Isaiah 41
New English Translation
The Lord Challenges the Nations
41 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands![a]
Let the nations find renewed strength!
Let them approach and then speak;
let us come together for debate.[b]
2 Who stirs up this one from the east?[c]
Who[d] officially commissions him for service?[e]
He hands nations over to him,[f]
and enables him to subdue[g] kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow.[h]
3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed;[i]
he advances with great speed.[j]
4 Who acts and carries out decrees?[k]
Who[l] summons the successive generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,
and at the very end—I am the one.[m]
5 The coastlands[n] see and are afraid;
the whole earth[o] trembles;
they approach and come.
6 They help one another;[p]
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encourages[q] the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding,[r]
and nails it down so it won’t fall over.
The Lord Encourages His People
8 “You, my servant Israel,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend,[s]
9 you whom I am bringing back[t] from the earth’s extremities,
and have summoned from the remote regions—
I told you, ‘You are my servant.’
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God![u]
I strengthen you—
yes, I help you—
yes, I uphold you with my victorious right hand![v]
11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversaries[w] will be reduced to nothing[x] and perish.
12 When you will look for your opponents,[y] you will not find them;
your enemies[z] will be reduced to absolutely nothing.
13 For I am the Lord your God,
the one who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob,[aa]
men of[ab] Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your Protector,[ac] the Holy One of Israel.[ad]
15 “Look, I am making you like[ae] a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged.[af]
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw.[ag]
16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;
the wind will scatter them.
You will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched from thirst.
I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers;[ah]
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
18 I will make streams flow down the slopes
and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.
I will turn the wilderness into a pool of water
and the arid land into springs.
19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;
I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the arid rift valley.[ai]
20 I will do this so[aj] people[ak] will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s power[al] has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.[am]
The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods
21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,”[an] says Jacob’s king.[ao]
22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,[ap]
so we may examine them[aq] and see how they were fulfilled.[ar]
Or decree for us some future events!
23 Predict how future events will turn out,[as]
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or something bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe.[at]
24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;
the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting.[au]
25 I have stirred up one out of the north[av] and he advances,
one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name.[aw]
He steps on[ax] rulers as if they were clay,
like a potter treading the clay.
26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?
Who announced it[ay] ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?
Indeed, none of them decreed it.
Indeed, none of them announced it.
Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’[az]
I sent a herald to Jerusalem.
28 I look, but there is no one,
among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,
that I might ask questions and receive answers.
29 Look, all of them are nothing,[ba]
their accomplishments are nonexistent;
their metal images lack any real substance.[bb]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:1 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
- Isaiah 41:1 tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.
- Isaiah 41:2 sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).
- Isaiah 41:2 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.
- Isaiah 41:2 tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”
- Isaiah 41:2 tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”
- Isaiah 41:2 tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yard) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has יוֹרִיד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).
- Isaiah 41:2 sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.
- Isaiah 41:3 tn Heb “[in] peace”; KJV, ASV “safely”; NASB “in safety”; NIV “unscathed.”
- Isaiah 41:3 tn Heb “a way with his feet he does not come [or “enter”].” One could translate, “by a way he was not [previously] entering with his feet.” This would mean that he is advancing into new territory and expanding his conquests. The present translation assumes this is a hyperbolic description of his speedy advance. He moves so quickly he does not enter the way with his feet, i.e., his feet don’t even touch the ground. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 94.
- Isaiah 41:4 tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”
- Isaiah 41:4 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
- Isaiah 41:4 tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”
- Isaiah 41:5 tn Or “islands” (NIV, CEV); NCV “faraway places”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
- Isaiah 41:5 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
- Isaiah 41:6 tn Heb “each his neighbor helps”; NCV “The workers help each other.”
- Isaiah 41:7 tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
- Isaiah 41:7 tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”
- Isaiah 41:8 tn Or perhaps, “covenantal partner” (see 1 Kgs 5:15 HT [5:1 ET]; 2 Chr 20:7).
- Isaiah 41:9 tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”
- Isaiah 41:10 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishtaʿ) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (shaʿah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (shaʿah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”). Its attestation in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yareʾ, “fear”).
- Isaiah 41:10 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
- Isaiah 41:11 tn Heb “the men of your strife”; NASB “those who contend with you.”
- Isaiah 41:11 tn Heb “like nothing”; NAB “come to nought.”
- Isaiah 41:12 tn Heb “the men of your struggle”; NASB “those who quarrel with you.”
- Isaiah 41:12 tn Heb “the men of your battle”; NAB “who do battle with you.”
- Isaiah 41:14 tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.
- Isaiah 41:14 tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”
- Isaiah 41:14 tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גֹּאֵל (goʾel, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.
- Isaiah 41:14 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 41:15 tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”
- Isaiah 41:15 tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.
- Isaiah 41:15 sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.
- Isaiah 41:17 tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Isaiah 41:19 sn The rift valley (עֲרָבָה, ʿaravah) is known for its arid, desert-like conditions in the area of the Dead Sea and southward (although it also includes the Jordan Valley, extending from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba). The point here is the contrast from its normal arid conditions to being productive with trees, which implies being watered. Similarly, the wilderness (מִדְבָּר, midbar) in the first line is an area that receives less than twelve inches of rainfall annually and so cannot support trees.
- Isaiah 41:20 tn The words “I will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text has here simply, “in order that.”
- Isaiah 41:20 tn Heb “they”; NAB, NRSV “that all may see”; CEV, NLT “Everyone will see.”
- Isaiah 41:20 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 41:20 tn Or “created it” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “has made it happen.”
- Isaiah 41:21 tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.
- Isaiah 41:21 sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.
- Isaiah 41:22 tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”
- Isaiah 41:22 tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”
- Isaiah 41:22 tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”
- Isaiah 41:23 tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”
- Isaiah 41:23 tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [venirʾeh], from יָרֵא [yareʾ], “be afraid”).tn Heb “so we might be frightened and afraid together.” On the meaning of the verb שָׁתָע (shataʿ), see the note at v. 10.
- Isaiah 41:24 tn Heb “an object of disgust [is he who] chooses you.”
- Isaiah 41:25 sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.
- Isaiah 41:25 tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”
- Isaiah 41:25 tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (veyavoʾ, “and he comes”), but this likely needs to be emended to an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).
- Isaiah 41:26 tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
- Isaiah 41:27 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “First to Zion, ‘Look here they are!’” The words “I decreed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Isaiah 41:29 tc The Hebrew text has אָוֶן (ʾaven, “deception,” i.e., “false”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has אין (“nothing”), which forms a better parallel with אֶפֶס (ʾefes, “nothing”) in the next line. See also 40:17 and 41:12.
- Isaiah 41:29 tn Heb “their statues are wind and nothing”; NASB “wind and emptiness”; NIV “wind and confusion.”
Isaiah 41
New King James Version
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41 “Keep (A)silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us (B)come near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one (C)from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who (D)gave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed [a]safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 (E)Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am (F)the first;
And with the last I am (G)He.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 (H)Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
[b]“Be of good courage!”
7 (I)So the craftsman encouraged the (J)goldsmith;[c]
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, [d]“It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
(K)That it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have (L)chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My (M)friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 (N)Fear not, (O)for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be (P)ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[e]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you (Q)worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, (R)I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall (S)winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And (T)glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not (U)forsake them.
18 I will open (V)rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the (W)wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the (X)desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
20 (Y)That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
The Futility of Idols
21 “Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the (Z)King of Jacob.
22 “Let(AA) them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the (AB)former things, what they were,
That we may [f]consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
23 (AC)Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, (AD)do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed (AE)you are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.
25 “I have raised up one from the north,
And he shall come;
From the [g]rising of the sun (AF)he shall call on My name;
(AG)And he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
26 (AH)Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?
And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’?
Surely there is no one who shows,
Surely there is no one who declares,
Surely there is no one who hears your words.
27 (AI)The first time (AJ)I said to Zion,
‘Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
28 (AK)For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 (AL)Indeed they are all [h]worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:3 Lit. in peace
- Isaiah 41:6 Lit. Be strong
- Isaiah 41:7 refiner
- Isaiah 41:7 Or The soldering is good
- Isaiah 41:12 Lit. Men of your strife
- Isaiah 41:22 Lit. set our heart on them
- Isaiah 41:25 East
- Isaiah 41:29 So with MT, Vg.; DSS, Syr., Tg. nothing; LXX omits first line
Isaías 41
Traducción en lenguaje actual
El rey Ciro, un enviado de Dios
41 Dios dijo:
«Ustedes, países del mar,
¡guarden silencio y escuchen!
Y ustedes, naciones todas,
¡sean valientes!
Vengan, que vamos a tratar
un asunto muy importante;
¡juntémonos para discutirlo!
2 »Yo soy el Dios de Israel;
yo hice venir del este
al victorioso rey Ciro.
Conforme avanza su ejército
yo humillo a los reyes,
y le entrego sus naciones.
Con sus armas en la mano,
Ciro los ha borrado del mapa
como a un puñado de polvo.
3 Los persigue con tanta rapidez
que parece no tocar el suelo.
4 »Yo soy el único Dios
y mantengo bajo control
todo lo que pasa en este mundo.
He existido desde el principio,
y existiré hasta el final.
5 »Los pueblos del mar
se llenaron de miedo
cuando vieron que se acercaban
Ciro y sus ejércitos.
La tierra también tembló
de un extremo a otro.
6 »Los que adoran ídolos
se ayudan unos a otros:
7 el artesano anima al escultor,
y el que trabaja con el martillo
dice al que golpea en el yunque:
“Has hecho un buen trabajo”.
Después sujeta al ídolo con clavos
para mantenerlo firme».
La confianza en Dios
8 Dios siguió diciendo:
«Escúchenme, israelitas,
descendientes de mi amigo Abraham,
9 de las regiones más lejanas
yo los llamé a mi servicio;
los elegí, y no los he rechazado.
10 Por tanto, no tengan miedo,
pues yo soy su Dios
y estoy con ustedes.
Mi mano victoriosa
les dará fuerza y ayuda;
mi mano victoriosa
siempre les dará su apoyo.
11-12 »Ustedes tienen enemigos
que los odian y los combaten,
pero yo haré que desaparezcan
llenos de vergüenza.
Los buscarán, y no los encontrarán,
pues habrán dejado de existir.
13 »Israelitas, yo soy su Dios
y los he tomado de la mano;
no deben tener miedo,
porque cuentan con mi ayuda.
14 »Ustedes, israelitas,
son un pueblo débil y pequeño;
pero no tengan miedo,
porque cuentan con mi ayuda.
Yo soy el Dios santo de Israel,
yo les he dado libertad.
15 Yo haré que ustedes
destruyan a sus enemigos.
Los dejarán hechos polvo,
los convertirán en un montón de paja;
16 luego los lanzarán al viento
y la tormenta se los llevará.
Ustedes, por el contrario,
se alegrarán y harán fiesta
porque yo soy su Dios,
el Dios santo de Israel».
Dios hace grandes maravillas
17 Dios dijo:
«Cuando los pobres tengan sed,
y con la lengua reseca
busquen agua y no la encuentren,
yo vendré a rescatarlos
y no los abandonaré.
Yo soy el Dios de Israel.
18 »Entre los cerros desiertos,
y entre los áridos valles,
haré que broten ríos,
arroyos y manantiales.
19 En los lugares más secos
plantaré toda clase de árboles.
20 Así todo el mundo verá
que con mi poder,
yo he creado todo esto.
Entonces comprenderán
que yo soy el Dios santo de Israel».
Dios desafía a los falsos dioses
21 Dios les dijo a los ídolos:
«Yo soy el rey de Israel.
Vengan y defiéndanse.
¡Muestren lo que pueden hacer!
22 Vengan a explicarnos el pasado;
vengan a anunciarnos el futuro.
23 Anuncien lo que está por suceder;
¡demuestren que de veras son dioses!
Hagan algo que nos asuste,
hagan algo, bueno o malo.
24 »¡Pero ustedes no son nada,
ni tampoco pueden hacer nada!
¡Confiar en ustedes es una tontería!»
La incapacidad de los dioses falsos
25 Dios continuó diciendo:
«De Persia viene un rey
a quien he llamado por su nombre,
y aplastará a los gobernantes.
Llegará por el norte,
y los aplastará bajo sus pies.
26 »Todo esto lo estoy anunciando
antes de que suceda.
Ninguno de los dioses falsos
lo ha anunciado antes que yo;
¡nadie los ha oído decir una palabra!
27 »Pero yo, el Dios de Israel,
desde un principio anuncié
al pueblo de Jerusalén
todas estas cosas;
además, les envié un mensajero
para anunciarles que muy pronto
su gente volverá.
28 »Miro a mi alrededor,
y no veo ningún otro dios.
Si les pregunto algo,
no pueden responderme,
¡y mucho menos instruirme!
29 »¡Miren a esos falsos dioses!
Todos ellos no son nada,
ni pueden hacer nada;
¡son absolutamente inútiles!»
以赛亚书 41
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
神從東方激動了一人
41 眾海島啊！你們要在我面前靜默，
願萬民重新得力。
讓他們近前來，然後說話，
讓我們聚在一起辯論吧！
2 誰從東方激動了一個人，
憑公義把他召到自己的腳前來？
他把列國交在他面前，
他制伏眾王；
他使他們在他的刀下化作灰塵，
他使他們在他的弓下像碎稭一樣被吹散。
3 他追趕他們，安然走過他的腳未曾走過的路。
4 誰定這事並且作成？
誰從起初預定萬代呢？
就是我耶和華，我是首先的，與最後的人同在的，也是我。
5 眾海島看見了，就都懼怕；
地極也都戰兢；
他們都近前來。
6 各人彼此幫助，
對自己的兄弟說：“要堅強！”
7 木匠堅固金匠，
用鎚打光金屬的，鼓勵打砧的；
論銲工說：“銲得好！”
又用釘子釘穩了。
使偶像不致動搖。
神必扶助其子民
8 但你以色列，我的僕人啊！
雅各，我所揀選、
我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔啊！
9 你是我從地極抓來的，
我從地的遠方召你來，
對你說：“你是我的僕人，
我揀選了你，並沒有棄絕你。”
10 不要懼怕，因為我與你同在；
不要四處張望，因為我是你的 神，
我必堅固你，我必幫助你；
我必用公義的右手扶持你。
11 看哪！向你發怒的都必蒙羞受辱；
與你相爭的人，都要如同無有，並要滅亡。
12 與你爭競的人，你要尋找他們，卻找不著；
與你交戰的人，都必如同無有，好像虛無。
13 因為我，耶和華你們的 神，緊握著你的右手，
對你說：“不要懼怕，我必幫助你。”
14 蟲子雅各啊！以色列人哪！你不要懼怕。
我必幫助你；這是耶和華說的。你的救贖主，就是以色列的聖者。
15 看哪！我要使你成為打糧的器具，
又新，又鋒利，又有很多利齒；
你要揚淨群山，把它們壓得粉碎，
又使岡陵變成糠秕。
16 你必簸揚它們，風要把它們吹去，
旋風也要把它們吹散；
但你要靠耶和華喜樂，
以以色列的聖者誇耀。
17 困苦和貧窮的人尋求水，卻沒有水；
他們的舌頭因口渴而乾燥；
我耶和華必應允他們，
我以色列的 神必不離棄他們。
18 我要在光禿的高處開闢江河，
在山谷之間開闢泉源；
我要使曠野變為水池，
使乾地變成水泉。
19 我要在曠野種上香柏樹、
皂莢樹、番石榴樹和野橄欖樹；
我要在沙漠中栽種松樹、
杉樹和黃楊樹，
20 好叫人看見了，就知道；
思想過，就都明白，
這是耶和華的手所作的，
是以色列的聖者所造的。
假神絕不可靠
21 耶和華說：“呈上你們的案件吧！”
雅各的王說：
“把你們有力的證據拿來吧！”
22 讓它們前來告訴我們將要發生的事。
以前的是甚麼事，讓它們告訴我們，
好叫我們用心思想，得知事情的結局。
或者向我們宣告那要來的事。
23 把以後要來的事告訴我們，
好叫我們知道你們是神；
你們作這些事，或降福或降禍，以致我們彼此對望，一齊觀看。
24 看哪！你們屬於無有，
你們的作為都屬於虛空，
那選擇你們的是可厭惡的。
25 我從北方興起一人，他就來了；
他從日出之地而來，呼求我的名；
他必來踐踏掌權的，好像踐踏灰泥，
又像陶匠踹泥一樣。
26 誰從起初講說這事，使我們知道呢？
誰從先前說明，以致我們說“他沒有錯”呢？
誰也沒有說明，
誰也沒有宣告，
誰也沒有聽見你們的話！
27 我首先對錫安說：“看哪，看看這些！”
我要把一位報好信息的賜給耶路撒冷。
28 我看的時候，卻沒有一個人；
他們中間也沒有謀士，我問他們的時候，
可以回答一句話。
29 看哪！他們都是無有，
他們所作的都是虛無；
他們所鑄的偶像都是風，都是虛空。
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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