Isaiah
Chapter 41
1 Stay quiet before me, islands; and let the people get their strength back: let them approach; then let them talk: let’s come close to make a decision together.
2 Who brought the good man from the east, called him to follow, handed nations to him, and let him govern kings? He made them like dust to his sword and like scattered straw to his bow.
3 He chased them and went safely on a path where he had never walked before.
4 Who has made and done this, calling the generations from the start? I, God, the first, and with the last; I am the one.
5 The islands saw it and were scared; the farthest parts of the earth felt fear, moved closer, and arrived.
6 They each helped their neighbor and said to their brother, “Have courage.”
7 The carpenter cheered on the goldsmith, and the one who hammered helped the one at the anvil, saying, “It’s ready to be soldered.” Then he nailed it down so it wouldn’t move.
8 You, Israel, are my servant, you are Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendant of Abraham, my friend.
9 I have brought you from the farthest parts of the earth, called you from its leaders, and said to you, ‘You are my servant; I have chosen you and not rejected you.’
10 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be upset, for I am your God. I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; indeed, I will support you with my righteous right hand.
11 Look, all who were angry with you will feel shame and be embarrassed; they will become nothing, and those who fight you will be destroyed.
12 You will look for them, but you won’t find them—those who fought against you. Those who wage war against you will be nothing, like something that doesn’t exist.
13 I, God, will hold your right hand and say to you, do not be afraid; I will help you.
14 Don’t be afraid, Jacob, you weak people of Israel; I will help you, says God, your savior, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Look, I will make you into a new sharp tool with teeth for threshing: you will crush the mountains, break them into pieces, and turn the hills into dust.
16 You will scatter them with a fan, and the wind will take them away; the storm will spread them out. And you will be happy with God, celebrating the Holy One of Israel.
17 When the poor and needy look for water and find none, and they are too thirsty to speak, I, God, will listen to them, I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
18 I will create rivers on the mountains and springs in the valleys; I will turn the desert into a place with pools of water, and the dry ground into sources of water.
19 I will put cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees in the wild; I will place fir, pine, and cypress trees together in the desert.
20 So they can see, know, think about, and understand that God has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has made it.
21 Explain your case, says God; present your best arguments, says the King of Jacob.
22 Let them present and tell us what will happen: show us past events, so we can think about them and understand their outcomes; or tell us about the future.
23 Show us what will happen in the future so we may know you are gods. Do something, good or bad, so we will be amazed and see it together.
24 Look, you are nothing, and your work is worthless; anyone who chooses you is detestable.
25 I have brought up someone from the north, and he will come; from where the sun rises, he will call on my name: and he will crush leaders as if they were mortar, just like a potter steps on clay.
26 Who has told us from the start, so we can know? And in advance, so we can say, He is good? Truly, no one shows it, no one announces it, no one hears your words.
27 The first will tell Zion, “Look, here they are.” And I will send to Jerusalem someone who brings good news.
28 I looked, and there was no one; no one was there to advise or answer my questions.
29 Look, they are all useless; their deeds are worth nothing: their metal idols are just air and chaos.