| 1 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, whom he calleth in
righteousness to his foot? he giveth nations before him, and maketh him rule
over kings; 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 is 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;
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 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
oil-tree; I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the 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 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 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 Behold,
all of them, their works are vanity and nought; their molten images
are wind and confusion.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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