Isaiah 41

The Helper of Israel

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.

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.

3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,
by a path his feet have not traveled before.

4 Who 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.”

5 The islands have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;

6 each helps the other
and says to his brother, “Be strong!”

7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
and he who smooths with the hammer
spurs on him who strikes the anvil.
He says of the welding, “It is good.”
He nails down the idol so it will not topple.

8 “But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,

9 I 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.

10 So 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.

11 “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.

12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.

13 For I am the Lord, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer, 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.

16 You 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.

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.

18 I 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.

19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set pines in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,

20 so 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.

21 “Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob's King.

22 “Bring in your idols to tell us
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,

23 tell 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.

24 But you are less than nothing
and your works are utterly worthless;
he who chooses you is detestable.

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.

26 Who 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.

27 I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings.

28 I look but there is no one—
no one among them to give counsel,
no one to give answer when I ask them.

29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;
their images are but wind and confusion.

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.