23 # [See ver. 22 above] Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you are gods;
# [ch. 45:7] do good, or do harm,
that we may be dismayed and terrified.#41:23 Or that we may both be dismayed and see
24Behold, #ver. 29; [Ps. 115:8; 1 Cor. 8:4]you are nothing,
and your work is less than nothing;
an abomination is he who chooses you.
25 #
Jer. 50:3 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
# ver. 2 from the rising of the sun, #[Ps. 44:5]and he shall call upon my name;
he shall trample on rulers as on mortar,
as the potter treads clay.
26 # [ver. 22] Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know,
and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”?
There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed,
none who heard your words.
27 # ch. 51:12 I was the first to say#41:27 Or Formerly I said to Zion, “Behold, here they are!”
and #ch. 40:9; 52:7I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.
28 # See ver. 21-24 But when I look, there is no one;
among these there is no counselor
who, when I ask, gives an answer.
29 # [ver. 12] Behold, they are all a delusion;
their works are nothing;
their metal images are empty wind.
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Isaiah 41: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Isaiah 41
41
The Lord Controls Human Events
1Be silent and listen,
every island in the sea.
Have courage and come near,
every one of you nations.
Let's settle this matter!
2Who appointed this ruler
from the east?#41.2 ruler from the east: Probably Cyrus (see 44.28; 45.1; 48.14).
Who puts nations and kings
in his power?#41.2 Who puts … power: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
His sword and his arrows
turn them to dust
blown by the wind.
3He goes after them so quickly
that his feet
barely touch the ground—
he doesn't even get hurt.
4Who makes these things happen?
Who controls human events?
I do! I am the Lord.
I was there at the beginning;
I will be there at the end.
5Islands and foreign nations
saw what I did and trembled
as they came near.
What Can Idols Do?
6Worshipers of idols
comfort each other,
saying, “Don't worry!”
7Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,
and other workers#41.7 and other workers: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
encourage one another and say,
“We've done a great job!”
Then they nail the idol down,
so it won't fall over.
The Lord's Chosen Servant
8 #
2 Ch 20.7; Jas 2.23. Israel, you are my servant.
I chose you, the family
of my friend Abraham.
9From far across the earth
I brought you here and said,
“You are my chosen servant.
I haven't forgotten you.”
10Don't be afraid. I am with you.
Don't tremble with fear.
I am your God.
I will make you strong,
as I protect you with my arm
and give you victories.
11Everyone who hates you
will be terribly disgraced;
those who attack
will vanish into thin air.
12You will look around
for those brutal enemies,
but you won't find them—
they will be gone.
13I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
so don't be afraid.
I am here to help you.
14People of Israel, don't worry,
though others may say,
“Israel is only a worm!”
I am the holy God of Israel,
who saves and protects you.
15I will let you be like a log
covered with sharp spikes.#41.15 I will let … sharp spikes: In ancient times a heavy object was sometimes dragged over wheat or barley to separate the grain from the husk. This was called threshing.
You will grind and crush
every mountain and hill#41.15 mountain and hill: These stand for the power and pride of Israel's enemies.
until they turn to dust.
16A strong wind will scatter them
in all directions.
Then you will celebrate
and praise me, your Lord,
the holy God of Israel.
The Lord Helps the Poor
17When the poor and needy
are dying of thirst
and cannot find water,
I, the Lord God of Israel,
will come to their rescue.
I won't forget them.
18I will make rivers flow
on mountain peaks.
I will send streams
to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land
will flow with springs
and become a lake.
19I will fill the desert
with all kinds of trees—
cedars, acacias, and myrtles;
olive and cypress trees;
fir trees and pines.
20Everyone will see this
and know that I,
the holy Lord God of Israel,
created it all.
Idols Are Useless
21I am the Lord,
the King of Israel!
Come argue your case with me.
Present your evidence.
22Come near me, you idols.#41.22 Come near … idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Tell us about the past,
and we will think about it.
Tell us about the future,
so we will know
what is going to happen.
23Prove that you are gods
by making your predictions
come true.
Do something good or evil,
so we can be amazed
and terrified.#41.23 and terrified: Or “when we see it.”
24You idols are nothing,
and you are powerless.#41.24 powerless: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
To worship you
would be disgusting.
25I, the Lord, appointed a ruler
in the north;
now he comes from the east
to honor my name.
He tramples#41.25 tramples: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. kings like mud,
as potters trample clay.#41.25 trample clay: This was done to soften the clay and make it easier to shape.
26Did any of you idols predict
what would happen?
Did any of you get it right?
None of you told about this
or even spoke a word.
27I was the first to tell
the people of Jerusalem,
“Look, it's happening!”#41.27 Look … happening: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
I was the one who announced
this good news to Zion.
28None of these idols
are able to give advice
or answer questions.
29They are nothing,#41.29 nothing: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and they can do nothing—
they are merely
a passing breeze.
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