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Isaiah 41
New International Version

The Helper of Israel

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.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
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Isaiah 41
International Standard Version

The Lord Comes as Judge

41 “Be silent before me, you coastlands,
    and let the people renew their strength!
Let them come forward,
    then let them speak together—
        let’s draw near for a ruling.
2 Who has aroused victory from the east,
    and[a] has summoned it to his service,
        and[b] has handed over nations to him?
Who brings down kings,
    and[c] turns them into dust with his sword,
        into windblown stubble with his bow?
3 And[d] who pursues them
    and[e] moves on unscathed
        by a path that his feet don’t know?[f]
4 Who has performed and carried this out,
    calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord—the first
    and will be with the last
        —I am the One!”

Idolaters Encourage Each Other

5 “The coastlands have looked and are afraid;
    the ends of the earth have drawn near together[g]
        and come forward.
6 Each helps his neighbor,
    saying[h] to each other, ‘Be strong!’
7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
    and the hammersmith[i] encourages the one who strikes the anvil.
He says[j] about the welding, ‘It’s good!’
    and he reinforces it with nails so that it won’t topple.”

The Lord Encourages Israel

8 “But as for you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I’ve chosen,
        the offspring of my friend Abraham—
9 you whom I encouraged from the ends of the earth
    and called from its farthest corners,
and told you, ‘You’re my servant,
    I’ve chosen you
        and haven’t cast you aside.’
10 Don’t be afraid,
    because I’m with you;
don’t be anxious,
    because I am your God.
I keep on strengthening you;
    I’m truly helping you.
I’m surely upholding you
    with my victorious right hand.”

The Coming Defeat of God’s Enemies

11 “Look! All who are enraged at you
    will be put to shame and disgraced;
those who contend with you
    will all die.[k]
12 Those who quarrel with you[l]
    will be as nothing;
those who fight you
    like nothing at all!”

A Call to Courage

13 “For I am the Lord your God,
    who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid.
    I’ll help you.
14 Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob,
    and[m] you insects of Israel!
I myself will help you,’[n] declares the Lord,
    your[o] Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

A Promise of Victory

15 “See, I’m making you[p] into
    a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge.
You’ll thresh and crush the mountains,
    and make the hills like chaff.
16 You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up,
    and a tempest will blow them away.
Then you’ll rejoice in the Lord,
    and[q] you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.”

17 “As for the poor, the needy, those seeking[r] water—
    when there is none
        and their tongues are parched from thirst—
I, the Lord, will answer them.
    I, the God of Israel, won’t abandon them.
18 I’ll open up rivers on the barren heights,
    and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I’ll turn the[s] desert into a pool of water,
    and the parched land into springs of water.
19 I’ll put cedar trees in the wilderness,
    along with acacia, myrtle, and olive trees.
I’ll plant cypresses in the desert—
    box[t] trees, and pine trees together—
20 all so that people may see and recognize,
    perceive,[u] consider, and comprehend at the same time,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
    and that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

Can God’s Enemies Predict the Future?

21 “Put forward your case!” says the Lord.
    “Submit your arguments!” says Jacob’s King.
22 Let them approach and ask us,
    ‘What will happen?
As to the former things, what were they?
    Tell us, so that we may consider them and know.
Or[v] the latter things or the things to come—
        let us hear.
23 Tell us what the future holds,
    so we may know that you are gods!
Yes, do something good or something bad,
    so we may hear[w] and gaze at it together.’”

24 “Look! You and your work are less than nothing;[x]
    whoever finds you pleasing is disgusting.”

25 “You are stirring up[y] one from the north,
    and they are coming[z] from the rising of the sun;
        and[aa] he will be called by his[ab] name.
Rulers will arrive like mud;[ac]
    just[ad] like a potter, he will trample the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,
    so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could ask,
    ‘Is it right?’[ae]
Indeed, no one told of this,
    no one made an announcement,
        and no one heard your words:
27 First, to Zion: “There is slumber.”[af]
    And to Jerusalem: “I’ll send a messenger with good news.”
28 But when I look, there is no one—
    among them there’s no one to give counsel,
        no one to give an answer when I ask them.
29 See, none of them exist, and their deeds are nothing.[ag]
    Their metal images are only wind and confusion.’”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 41:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
  2. Isaiah 41:2 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
  3. Isaiah 41:2 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
  4. Isaiah 41:3 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks and
  5. Isaiah 41:3 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
  6. Isaiah 41:3 So 1QIsaa; MT reads travel
  7. Isaiah 41:5 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads earth tremble
  8. Isaiah 41:6 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read and saying; cf. LXX
  9. Isaiah 41:7 Lit. he who smoothes with the hammer
  10. Isaiah 41:7 So 1QIsaa; MT reads saying
  11. Isaiah 41:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads will become nothing and die; cf. LXX
  12. Isaiah 41:12 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read You will seek them and not find those who quarrel with you
  13. Isaiah 41:14 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
  14. Isaiah 41:14 1QIsaa is masculine; MT is feminine
  15. Isaiah 41:14 1QIsaa is masculine; MT is feminine
  16. Isaiah 41:15 1QIsaa is masculine; MT is feminine
  17. Isaiah 41:16 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
  18. Isaiah 41:17 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read poor and the needy seeking
  19. Isaiah 41:18 So 1QIsaa; MT implies the
  20. Isaiah 41:19 Or elm
  21. Isaiah 41:20 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsaa corrector MT LXX read to consider
  22. Isaiah 41:22 So 1QIsaa; MT reads them. And we may know
  23. Isaiah 41:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads stare at one another; cf. LXX
  24. Isaiah 41:24 So 1QIsaa; MT reads you are nothing, and your work means nothing
  25. Isaiah 41:25 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read I am raising
  26. Isaiah 41:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads I am raising
  27. Isaiah 41:25 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
  28. Isaiah 41:25 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read my
  29. Isaiah 41:25 I.e. like an overflowing river; so 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads He will come, rulers like mud
  30. Isaiah 41:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and
  31. Isaiah 41:26 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads He was right
  32. Isaiah 41:27 So 1QIsaa; MT reads look, there they are
  33. Isaiah 41:29 So 1QIsaa; MT reads all of their works are utterly nothing
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