Isaiah 41

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

1God says: Be quiet before me, you islands far across the sea. Let the people rest and get their strength back. Then come close and speak. Let us come together and settle this.

2Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.

2Who stirred up a man from the east and called him to come? God hands whole nations over to him. God puts kings under his rule. His sword turns them into dust. His bow blows them away like dry straw.

3He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

3He chases them and goes on safely. His feet hardly seem to touch the road.

4Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

4Who has done all this? Who has called every family of people, right from the start? I have. I am the LORD. I am the first, and I am there at the end. I am he.

5The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

5The islands saw it and were afraid. People at the far ends of the earth shook with fear. They came close together.

6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

6Each one helped his neighbor. Each one said to his brother, "Be strong!"

7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

7The woodworker cheered on the man who works with gold. The man with the hammer cheered the man pounding the metal. They said about the join, "It is good." Then he nailed it down so it would not tip over.

NoteThese workers are building an idol, a statue people treat as a god. One man shapes the metal by hitting it on a heavy iron block called an anvil.

8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

8But you, Israel, are my servant. Jacob, you are the one I chose. You are the family of Abraham, my friend.

9Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

9I brought you here from the far ends of the earth. I called you from its farthest corners. I said to you, "You are my servant." I chose you. I did not throw you away.

10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

10Do not be afraid. I am with you. Do not be scared. I am your God. I will make you strong. I will help you. I will hold you up with my strong right hand.

11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

11Look, everyone who is angry at you will be ashamed. They will end up as nothing. The people who fight you will be gone.

12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

12You will look for them, but you will not find them. The people who fought you will be gone. They will count for nothing at all.

13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

13I am the LORD your God. I hold your right hand. I say to you, "Do not be afraid. I will help you."

14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

14Do not be afraid, little worm Jacob. Do not be afraid, you few people of Israel. "I will help you," says the LORD. The Holy One of Israel is the one who buys you back.

Note"Buys you back" is what the old word "redeemer" means. In those days, a family member could pay to get a relative out of trouble or out of slavery.

15Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

15Look, I will make you like a new threshing sled with sharp teeth. You will crush the mountains and grind them small. You will make the hills like bits of dry husk.

NoteA threshing sled was a heavy board with sharp teeth. Animals dragged it over grain to break off the outer husks.

16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

16You will toss them up, and the wind will blow them away. A strong storm wind will scatter them. But you will be full of joy in the LORD. You will be proud of the Holy One of Israel.

17When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

17Poor and hungry people look for water and find none. Their tongues are dry with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not leave them.

18I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

18I will make rivers flow on the bare hills. I will make springs bubble up in the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water. I will turn dry ground into flowing springs.

19I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:

19I will plant trees in the desert. I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees. I will put cypress, elm, and boxwood trees in the dry land together.

20That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

20Then people will see it and know. They will think hard about it and understand. The LORD's own hand did this. The Holy One of Israel made it.

21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

21"Tell me your side of this," says the LORD. "Bring your best reasons," says the King of Jacob.

22Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.

22Let them come and tell us what will happen. Let them tell what happened long ago. Then we can think about it and see how it ended. Or let them tell us what is coming next.

23Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

23Tell us what will happen later on. Then we will know that you are gods. Do something good, or do something bad. Then we would all watch and be shaken.

24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

24Look, you are nothing at all. What you do is worth nothing. Anyone who picks you is disgusting.

25I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.

25I stirred up someone from the north, and he is coming. From the east he calls on my name. He will walk over rulers as if they were wet mud. He steps on them like a potter stepping on clay.

26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.

26Who told us this at the start, so we could know? Who said it long before, so we could say, "He was right"? No one told it. No one said it first. No one heard you say a word.

27The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.

27I was the first to tell Zion, another name for Jerusalem, "Look, here they are!" I gave Jerusalem a messenger with good news.

28For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

28I looked, and there was no one there. Not one of them could give any advice. I asked them, and no one could answer a word.

29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

29Look, they are all fake. What they make is worth nothing. Their statues of melted metal are as empty as wind.