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The Lord Controls Human Events

41 Be silent and listen,
    every island in the sea.
Have courage and come near,
    every one of you nations.
Let's settle this matter!
Who appointed this ruler
    from the east?[a]
Who puts nations and kings
    in his power?[b]
His sword and his arrows
turn them to dust
    blown by the wind.
He goes after them so quickly
that his feet
    barely touch the ground—
he doesn't even get hurt.

Who makes these things happen?
Who controls human events?
    I do! I am the Lord.
I was there at the beginning;
    I will be there at the end.
Islands and foreign nations
saw what I did and trembled
    as they came near.

What Can Idols Do?

Worshipers of idols
comfort each other,
    saying, “Don't worry!”
Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,
    and other workers[c]
encourage one another and say,
    “We've done a great job!”
Then they nail the idol down,
    so it won't fall over.

The Lord's Chosen Servant

(A) Israel, you are my servant.
I chose you, the family
    of my friend Abraham.
From far across the earth
    I brought you here and said,
“You are my chosen servant.
    I haven't forgotten you.”

10 Don't be afraid. I am with you.
Don't tremble with fear.
    I am your God.
I will make you strong,
as I protect you with my arm
    and give you victories.
11 Everyone who hates you
    will be terribly disgraced;
those who attack
    will vanish into thin air.
12 You will look around
    for those brutal enemies,
but you won't find them—
    they will be gone.

13 I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
    so don't be afraid.
I am here to help you.

14 People of Israel, don't worry,
though others may say,
    “Israel is only a worm!”
I am the holy God of Israel,
    who saves and protects you.
15 I will let you be like a log
    covered with sharp spikes.[d]
You will grind and crush
every mountain and hill[e]
    until they turn to dust.
16 A strong wind will scatter them
    in all directions.
Then you will celebrate
and praise me, your Lord,
    the holy God of Israel.

The Lord Helps the Poor

17 When the poor and needy
are dying of thirst
    and cannot find water,
I, the Lord God of Israel,
will come to their rescue.
    I won't forget them.
18 I will make rivers flow
    on mountain peaks.
I will send streams
    to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land
will flow with springs
    and become a lake.
19 I will fill the desert
    with all kinds of trees—
cedars, acacias, and myrtles;
olive and cypress trees;
    fir trees and pines.
20 Everyone will see this
    and know that I,
the holy Lord God of Israel,
    created it all.

Idols Are Useless

21 I am the Lord,
    the King of Israel!
Come argue your case with me.
    Present your evidence.
22 Come near me, you idols.[f]
Tell us about the past,
    and we will think about it.
Tell us about the future,
so we will know
    what is going to happen.
23 Prove that you are gods
by making your predictions
    come true.
Do something good or evil,
so we can be amazed
    and terrified.[g]
24 You idols are nothing,
    and you are powerless.[h]
To worship you
    would be disgusting.

25 I, the Lord, appointed a ruler
    in the north;
now he comes from the east
    to honor my name.
He tramples[i] kings like mud,
    as potters trample clay.[j]
26 Did any of you idols predict
    what would happen?
Did any of you get it right?
None of you told about this
    or even spoke a word.
27 I was the first to tell
the people of Jerusalem,
    “Look, it's happening!”[k]
I was the one who announced
    this good news to Zion.

28 None of these idols
are able to give advice
    or answer questions.
29 They are nothing,[l]
    and they can do nothing—
they are merely
    a passing breeze.

The Lord's Servant

42 (B)(C) Here is my servant!
    I have made him strong.
He is my chosen one;
    I am pleased with him.
I have given him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
    to the nations.
He won't shout or yell
    or call out in the streets.
He won't break off a bent reed
    or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure
    that justice is done.
He won't quit or give up
until he brings justice
    everywhere on earth,
and people in foreign nations
    long for his teaching.

(D) I am the Lord God.
I created the heavens
    like an open tent above.
I made the earth and everything
    that grows on it.
I am the source of life
for all who live on this earth,
    so listen to what I say.
(E) I chose you to bring justice,
    and I am here at your side.
I selected you and sent you[m]
    to bring light
and my promise of hope
    to the nations.
You will give sight
    to the blind;
you will set prisoners free
    from dark dungeons.

My name is the Lord!
I won't let idols or humans
    share my glory and praise.
Everything has happened
    just as I said it would;
now I will announce
    what will happen next.

Sing Praises to the Lord

10 Tell the whole world to sing
    a new song to the Lord!
Tell those who sail the ocean
and those who live far away
    to join in the praise.
11 Tell the tribes of the desert
and everyone in the mountains[n]
    to celebrate and sing.
12 Let them announce
    his praises everywhere.
13 The Lord is marching out
    like an angry soldier,
shouting with all his might
    while attacking his enemies.

The Lord Will Help His People

14 For a long time, I, the Lord,
    have held my temper;
now I will cry out and groan
    like a woman giving birth.
15 I will destroy the mountains
    and what grows on them;
I will dry up rivers and ponds.

16 I will lead the blind on roads
    they have never known;
I will guide them on paths
    they have never traveled.
Their road is dark and rough,
    but I will give light
to keep them from stumbling.
    This is my solemn promise.

17 Everyone who worships idols
as though they were gods
    will be terribly ashamed.

God's People Won't Obey

18 You people are deaf and blind,
but the Lord commands you
    to listen and to see.
19 No one is as blind or deaf
as his messenger,
    his chosen servant,
20 who sees and hears so much,
    but pays no attention.

21 The Lord always does right,
and so he wanted his Law
    to be greatly praised.[o]
22 But his people were trapped
and imprisoned in holes
    with no one to rescue them.
All they owned had been taken,
and no one was willing
    to give it back.
23 Why won't his people
    ever learn to listen?

24 Israel sinned and refused
to obey the Lord
    or follow his instructions.
So the Lord let us be robbed
    of everything we owned.
25 He was furious with us
and punished our nation
    with the fires of war.
Still we paid no attention.
    We didn't even care
when we were surrounded
    and scorched by flames.

Footnotes

  1. 41.2 ruler from the east: Probably Cyrus (see 44.28; 45.1; 48.14).
  2. 41.2 Who puts … power: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 41.7 and other workers: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. 41.15 I will let … sharp spikes: In ancient times a heavy object was sometimes dragged over wheat or barley to separate the grain from the husk. This was called threshing.
  5. 41.15 mountain and hill: These stand for the power and pride of Israel's enemies.
  6. 41.22 Come near … idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. 41.23 and terrified: Or “when we see it.”
  8. 41.24 powerless: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  9. 41.25 tramples: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  10. 41.25 trample clay: This was done to soften the clay and make it easier to shape.
  11. 41.27 Look … happening: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  12. 41.29 nothing: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  13. 42.6 I selected … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  14. 42.11 desert … mountains: The Hebrew text includes the place names of Kedar in the desert and Sela in the mountains.
  15. 42.21 greatly praised: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21.

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