Isaiah 41:2-23

21Who has aroused one from the east Whom He 2calls in righteousness to His 3feet? He 4delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like 5dust with his sword, As the wind-driven 6chaff with his bow.3He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been 7traversing with his feet.48Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘9I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. 10I am He.’”

5The 11coastlands have seen and are afraid; The 12ends 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 13craftsman encourages the 14smelter, 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, 15So that it will not totter.8“But you, Israel, 16My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of 17Abraham My 18friend,9You whom I have 1920taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its 21remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are 22My servant, I have 23chosen you and not rejected you.10Do not 24fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely 25I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous 26right hand.’11Behold, 27all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; 28Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.1229You 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, 30who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘31Do not fear, I will help you.’14Do not fear, you 32worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the Lord, “33and 34your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.15Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; 35You will thresh the 36mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.16You will 37winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will 38rejoice in the Lord, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17“The 39afflicted and needy are seeking 40water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, 41will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I 42will not forsake them.18I will open 43rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make 44the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.19I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the 45myrtle and the 46olive tree; I will place the 47juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress,20That 48they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the 49hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21“50Present your case,” the Lord says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The 51King of Jacob says.2252Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the 53former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming;2354Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, 55do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.