Isaiah 41

1 Keep silent towards Me, O isles, And the peoples pass on to power, They come nigh, then they speak, 'Together — to judgment we draw near.'⋮

2 Who stirred up from the east a righteous one? He calleth him to His foot, He giveth before him nations, And kings He causeth him to rule, He giveth them as dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow.⋮

3 He pursueth them, he passeth over in safety A path with his feet he entereth not.⋮

4 Who hath wrought and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last I am He.⋮

5 Seen have isles and fear, ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, yea, they come.⋮

6 Each his neighbour they help, And to his brother he saith, 'Be strong.'⋮

7 And strengthen doth an artisan the refiner, A smoother with a hammer, Him who is beating on an anvil, Saying, 'For joining it is good,' And he strengtheneth it with nails, it is not moved!⋮

8 — And thou, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham, My lover,⋮

9 Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called thee, And I say to thee, My servant Thou art, I have chosen thee, and not rejected thee.⋮

10 Be not afraid, for with thee I am, Look not around, for I am thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld thee, With the right hand of My righteousness.⋮

11 Lo, all those displeased with thee, They are ashamed and blush, They are as nothing, yea, perish Do the men who strive with thee.⋮

12 Thou seekest them, and findest them not, The men who debate with thee, They are as nothing, yea, as nothing, The men who war with thee.⋮

13 For I, Jehovah thy God, Am strengthening thy right hand, He who is saying to thee, 'Fear not, I have helped thee.'⋮

14 Fear not, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.⋮

15 Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest.⋮

16 Thou winnowest them, and a wind lifteth them up, And a whirlwind scattereth them, And thou — thou rejoicest in Jehovah, In the Holy One of Israel dost boast thyself.⋮

17 The poor and the needy are seeking water, And there is none, Their tongue with thirst hath failed, I, Jehovah do answer them, The God of Israel — I forsake them not.⋮

18 I open on high places rivers, And in midst of valleys fountains, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land become springs of water.⋮

19 I give in a wilderness the cedar, Shittah, and myrtle, and oil-tree, I set in a desert the fir-pine and box-wood together.⋮

20 So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath prepared it.⋮

21 Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.⋮

22 They bring nigh, and declare to us that which doth happen, The first things — what they are declare ye, And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or the coming things cause us to hear.⋮

23 Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye are gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see it together.⋮

24 Lo, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination — it fixeth on you.⋮

25 I have stirred up one from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in on prefects as on clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.⋮

26 Who hath declared from the first, and we know? And beforetime, and we say, 'Righteous?' yea, there is none declaring, Yea, there is none proclaiming, Yea, there is none hearing your sayings.⋮

27 First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,⋮

28 And I see that there is no man, Yea, of these that there is no counsellor, And I ask them, and they return word:⋮

29 'Lo, all of them are vanity, Nought are their works, Wind and emptiness their molten images!'⋮