1Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. 2Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.41.2 the righteous…: Heb. righteousness 3He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.41.3 safely: Heb. in peace 4Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. 5The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. 6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.41.6 Be…: Heb. Be strong 7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.41.7 goldsmith: or, founder41.7 him…: or, the smiting41.7 saying…: or, saying of the soder, It is good 8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. 9Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men 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. 11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.41.11 they that strive…: Heb. the men of thy strife 12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.41.12 them that…: Heb. the men of thy contention41.12 they…: Heb. the men of thy war 13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. 14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.41.14 men: or, few men 15Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.41.15 teeth: Heb. mouths 16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: 20That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.41.21 Produce: Heb. Cause to come near 22Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.41.22 consider…: Heb. set our heart upon them 23Shew 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. 24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.41.24 of nothing: or, worse than nothing41.24 of nought: or, worse than of a viper 25I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay. 26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. 27The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. 28For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.41.28 answer: Heb. return 29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
上帝是以色列的幫助
1上帝說：「眾海島啊，
要在我面前安靜！
讓眾民重新拿出勇力，
讓他們前來說話，
讓我們一起來理論。
2「誰使一人從東方興起？
誰憑公義把他召到跟前？
誰把列國交給他，
使他征服列國的君王，
用刀將他們化為塵土，
用弓將他們淪為風吹的碎稭？
3他追趕他們，
安然走過從未踏足之路。
4誰成就了這事？
誰在太初就掌管歷史的方向？
是我耶和華，
我太初就在那裡，
末了也在那裡。
5「眾海島看見我的作為就害怕，
地極也顫抖，
他們都上前來，
6彼此幫助，
互相勉勵說，『要剛強！』
7工匠鼓勵銀匠，
打磨的勉勵打砧的，
說，『打得好！』
他們用釘子把偶像釘牢，免得搖晃。
8「然而，以色列啊，你是我的僕人；
雅各啊，你是我揀選的，
是我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔。
9我把你從地極帶來，
從遙遠的角落召來。
我對你說，『你是我的僕人，
我揀選了你，沒有丟棄你。
10我是你的上帝，我必與你同在，
你不用驚慌也不用害怕。
我必賜你力量，幫助你，
用我公義的右手扶持你。』
11「看啊，向你發怒的人必抱愧蒙羞；
與你為敵的人都要滅亡，
歸於無有。
12你尋找與你相爭的人，
卻找不到；
與你爭戰的人必歸於無有。
13因為我是你的上帝耶和華，
我必拉著你的右手對你說，
『不要怕，我必幫助你。』
14「如蛆如蟲的雅各啊，以色列人啊，不要怕！
我耶和華必幫助你。
以色列的聖者是你的救贖主。
15看啊，我要使你成為一具簇新、
帶許多利齒的打穀器。
你要打爛高山，
使丘陵碎如糠秕。
16你要簸它們，讓風吹散它們，
讓狂風捲走它們。
但你要以耶和華為喜樂，
以以色列的聖者為榮耀。
17「貧窮困苦的人找不到水喝，
他們口乾舌燥。
但我耶和華必應允他們的呼求，
我——以色列的上帝不會撇棄他們。
18我要使光禿的山嶺上江河奔流，
山谷中泉水湧流；
我要使沙漠變成水塘，
使乾地冒出泉水。
19我要在曠野栽香柏樹、
皂莢樹、番石榴樹和橄欖樹。
我要在沙漠種松樹、杉樹和黃楊樹。
20人一看就知道，
一想就明白，
這是耶和華親手成就的，
是以色列的聖者創造的。」
21耶和華對偶像說：
「陳明你們的理由。」
雅各的王說：
「拿出你們的證據吧。」
22告訴我們將要發生的事，
給我們說說以前發生的事，
我們好思想，以便明白事情的結局。
向我們宣告將來的事，
23告訴我們以後會發生什麼，
好叫我們知道你們是神明。
不論降福降禍，顯顯身手吧，
好叫我們一同驚懼！
24看啊，你們實在算不得什麼，
你們所做的毫無意義，
拜你們的人真是可憎！
25「我使一人從北方興起，
他來了，
他在東方求告我的名。
他必把掌權者像灰泥一樣踏在腳下，
像窯匠踩泥一樣踐踏。
26誰從太初就宣告這事，讓我們知道呢？
誰預先講明這事，讓我們說他能未卜先知呢？
誰也沒有說過，
誰也沒有預言過，
誰也沒有聽見你們說過什麼。
27是我首先把這件事告訴錫安，
我要給耶路撒冷一個報好消息的使者。
28我看了看，沒有出謀劃策的。
我問話，沒有一個回答。
29看啊，它們全是假的，
毫無作為，虛空如風。
