Israel Assured of God’s Help
“Keep asilence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us bcome near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one afrom the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who bgave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 aWho has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am bthe first;
And with the last I am cHe.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 aEveryone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
“Be of good courage!”
7 aSo the craftsman encouraged the bgoldsmith;
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
cThat it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have achosen,
The descendants of Abraham My bfriend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 aFear not, bfor I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be aashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you aworm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, aI will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall awinnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And bglory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not aforsake them.
18 I will open arivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the bwilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the adesert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
20 aThat they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
The Futility of Idols
21 “Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the aKing of Jacob.
22 “Leta them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the bformer things, what they were,
That we may consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
23 aShow the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, bdo good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed ayou are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.
25 “I have raised up one from the north,
And he shall come;
From the rising of the sun ahe shall call on My name;
bAnd he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
26 aWho has declared from the beginning, that we may know?
And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’?
Surely there is no one who shows,
Surely there is no one who declares,
Surely there is no one who hears your words.
27 aThe first time bI said to Zion,
‘Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
28 aFor I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 aIndeed they are all worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved.