Isaiah 41

1Keep silent towards Me, O isles, And the peoples pass on <FI>to<Fi> power, They come nigh, then they speak, `Together--to judgment we draw near.'

1Come quietly before me, O sea-lands, and let the peoples get together their strength: let them come near; then let them say what they have to say: let us put forward our cause against one another.

2Who stirred up from the east a righteous one? He calleth him to His foot, He giveth before him nations, And kings He causeth him to rule, He giveth <FI>them<Fi> as dust <FI>to<Fi> his sword, As driven stubble <FI>to<Fi> his bow.

2Who sent out from the east one who is right wherever he goes? he gives the nations into his hands, and makes him ruler over kings; he gives them as the dust to his sword, as dry stems before the wind to his bow.

3He pursueth them, he passeth over in safety A path with his feet he entereth not.

3He goes after them safely, not touching the road with his feet.

4Who hath wrought and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last I <FI>am<Fi> He.

4Whose purpose and work was it? His who sent out the generations from the start. I the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he.

5Seen have isles and fear, ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, yea, they come.

5The sea-lands saw it, and were in fear; the ends of the earth were shaking: they came near.

6Each his neighbour they help, And to his brother he saith, `Be strong.'

6They gave help everyone to his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Take heart!

7And strengthen doth an artisan the refiner, A smoother <FI>with<Fi> a hammer, Him who is beating <FI>on<Fi> an anvil, Saying, `For joining it <FI>is<Fi> good,' And he strengtheneth it with nails, it is not moved!

7So the metal-worker put heart into the gold-worker, and he who was hammering the metal smooth said kind words to the iron-worker, saying of the plate, It is ready: and he put it together with nails, so that there might be no slipping.

8--And thou, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham, My lover,

8But as for you, Israel, my servant, and you, Jacob, whom I have taken for myself, the seed of Abraham my friend:

9Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called thee, And I say to thee, My servant Thou <FI>art<Fi> , I have chosen thee, and not rejected thee.

9You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and sent for from its farthest parts, saying to you, You are my servant, whom I have taken for myself, and whom I have not given up:

10Be not afraid, for with thee I <FI>am<Fi> , Look not around, for I <FI>am<Fi> thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld thee, With the right hand of My righteousness.

10Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support.

11Lo, all those displeased with thee, They are ashamed and blush, They are as nothing, yea, perish Do the men who strive with thee.

11Truly, all those who are angry with you will be made low and put to shame: those desiring to do you wrong will come to nothing and never again be seen.

12Thou seekest them, and findest them not, The men who debate with thee, They are as nothing, yea, as nothing, The men who war with thee.

12You will make search for your haters but they will not be there; those who make war against you will be as nothing and will come to destruction.

13For I, Jehovah thy God, Am strengthening thy right hand, He who is saying to thee, `Fear not, I have helped thee.'

13For I, the Lord your God, have taken your right hand in mine, saying to you, Have no fear; I will be your helper.

14Fear not, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

14Have no fear, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will be your helper, says the Lord, even he who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel.

15Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest.

15See, I will make you like a new grain-crushing instrument with teeth, crushing the mountains small, and making the hills like dry stems.

16Thou winnowest them, and a wind lifteth them up, And a whirlwind scattereth them, And thou--thou rejoicest in Jehovah, In the Holy One of Israel dost boast thyself.

16You will send the wind over them, and it will take them away; they will go in all directions before the storm-wind: you will have joy in the Lord, and be glad in the Holy One of Israel.

17The poor and the needy are seeking water, And there is none, Their tongue with thirst hath failed, I, Jehovah do answer them, The God of Israel--I forsake them not.

17The poor and crushed are looking for water where no water is, and their tongue is dry for need of it: I the Lord will give ear to their prayer, I the God of Israel will not give them up.

18I open on high places rivers, And in midst of valleys fountains, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land become springs of water.

18I will make rivers on the dry mountain-tops, and fountains in the valleys: I will make the waste land a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

19I give in a wilderness the cedar, Shittah, and myrtle, and oil-tree, I set in a desert the fir-pine and box-wood together.

19I will put in the waste land the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive-tree; and in the lowland will be planted the fir-tree, the plane, and the cypress together:

20So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath prepared it.

20So that they may see and be wise and give their mind to it, and that it may be clear to them all that the hand of the Lord has done this, and that the Holy One of Israel has made it.

21Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.

21Put forward your cause, says the Lord; let your strong argument come out, says the King of Jacob.

22They bring nigh, and declare to us that which doth happen, The first things--what they <FI>are<Fi> declare ye, And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or the coming things cause us to hear.

22Let the future be made clear to us: give us news of the past things, so that we may give thought to them; or of the things to come, so that we may see if they are true.

23Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye <FI>are<Fi> gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see <FI>it<Fi> together.

23Give us word of what will be after this, so that we may be certain that you are gods: yes, do good or do evil, so that we may all see it and be surprised.

24Lo, ye <FI>are<Fi> of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination--it fixeth on you.

24But you are nothing, and your work is of no value: foolish is he who takes you for his gods.

25I have stirred up <FI>one<Fi> from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in <FI>on<Fi> prefects as <FI>on<Fi> clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.

25I have sent for one from the north, and from the dawn he has come; in my name he will get rulers together and go against them; they will be like dust, even as the wet earth is stamped on by the feet of the potter.

26Who hath declared from the first, and we know? And beforetime, and we say, `Righteous?' yea, there is none declaring, Yea, there is none proclaiming, Yea, there is none hearing your sayings.

26Who has given knowledge of it from the first, so that we may be certain of it? and from the start, so that we may say, His word is true? There is no one who gives news, or says anything, or who gives ear to your words.

27First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,

27I was the first to give word of it to Zion, and I gave the good news to Jerusalem.

28And I see that there is no man, Yea, of these that there is no counsellor, And I ask them, and they return word:

28And I saw that there was no man, even no wise man among them, who might give an answer to my questions.

29`Lo, all of them <FI>are<Fi> vanity, Nought <FI>are<Fi> their works, Wind and emptiness their molten images!'

29Truly they are all nothing, their works are nothing and of no value: their metal images are of no more use than wind.