The Helper of Israel
1“Be silent before me, you islands!
Let the nations renew their strength!
Let them come forward and speak;
let us meet together at the place of judgment.
2“Who has stirred up one from the east,
calling him in righteousness to his service41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step?
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to windblown chaff with his bow.
3He pursues them and moves on unscathed,
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4Who has done this and carried it through,
calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last—I am he.”
5The islands have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!”
7The metalworker encourages the goldsmith,
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.
8“But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11“All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.
16You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale will blow them away.
But you will rejoice in the Lord
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17“The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
19I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
20so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21“Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22“Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.
Tell us what the former things were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,
23tell us what the future holds,
so we may know that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,
so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.
24But you are less than nothing
and your works are utterly worthless;
whoever chooses you is detestable.
25“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold it,
no one heard any words from you.
27I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.
28I look but there is no one—
no one among the gods to give counsel,
no one to give answer when I ask them.
29See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;
their images are but wind and confusion.
Msaidizi Wa Israeli
141:1 Za 37:7; Isa 48:16; 50:8; Hab 2:20; Zek 2:13; Isa 11:11; 1Sam 2:4“Nyamazeni kimya mbele zangu, enyi visiwa!
Mataifa na wafanye upya nguvu zao!
Wao na wajitokeze, kisha waseme,
tukutane pamoja mahali pa hukumu.
241:2 2Sam 22:43; Isa 40:24; Yer 51:11; Ezr 1:2; Isa 44:28; Yer 50:3; 25:9“Ni nani aliyemchochea mmoja kutoka mashariki,
akimwita katika haki kwa utumishi wake?
Huyatia mataifa mikononi mwake,
na kuwatiisha wafalme mbele zake.
Huwafanya kuwa mavumbi kwa upanga wake,
huwafanya makapi yapeperushwayo na upepo kwa upinde wake.
341:3 Dan 8:4Huwafuatia na kuendelea salama,
katika njia ambayo miguu yake haijawahi kupita.
441:4 Isa 48:12; Ufu 22:13; Mdo 15:18; Isa 43:7; Kum 32:29Ni nani aliyefanya jambo hili na kulitimiliza,
akiita vizazi tangu mwanzo?
Mimi, Bwana, ni wa kwanza
nami nitakuwa pamoja na wa mwisho:
mimi Bwana ndiye.”
541:5 Eze 26:17-18; Kum 30:4; Isa 11:11-12Visiwa vimeliona na kuogopa,
miisho ya dunia inatetemeka.
Wanakaribia na kuja mbele,
641:6 Isa 1:6kila mmoja humsaidia mwingine
na kusema kwa ndugu yake, “Uwe hodari!”
741:7 Isa 40:19; 44:13; Yer 30:3-5Fundi humtia moyo sonara,
yeye alainishaye kwa nyundo
humhimiza yeye agongeaye kwenye fuawe,
Humwambia yeye aunganishaye, “Ni kazi njema.”
Naye huikaza sanamu kwa misumari ili isitikisike.
841:8 Mwa 18:19; Isa 29:22; Neh 9:7; 2Nya 20:7; Yak 2:23; Isa 63:16; Za 136:22“Lakini wewe, ee Israeli, mtumishi wangu,
Yakobo, niliyemchagua,
ninyi wazao wa Abrahamu rafiki yangu,
941:9 Isa 37:16; Kum 7:6; Isa 20:3; 11:12nilikuchukua toka miisho ya dunia,
nilikuita kutoka pembe zake za mbali.
Nilisema, ‘Wewe ni mtumishi wangu’;
nimekuchagua, wala sikukukataa.
1041:10 Kum 3:22; Rum 8:3; Isa 49:8; Yer 30:10; 46:27-28; Ay 40:14; Za 18:35Hivyo usiogope, kwa maana niko pamoja nawe;
usifadhaike, kwa maana mimi ni Mungu wako.
Nitakutia nguvu na kukusaidia;
nitakutegemeza kwa mkono wa kuume wa haki yangu.
1141:11 Isa 17:12; 54:17; Kut 23:22; Isa 29:8; Zek 12:3; Yer 2:3; Isa 29:23“Wote walioona hasira dhidi yako
hakika wataaibika na kutahayarika,
wale wakupingao
watakuwa kama vile si kitu, na kuangamia.
1241:12 Za 37:35-36; Isa 34:12; Ay 7:8; Isa 29:20; 17:14Ingawa utawatafuta adui zako,
hutawaona.
Wale wanaopigana vita dhidi yako
watakuwa kama vile si kitu kabisa.
1341:13 Za 73:23; Isa 42:6; 45:1; 51:18Kwa maana Mimi ndimi Bwana, Mungu wako,
nikushikaye mkono wako wa kuume
na kukuambia, Usiwe na hofu,
nitakusaidia.
1441:14 Ay 4:19; Za 22:6; Kut 15:13; Ay 19:23; Isa 1:27Usiogope, ee Yakobo uliye mdudu,
ee Israeli uliye mdogo,
kwa kuwa Mimi mwenyewe nitakusaidia,” asema Bwana,
Mkombozi wako, yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
1541:15 Ay 41:30; Mik 4:13; Isa 21:10; Kut 19:18; Yer 9:10; Eze 33:28“Tazama, nitakufanya chombo cha kupuria,
kipya na chenye makali, chenye meno mengi.
Utaipura milima na kuiponda
na kuvifanya vilima kuwa kama makapi.
1641:16 Yer 51:2; Isa 45:25; 60:19; Dan 2:35; Yer 15:7; Isa 25:9; Mk 1:24Utaipepeta, nao upepo utaichukua,
dhoruba itaipeperushia mbali.
Bali wewe utajifurahisha katika Bwana
na katika utukufu wa yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
1741:17 Isa 43:20; 35:7; 30:19“Maskini na wahitaji wanatafuta maji,
lakini hayapo,
ndimi zao zimekauka kwa kiu.
Lakini Mimi Bwana nitawajibu,
Mimi, Mungu wa Israeli, sitawaacha.
1841:18 Isa 30:25; 43:19; Ay 38:26; Isa 35:7; 2Fal 3:17Nitaifanya mito itiririke juu ya vilima vilivyo kame,
nazo chemchemi ndani ya mabonde.
Nitaligeuza jangwa liwe mabwawa ya maji,
nayo ardhi iliyokauka kuwa chemchemi za maji.
1941:19 Isa 60:13; Kut 25:10-13; Isa 37:24; 44:14Katika jangwa nitaotesha
mwerezi, mshita, mhadasi na mzeituni.
Nitaweka misunobari, mivinje na misanduku
pamoja huko nyikani,
2041:20 Ay 12:9; Isa 4:5ili kwamba watu wapate kuona na kujua,
wapate kufikiri na kuelewa,
kwamba mkono wa Bwana umetenda hili,
kwamba yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli ndiye alilifanya.”
2141:21 Isa 43:14; 44:6Bwana asema, “Leta shauri lako.
Toa hoja yako,” asema Mfalme wa Yakobo.
2241:22 Isa 48:14; 65:17; Yn 13:19; Isa 43:9; 45:21“Leteni sanamu zenu zituambie
ni nini kitakachotokea.
Tuambieni mambo ya zamani yalikuwa nini,
ili tupate kuyatafakari
na kujua matokeo yake ya mwisho.
Au tutangazieni mambo yatakayokuja,
2341:23 Kum 18:22; Isa 44:7-8; Yer 10:5; Isa 43:5; 2Fal 19:26tuambieni ni nini kitakachotokea baadaye,
ili tupate kujua kuwa ninyi ni miungu.
Fanyeni jambo lolote zuri au baya,
ili tupate kutishika na kujazwa na hofu.
2441:24 Isa 37:19; 1Kor 8:4; Za 115:8; 1Sam 12:21; Isa 48:8Lakini ninyi ni zaidi ya bure kabisa,
na kazi zenu hazifai kitu kabisa;
yeye awachaguaye ni chukizo sana.
2541:25 Yer 51:48; Nah 3:14; 2Sam 22:43; Yer 50:9“Nimemchochea mtu mmoja kutoka kaskazini,
naye yuaja, mmoja toka mawio ya jua aliitaye Jina langu.
Huwakanyaga watawala kana kwamba ni matope,
kama mfinyanzi akanyagavyo udongo wa kufinyangia.
2641:26 Hab 2:18-19; 1Fal 18:26; Isa 52:6Ni nani aliyenena hili tokea mwanzoni, ili tupate kujua,
au kabla, ili tuweze kusema, ‘Alikuwa sawa’?
Hakuna aliyenena hili,
hakuna aliyetangulia kusema hili,
hakuna yeyote aliyesikia maneno kutoka kwenu.
2741:27 Isa 48:3, 16; 40:9Nilikuwa wa kwanza kumwambia Sayuni,
‘Tazama, wako hapa!’
Nilimpa Yerusalemu mjumbe wa habari njema.
2841:28 Eze 22:30; Za 22:11; Isa 40:13-14; 50:2; 59:16; 64:7; Yer 25:4Ninatazama, lakini hakuna yeyote:
hakuna yeyote miongoni mwao awezaye kutoa shauri,
hakuna yeyote wa kutoa jibu wakati ninapowauliza.
2941:29 Yer 5:13; 1Sam 12:21; Isa 37:19Tazama, wote ni ubatili!
Matendo yao ni bure;
vinyago vyao ni upepo mtupu na machafuko.
