Isaiah 41
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New International VersionNew American Standard Bible 1995
1"Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment.1"Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment.
2"Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.2"Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.
3He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before.3"He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.
4Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD--with the first of them and with the last--I am he."4"Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? 'I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.'"
5The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward;5The coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.
6they help each other and say to their companions, "Be strong!"6Each one helps his neighbor And says to his brother, "Be strong!"
7The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, 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.7So the craftsman encourages the 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, So that it will not totter.
8"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,8"But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,
9I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.9You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.10'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
11"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.11"Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.12"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.
13For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.13"For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'
14Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.14"Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15"See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.15"Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.
16You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.16"You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.17"The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.
18I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.18"I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.
19I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together,19"I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress,
20so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.20That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21"Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King.21"Present your case," the LORD says. "Bring forward your strong arguments," The King of Jacob says.
22"Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come,22Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming;
23tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.23Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.
24But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable.24Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
25"I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes-- one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay.25"I have aroused one from the north, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar, Even as the potter treads clay."
26Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, 'He was right'? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you.26Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, "He is right!"? Surely there was no one who declared, Surely there was no one who proclaimed, Surely there was no one who heard your words.
27I was the first to tell Zion, 'Look, here they are!' I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.27"Formerly I said to Zion, 'Behold, here they are.' And to Jerusalem, 'I will give a messenger of good news.'
28I look but there is no one-- no one among the gods to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them.28"But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer.
29See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion.29"Behold, all of them are false; Their works are worthless, Their molten images are wind and emptiness.
New International Version (NIV)

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Isaiah 40
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