41 ‘You islands, be quiet as you listen to me.
The nations need to come and stand in front of me.
So they must be brave and speak to me.
We must meet together to decide who is right.
2 Tell me, who has woken up that king in the east?
Who has chosen that king to serve him?
He has given that king power over many nations,
so that the kings of those nations must obey him.
He uses that king's weapons to destroy other nations.
He blows them away like dust or straw.
3 That king chases quickly after them,
and nothing hurts him.
His feet do not seem to touch the ground!
4 Tell me, who has caused these things to happen?
Who has decided what should happen,
from the beginning, century after century?
It is I, the Lord !
I was there at the beginning,
and I will always be there, through to the end.
5 The people on the islands see what I am doing,
and they are afraid.
People all over the world shake with fear.
They join together and they come near.
6 They help each other,
and they say to one another, “Be strong!” ’
7 The man who makes things with wood speaks to the man who works with gold and the man who works with iron. They help each other to work well. They say, ‘We have done a good job.’ Then they use nails to fix the idol that they have made, so that it does not fall over!
8 ‘But you, Israel, are my servant.
Yes, I have chosen you, descendants of Jacob.
You are descendants of my friend, Abraham.
9 I led you back from the ends of the earth.
I called you to come from places far away.
I have said to you, “You are my servant.
I have chosen you. I have not thrown you away.
10 I am with you,
so do not be afraid.
I am your God,
so do not be upset.
I will make you strong
and I will help you.
My powerful right hand will keep you safe.”
11 Listen to this! Everyone who has been angry with you
will now become completely ashamed.
Those who have attacked you will disappear and die.
12 Even if you look for your enemies,
you will not find them.
They will all disappear!
13 Yes, I am the Lord , your God.
I will hold on to your right hand.
I say to you, “Do not be afraid. I will help you.”
14 Do not be afraid, you Israelites, descendants of Jacob.
You may seem unimportant, like a worm,
but I myself will help you.’
That is what the Lord says.
He is your Redeemer, the Holy God of Israel.
15 ‘Look at this! I will cause you to destroy your enemies,
like a heavy weight that threshes grain. [ a ]
You will have new sharp metal points that are like teeth.
You will thresh the mountains
and you will break them into pieces.
You will make the hills become like straw.
16 You will throw them into the air,
and the wind will blow them away in all directions!
You will be happy with what the Lord has done for you.
You will boast that the Holy God of Israel is your God.
17 Poor and helpless people look for water to drink,
but there is none.
They are so thirsty that their tongues are dry.
But I, the Lord , will answer their prayers.
I, the God of Israel, will not leave them alone.
18 I will make rivers run over the dry hills.
I will make springs of water in the valleys.
I will make pools of water in the desert.
The dry land will become a place of streams.
19 Many trees will grow in the wilderness.
Cedar, acacia, myrtle and olive trees will grow there.
In the dry valleys
there will be pine, fir and cypress trees. [ b ]
20 I will do this so that people see it happen.
They will watch carefully and they will understand.
They will know that the Lord 's power
has caused it to happen.
They will know that the Holy God of Israel
has created it.’
21 The Lord , Israel's King, says,
‘Come and show me what you can do!
Tell me clearly what power you have!
22 Bring your idols into court.
Let them tell us what will happen in future years.
Let them tell us what happened in the past.
Then we can think about those things.
We will understand what happened in the end.
Or ask them to tell us about future events!
23 If they can tell us what will happen in future years,
we will know that they really are gods.
Tell them to do something,
a good thing or a bad thing.
That would really surprise us,
or even frighten us!
24 But no! Your idols are useless.
There is nothing that they can do.
Anybody who chooses to worship them
has turned against God!
25 I have woken up a ruler,
who is coming with his army from the north.
He comes from a land in the east, where the sun rises,
and he will use my name to call to me.
He will walk over rulers of other nations
as if they are mud.
He will push them down with his feet,
like a potter who prepares his clay.
26 Tell me, who decided in the beginning,
that all these things must happen?
Who told us about them before they happened?
Then we could say, “He was right!”
None of your idols said anything about it!
Nobody heard them say a word!
27 I, the Lord , was the first person
to tell the good news to Zion.
I sent someone to Jerusalem to say,
“Look, they have arrived!”
28 I looked among your idols,
to see who might be a good advisor.
But none of them could help.
None of them could answer my questions.
29 Look! All the idols are useless.
They can do nothing.
Their images are as weak as a breath of wind.’
41 The Lord says,
“Faraway countries, be quiet and listen to me!
Nations be brave. [ a ]
Come to me and speak.
We will meet together
and decide who is right.
2 Who woke up the man who is coming from the east?
He called Justice to march with him.
He uses his sword to crush nations.
He uses his bow and conquers kings—
they run away like straw blown by the wind.
3 He chases armies and is never hurt.
He goes places he has never been before.
4 Who was able to make all this happen?
Who controlled the lives of everyone from the beginning?
I, the Lord , am the one.
I was here at the beginning,
and I will be here when all things are finished.
5 People along the coast saw this,
and they were frightened.
Nations at the ends of the earth
shook with fear.
They have come near.
They have arrived.
6 “Workers help each other. They encourage each other to be strong. 7 One worker cuts wood to make a statue. He encourages the man who works with gold. Another worker uses a hammer and makes the metal smooth. Then he encourages the man at the anvil. [ b ] This last worker says, ‘This work is good; the metal will not come off.’ Then he nails the statue to a base so that it will not fall over. And it never moves!”
8 The Lord says, “You, Israel, are my servant.
Jacob, I chose you.
You are from the family of my friend, Abraham.
9 You were in a faraway country,
but I reached out to you.
I called you from that faraway place.
I said, ‘You are my servant.’
I chose you,
and I have not rejected you.
10 Don’t worry—I am with you.
Don’t be afraid—I am your God.
I will make you strong and help you.
I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.
11 Look, some people are angry with you,
but they will be ashamed and disgraced.
Your enemies will be lost and disappear.
12 You will look for the people who were against you,
but you will not be able to find them.
Those who fought against you
will disappear completely.
13 I am the Lord your God,
who holds your right hand.
And I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid!
I will help you.’
14 People of Israel, descendants of Jacob, you may be weak and worthless, [ c ]
but do not be afraid.
I myself will help you.”
This is what the Lord himself says.
“I am the Holy One of Israel,
the one who saves you.
15 Look, I have made you like a new threshing board with many sharp teeth.
You will trample mountains and crush them.
You will make the hills [ d ] like chaff.
16 You will throw them into the air,
and the wind will blow them away and scatter them.
Then you will be happy in the Lord .
You will be proud of the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy look for water,
but they cannot find any.
Their tongues are dry with thirst.
I, the Lord , will answer their prayers.
I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die.
18 I will make rivers flow on dry hills.
I will make springs of water flow through the valleys.
I will change the desert into a lake filled with water.
There will be springs of water in that dry land.
19 I will make trees grow in the desert.
There will be cedar, acacias, olive trees, cypress, fir trees, and pines.
20 I will do this so that people will see it and know who did it.
They will notice what happened.
Then they will understand that the Lord ’s hand made it happen,
that the Holy One of Israel created it all.”
21 The Lord , the king of Jacob, says, “Come, present your arguments. Show me your proof. 22 Let your idols come in and tell us what will happen. Idols, tell us what happened in the beginning. We will listen closely so that we can make a decision. Tell us what will happen in the future. 23 What signs did you give in the past to prove that you really are gods? Do something! Do anything, good or bad, so that we can see that you are alive. Then we might fear and respect you.
24 “Look, you false gods are worthless. You cannot do anything. Only some horrible fool [ e ] would want to worship you.”
25 “I called someone in the north [ f ] to come.
He is coming from the east where the sun rises,
and he honors my name.
He tramples kings
the way a potter softens clay with his feet.
26 “Who told us about this before it happened
so that we could say he was right?
None of your idols told us anything.
They didn’t say a word,
and they cannot hear anything you say.
27 I, the Lord, was the first one to tell Zion about these things.
I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say,
‘Look, your people are coming back!’”
28 I looked at those false gods.
Not one of them said anything.
They had no advice to offer.
I asked them questions,
but they didn’t say a word.
29 Those gods are all less than nothing.
They cannot do anything.
They are worthless.
41 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord , the first, and with the last; I am he.
5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord , and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord , and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
20 That 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.
21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord ; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.
27 The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
28 For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
41 “ ( A ) Listen to Me ( B ) in silence, you coastlands,
And let the peoples ( C ) gain new strength;
( D ) Let them come forward, then let them speak;
( E ) Let’s come together for judgment.
2 ( F ) Who has stirred one from the east
Whom He ( G ) calls in righteousness to His [ a ] feet?
He ( H ) turns nations over to him
And subdues kings.
He makes them like ( I ) dust with his sword,
Like the wind-driven ( J ) chaff with his bow.
3 He pursues them, passing on in safety,
By a way he had not been [ b ] traversing with his feet.
4 ( K ) Who has performed and accomplished it ,
Summoning the generations from the beginning?
‘ ( L ) I, the Lord , am the first, and with the last. ( M ) I am He.’”
5 The ( N ) coastlands have seen and are afraid;
The ( O ) ends of the earth tremble;
They have approached and have come.
6 Each one helps his neighbor
And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7 So the ( P ) craftsman encourages the ( Q ) smelter,
And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
And he fastens it with nails,
( R ) So that it will not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, ( S ) My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of ( T ) Abraham My ( U ) friend,
9 You whom I have [ c ] ( V ) taken from the ends of the earth
And called from its ( W ) remotest parts,
And said to you, ‘You are ( X ) My servant,
I have ( Y ) chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 Do not ( Z ) fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, ( AA ) I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous ( AB ) right hand.’
11 Behold, ( AC ) all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
( AD ) Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12 ( AE ) You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13 For I am the Lord your God ( AF ) who takes hold of your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘ ( AG ) Do not fear, I will help you.’
14 Do not fear, you ( AH ) worm Jacob, you people of Israel;
I will help you,” declares the Lord , “and ( AI ) your [ d ] Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I turned you into a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges;
( AJ ) You will thresh the ( AK ) mountains and pulverize them ,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You will ( AL ) winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will ( AM ) rejoice in the Lord ,
You will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy are seeking ( AN ) water, but there is none,
And their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the Lord , ( AO ) will answer them Myself;
As the God of Israel I ( AP ) will not abandon them.
18 I will open ( AQ ) rivers on the bare heights,
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make ( AR ) the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land fountains of water.
19 I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia, the ( AS ) myrtle, and the olive tree;
I will place the ( AT ) juniper in the desert,
Together with the elm tree and the cypress,
20 So that ( AU ) they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the ( AV ) hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 “ [ e ] Present your case,” the Lord says.
“Bring forward your evidence,”
The ( AW ) King of Jacob says.
22 ( AX ) Let them bring them forward and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the ( AY ) former events , declare what they were ,
So that we may consider them and know their outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming;
23 ( AZ ) Declare the things that are going to come afterward,
So that we may know that you are gods;
Indeed, ( BA ) do good or evil, that we may be afraid and fear together.
24 Behold, ( BB ) you are less than nothing,
And ( BC ) your work is less than nothing!
He who chooses you is an ( BD ) abomination.
25 “I have put ( BE ) one from the north into motion, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon rulers as upon [ f ] ( BF ) mortar,
As the potter treads on clay.”
26 Who has ( BG ) declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, “ He is right!”?
There was ( BH ) no one at all who declared,
There was no one at all who proclaimed,
There was no one at all who heard your words.
27 “ ( BI ) Previously I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a ( BJ ) messenger of good news.’
28 But ( BK ) when I look, there is no one,
And there is no ( BL ) counselor [ g ] among them
Who, if I ask, can ( BM ) give an answer.
29 Behold, all of them are [ h ] false;
Their ( BN ) works are ( BO ) nothing,
Their cast metal images are ( BP ) wind and emptiness.
41 “Be silent ( A ) before me, you islands! ( B )
Let the nations renew their strength! ( C )
Let them come forward ( D ) and speak;
let us meet together ( E ) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred ( F ) up one from the east, ( G )
calling him in righteousness ( H ) to his service [ a ] ? ( I )
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust ( J ) with his sword,
to windblown chaff ( K ) with his bow. ( L )
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed, ( M )
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling ( N ) forth the generations from the beginning? ( O )
I, the Lord —with the first of them
and with the last ( P ) —I am he. ( Q ) ”
5 The islands ( R ) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth ( S ) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong! ( T ) ”
7 The metalworker ( U ) encourages the goldsmith, ( V )
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple. ( W )
8 “But you, Israel, my servant, ( X )
Jacob, whom I have chosen, ( Y )
you descendants of Abraham ( Z ) my friend, ( AA )
9 I took you from the ends of the earth, ( AB )
from its farthest corners I called ( AC ) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’; ( AD )
I have chosen ( AE ) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, ( AF ) for I am with you; ( AG )
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen ( AH ) you and help ( AI ) you;
I will uphold you ( AJ ) with my righteous right hand. ( AK )
11 “All who rage ( AL ) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced; ( AM )
those who oppose ( AN ) you
will be as nothing and perish. ( AO )
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them. ( AP )
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing ( AQ ) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand ( AR )
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help ( AS ) you.
14 Do not be afraid, ( AT ) you worm ( AU ) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help ( AV ) you,” declares the Lord ,
your Redeemer, ( AW ) the Holy One ( AX ) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, ( AY )
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains ( AZ ) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff. ( BA )
16 You will winnow ( BB ) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale ( BC ) will blow them away. ( BD )
But you will rejoice ( BE ) in the Lord
and glory ( BF ) in the Holy One ( BG ) of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy search for water, ( BH )
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst. ( BI )
But I the Lord will answer ( BJ ) them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake ( BK ) them.
18 I will make rivers flow ( BL ) on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert ( BM ) into pools of water, ( BN )
and the parched ground into springs. ( BO )
19 I will put in the desert ( BP )
the cedar and the acacia, ( BQ ) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers ( BR ) in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress ( BS ) together, ( BT )
20 so that people may see and know, ( BU )
may consider and understand, ( BV )
that the hand ( BW ) of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One ( BX ) of Israel has created ( BY ) it.
21 “Present your case, ( BZ ) ” says the Lord .
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. ( CA )
22 “Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen. ( CB )
Tell us what the former things ( CC ) were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come, ( CD )
23 tell us what the future holds,
so we may know ( CE ) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad, ( CF )
so that we will be dismayed ( CG ) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing ( CH )
and your works are utterly worthless; ( CI )
whoever chooses you is detestable. ( CJ )
25 “I have stirred ( CK ) up one from the north, ( CL ) and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads ( CM ) on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning, ( CN ) so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold ( CO ) it,
no one heard any words ( CP ) from you.
27 I was the first to tell ( CQ ) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news. ( CR )
28 I look but there is no one ( CS ) —
no one among the gods to give counsel, ( CT )
no one to give answer ( CU ) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing; ( CV )
their images ( CW ) are but wind ( CX ) and confusion.
