Isaiah 41 – NIV & NIRV

New International Version

Isaiah 41:1-29

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.

New International Reader’s Version

Isaiah 41:1-29

The Lord Helps Israel

1The Lord says, “People who live on the islands,

come and stand quietly in front of me.

Let the nations gain new strength

in order to state their case.

Let them come forward and speak.

Let us go to court and find out who is right.

2“Who has stirred up a king from the east?

Who has helped him win his battles?

I hand nations over to him.

I bring kings under his control.

He turns them into dust with his sword.

With his bow he turns them into straw blowing in the wind.

3He hunts them down. Then he moves on unharmed.

He travels so fast that his feet

don’t seem to touch the ground.

4Who has made that happen? Who has carried it out?

Who has created all the people who have ever lived?

I, the Lord, have done it.

I was with the first of them.

And I will be with the last of them.”

5The people on the islands have seen that king coming.

And it has made them afraid.

People tremble with fear from one end of the earth to the other.

They come and gather together.

6They help one another.

They say to one another, “Be strong!”

7One skilled worker makes a statue of a god.

Another covers it with gold.

The first worker says to the second,

“You have done a good job.”

Another worker smooths out the metal with a hammer.

Still another gives the statue its final shape.

The one who hammers says to the one who shapes,

“You have done a good job.”

Then they nail the statue down so it won’t fall over.

8The Lord says, “People of Israel, you are my servants.

Family of Jacob, I have chosen you.

You are the children of my friend Abraham.

9I gathered you from one end of the earth to the other.

From the farthest places on earth I brought you together.

I said, ‘You are my servants.’

I have chosen you.

I have not turned my back on you.

10So do not be afraid. I am with you.

Do not be terrified. I am your God.

I will make you strong and help you.

I will hold you safe in my hands.

I always do what is right.

11“All those who are angry with you will be put to shame.

And they will be dishonored.

Those who oppose you will be destroyed.

And they will vanish.

12You might search for your enemies.

But you will not find them.

Those who go to war against you

will completely disappear.

13I am the Lord your God.

I take hold of your right hand.

I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid.

I will help you.’

14Family of Jacob, you are as weak as a worm.

But do not be afraid.

People of Israel, there are only a few of you.

But do not be afraid.

I myself will help you,” announces the Lord.

He is the one who sets his people free.

He is the Holy One of Israel.

15He says, “I will make you into a threshing sled.

It will be new and sharp.

It will have many teeth.

You will grind the mountains down and crush them.

You will turn the hills into nothing but straw.

16You will toss them in the air.

A strong wind will catch them and blow them away.

You will be glad because I will make that happen.

You will praise me.

I am the Holy One of Israel.

17“Those who are poor and needy search for water.

But there isn’t any.

Their tongues are dry because they are thirsty.

But I will help them. I am the Lord.

I will not desert them.

I am Israel’s God.

18I will make streams flow on the bare hilltops.

I will make springs come up in the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water.

I will turn the dry and cracked ground into flowing springs.

19I will make trees grow in the desert.

I will plant cedar and acacia trees there.

I will plant myrtle and olive trees there.

I will make juniper trees grow in the dry and empty desert.

I will plant fir and cypress trees there.

20Then people will see and know

that my powerful hand has done it.

They will consider and understand

that I have created it.

I am the Holy One of Israel.”

21The Lord says to the nations and their gods,

“State your case.”

Jacob’s King says to them,

“Prove your case to me.

22Tell us, you false gods,

what is going to happen.

Tell us what happened in the past.

Then we can check it out

and see if it is really true.

Or announce to us the things that will take place.

23Tell us what will happen in the days ahead.

Then we will know that you are gods.

Do something. It does not matter whether it is good or bad.

Then we will be terrified and filled with fear.

24But you false gods are less than nothing.

Your actions are completely worthless.

I hate it when people worship you.

25“I have stirred up a king

who will come from the north.

He lives in the east.

He will bring honor to me.

He walks all over rulers as if they were mud.

He steps on them just as a potter stomps on clay.

26Which one of you false gods said those things

would happen before they did?

Who told us about them

so we could know them?

Who told us ahead of time?

Who told us so we could say,

‘You are right’?

None of you false gods told us about them.

None of you told us ahead of time.

In fact, no one heard you say anything at all.

27I was the first to tell Zion.

I said, ‘Look! The people of Israel are coming back!’

I sent a messenger to Jerusalem with the good news.

28I look, but there is no one

among the gods that can give me advice.

None of them can answer

when I ask them the simplest question.

29So they are not really gods at all.

What they do does not amount to anything.

They are as useless as wind.