Isaiah 41

The Lord Challenges the Nations

1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands!t
Let the nations find renewed strength!
Let them approach and then speak;
let us come together for debate!t

2 Who stirs up this one from the east?s
Whot officially commissions him for service?t
He hands nations over to him,t
and enables him to subduet kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow.s

3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed;t
he advances with great speed.t

4 Who acts and carries out decrees?t
Whot 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.t

5 The coastlandst see and are afraid;
the whole eartht trembles;
they approach and come.

6 They help one another;t
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’

7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encouragest the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding,t
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,t

9 you whom I am bringing backt 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!t
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!t

11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversariest will be reduced to nothingt and perish.

12 When you will look for your opponents,t you will not find them;
your enemiest 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,t
men oft Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your protector,t the Holy One of Israel.s

15 “Look, I am making you liket a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged.t
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw.s

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;t
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 desert 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 desert.

20 I will do this sot peoplet will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s powert has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.”t

The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,”t says Jacob’s king.s

22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,t
so we may examine themt and see how they were fulfilled.t
Or decree for us some future events!

23 Predict how future events will turn out,t
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe.st

24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;
the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting.t

25 I have stirred up one out of the norths and he advances,
one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name.t
He steps ont 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 itt 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!’t
I sent a herald to Jerusalem.s

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,s
their accomplishments are nonexistent;
their metal images lack any real substance.t

ISAIAH 41

The [Lord] Controls //Human Events

1 Be silent and listen,
every island in the sea.
Have courage and come near,
every one of you nations.
Let's settle this matter!

2 Who appointed this ruler
from the east?t
Who puts nations and kings
in his power?t
His sword and his arrows
turn them to dust
blown by the wind.

3 He goes after them so quickly
that his feet
barely touch the ground—
he doesn't even get hurt.

4 Who makes these things happen?
Who controls human events?
I do! I am the [Lord].
I was there at the beginning;
I will be there at the end.

5 Islands and foreign nations
saw what I did and trembled
as they came near.

What Can Idols Do?

6 Worshipers of idols
comfort each other,
saying, “Don't worry!”

7 Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,
and other workerst
encourage one another and say,
“We've done a great job!”
Then they nail the idol down,
so it won't fall over.

The [Lord]'s Chosen Servant

8  t Israel, you are my servant.
I chose you, the family
of my friend Abraham.

9 From far across the earth
I brought you here and said,
“You are my chosen servant.
I haven't forgotten you.”

10 Don't be afraid. I am with you.
Don't tremble with fear.
I am your God.
I will make you strong,
as I protect you with my arm
and give you victories.

11 Everyone who hates you
will be terribly disgraced;
those who attack
will vanish into thin air.

12 You will look around
for those brutal enemies,
but you won't find them—
they will be gone.

13 I am the [Lord] your God.
I am holding your hand,
so don't be afraid.
I am here to help you.

14 People of Israel, don't worry,
though others may say,
“Israel is only a worm!”
I am the holy God of Israel,
who saves and protects you.

15 I will let you be like a log
covered with sharp spikes.t
You will grind and crush
every mountain and hillt
until they turn to dust.

16 A strong wind will scatter them
in all directions.
Then you will celebrate
and praise me, your [Lord],
the holy God of Israel.

The [Lord] Helps the Poor

17 When the poor and needy
are dying of thirst
and cannot find water,
I, the [Lord] God of Israel,
will come to their rescue.
I won't forget them.

18 I will make rivers flow
on mountain peaks.
I will send streams
to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land
will flow with springs
and become a lake.

19 I will fill the desert
with all kinds of trees—
cedars, acacias, and myrtles;
olive and cypress trees;
fir trees and pines.

20 Everyone will see this
and know that I,
the holy [Lord] God of Israel,
created it all.

Idols Are Useless

21 I am the [Lord],
the King of Israel!
Come argue your case with me.
Present your evidence.

22 Come near me, you idols.t
Tell us about the past,
and we will think about it.
Tell us about the future,
so we will know
what is going to happen.

23 Prove that you are gods
by making your predictions
come true.
Do something good or evil,
so we can be amazed
and terrified.t

24 You idols are nothing,
and you are powerless.t
To worship you
would be disgusting.

25 I, the [Lord], appointed a ruler
in the north;
now he comes from the east
to honor my name.
He tramplest kings like mud,
as potters trample clay.t

26 Did any of you idols predict
what would happen?
Did any of you get it right?
None of you told about this
or even spoke a word.

27 I was the first to tell
the people of Jerusalem,
“Look, it's happening!”t
I was the one who announced
this good news to Zion.

28 None of these idols
are able to give advice
or answer questions.

29 They are nothing, t
and they can do nothing—
they are merely
a passing breeze.