Isaiah 41-42

American Standard Version

41 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the peoples renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment. ² Who hath raised up one from the east, ^[a]whom he calleth in righteousness to his foot? he giveth nations before him, and maketh him rule over kings; ^[b]he giveth them as the dust to his sword, as the driven stubble to his bow. ³ He pursueth them, and passeth on safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet. ⁴ Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he. ⁵ The isles have seen, and fear; the ends of the earth tremble; they draw near, and come. ⁶ They help every one his neighbor; and every one saith to his brother, Be of good courage. ⁷ So the carpenter encourageth the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good; and he fasteneth it with nails, that it should not be moved.

⁸ But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend, ⁹ thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away; ¹⁰ fear thou not, for I am with thee; ^[c]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. ¹¹ Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be put to shame and confounded: they that strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish. ¹² Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contend with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. ¹³ For I, Jehovah thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. ¹⁴ Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and ^[d]thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁵ Behold, I have made thee to be a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. ¹⁶ Thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁷ The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I, Jehovah, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. ¹⁸ I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. ¹⁹ I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the ^[e]oil-tree; I will set in the desert the ^[f]fir-tree, the ^[g]pine, and the box-tree together: ²⁰ that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

²¹ Produce your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. ²² Let them bring forth, and declare unto us what shall happen: declare ye the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or show us things to come. ²³ Declare the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may ^[h]be dismayed, and behold it together. ²⁴ Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work is of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you.

²⁵ I have raised up one from the north, and he is come; from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name: and he shall come upon ^[i]rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay. ²⁶ Who hath declared it from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is right? yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that showeth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. ²⁷ I am the first that saith unto Zion, Behold, behold them; and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. ²⁸ And when I look, there is no man: even among them there is no counsellor, that, when I ask of them, can answer a word. ^29 [j]Behold, all of them, their works are vanity and nought; their molten images are wind and confusion.

42 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the ^[k]Gentiles. ² He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. ³ A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth. ⁴ He will not ^[l]fail nor be ^[m]discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.

⁵ Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: ⁶ I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will ^[n]keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; ⁷ to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. ⁸ I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. ⁹ Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

¹⁰ Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. ¹¹ Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. ¹² Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands. ¹³ Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man; he will stir up his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies.

¹⁴ I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will ^[o]gasp and pant together. ¹⁵ I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools. ¹⁶ And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, ^[p]and I will not forsake them. ¹⁷ They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, Ye are our gods.

¹⁸ Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. ¹⁹ Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I send? who is blind as he that is ^[q]at peace with me, and blind as Jehovah’s servant? ²⁰ Thou seest many things, but thou observest not; his ears are open, but he heareth not. ²¹ It pleased Jehovah, for his righteousness’ sake, to ^[r]magnify the law, and make it honorable. ²² But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

²³ Who is there among you that will give ear to this? that will hearken and hear for the time to come? ²⁴ Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not Jehovah? he against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, neither were they obedient unto his ^[s]law. ²⁵ Therefore he poured upon him the fierceness of his anger, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.