Isaiah 41

Israel Encouraged

1“1Coastlands, listen to Me 2in silence, And let the peoples 3gain new strength; 4Let them come forward, then let them speak; 5Let us come together for judgment.26Who has aroused one from the east Whom He 7calls in righteousness to His 8feet? He 9delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like 10dust with his sword, As the wind-driven 11chaff with his bow.3He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been 12traversing with his feet.413Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘14I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. 15I am He.’”

5The 16coastlands have seen and are afraid; The 17ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.6Each one helps his neighbor And says to his brother, “Be strong!”7So the 18craftsman encourages the 19smelter, 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, 20So that it will not totter.8“But you, Israel, 21My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of 22Abraham My 23friend,9You whom I have 2425taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its 26remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are 27My servant, I have 28chosen you and not rejected you.10Do not 29fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely 30I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous 31right hand.’11Behold, 32all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; 33Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.1234You 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, 35who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘36Do not fear, I will help you.’14Do not fear, you 37worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the Lord, “38and 39your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.15Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; 40You will thresh the 41mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.16You will 42winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will 43rejoice in the Lord, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17“The 44afflicted and needy are seeking 45water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, 46will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I 47will not forsake them.18I will open 48rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make 49the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.19I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the 50myrtle and the 51olive tree; I will place the 52juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress,20That 53they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the 54hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21“55Present your case,” the Lord says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The 56King of Jacob says.2257Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the 58former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming;2359Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, 60do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.24Behold, 61you are of 62no account, And 63your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an 64abomination.

25“I have aroused 65one 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 66mortar, Even as the potter treads clay.”26Who has 67declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? Surely there was 68no one who declared, Surely there was no one who proclaimed, Surely there was no one who heard your words.27“69Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a 70messenger of good news.’28But 71when I look, there is no one, And there is no 72counselor 73among them Who, if I ask, can 74give an answer.29Behold, all of them are 75false; Their 76works are 77worthless, Their molten images are 78wind and emptiness.