Isaiah 41

Fear Not, I Am the One Who Helps You

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Be Renewed Toward Me, Islands

41:1“Be renewed toward Me, islands, for rulers will exchange their strength. Let them approach and speak together; then let them announce judgment.

41:2Who roused righteousness from the east, called her to His feet, and she will go? He will set her before nations, astonish kings, and put their swords into the earth and their bows like brushwood driven away.

41:3He will pursue them, and the way of his feet will pass through in peace.

41:4Who acted and did these things? He called her, the One calling her from the generations’ beginning: I, God, am first, and for the things coming I am.

41:5Nations saw and feared; the earth’s extremities drew near and came together,

41:6each deciding to help his neighbor and brother, and he will say,

41:7‘A craftsman grew strong, and a smith striking with a hammer while also beating out the work.’ At one time he will say, ‘The joining is good.’ They strengthened them with nails; they will set them in place, and they will not move.

41:8But you, Israel, My servant Jacob whom I chose, offspring of Abraham whom I loved,

Called from the Earth’s Extremities

41:9whom I took hold of from the earth’s extremities, and from its lookout heights called you and said, ‘You are My servant; I chose you and did not abandon you’—

41:10do not fear, for I am with you; do not wander, for I am your God who strengthened you. I helped you and secured you with My righteous right hand.

41:11Look, all opposing you will be ashamed and abashed, for all your adversaries will be as though they did not exist and will perish.

41:12You will seek them but certainly not find the people who insult you. For those warring against you will be as though they did not exist, and will not exist.

I Am Your God Who Holds Your Right Hand

41:13For I am your God who holds your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear,

41:14Jacob, little Israel. I helped you,’ says God who redeems you, Israel.

41:15Look, I made you like new, saw-toothed wagon wheels for threshing. You will thresh mountains, grind hills fine, and make them like dust.

41:16You will winnow, and wind will take them and a storm scatter them. But you will rejoice among Israel’s holy ones. And they will exult—

The Poor and Needy Will Seek Water

41:17the poor and needy. For they will seek water, and there will be none; their tongue dried from thirst. I am the Lord God; I will listen, the God of Israel, and will not abandon them,

41:18but will open rivers on mountains and springs amid plains. I will make the wilderness marshes and the thirsty land watercourses,

41:19and will place cedar, box tree, myrtle, cypress, and white poplar in the waterless land,

41:20so that they may see and know, consider and understand together that the Lord’s hand did all these things and Israel’s Holy One displayed them.

The Gods Challenged to Foretell

41:21Your judgment draws near, says the Lord God; your plans have drawn near, says Jacob’s King.

41:22Let them approach and announce to you what will happen. Or say what the former things were, and we will apply our mind and know what the last things are; tell us also the coming things.

41:23Announce to us the things coming at the end, and we will know that you are gods. Do good and cause harm, and we will marvel and see together.

41:24For where are you from, and where is your work from? From the earth! They chose you as an abomination.

I Roused the One from the North

41:25But I roused the one from the north and the one from the sun’s rising; they will be called by My name. Let rulers come, and like a potter’s clay, as a potter tramples clay, so you will be trampled.

41:26For who will announce the things from the beginning so we may know, and the earlier things so we may say, ‘They are true’? There is no one predicting, nor anyone hearing your words.

41:27I will give Zion a beginning and comfort Jerusalem for a journey.

41:28For look, there is no one from the nations, and none among their idols was an announcer. If I ask them, ‘Where are you from?’ they will certainly not answer Me.

41:29For there are those making you, and those misleading you do so in vain.”

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.