[1] Come quietly before me, O sea-lands, and let the peoples get together
their strength: let them come near; then let them say what they have to
say: let us put forward our cause against one another. [2] Who sent out
from the east one who is right wherever he goes? he gives the nations into
his hands, and makes him ruler over kings; he gives them as the dust to his
sword, as dry stems before the wind to his bow. [3] He goes after them
safely, not touching the road with his feet. [4] Whose purpose and work was
it? His who sent out the generations from the start. I the Lord, the first,
and with the last, I am he. [5] The sea-lands saw it, and were in fear; the
ends of the earth were shaking: they came near. [6] They gave help everyone
to his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Take heart! [7] So the
metal-worker put heart into the gold-worker, and he who was hammering the
metal smooth said kind words to the iron-worker, saying of the plate, It is
ready: and he put it together with nails, so that there might be no
slipping. [8] But as for you, Israel, my servant, and you, Jacob, whom I
have taken for myself, the seed of Abraham my friend: [9] You whom I have
taken from the ends of the earth, and sent for from its farthest parts,
saying to you, You are my servant, whom I have taken for myself, and whom I
have not given up: [10] Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking
about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will
be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support. [11] Truly,
all those who are angry with you will be made low and put to shame: those
desiring to do you wrong will come to nothing and never again be seen. [12]
You will make search for your haters but they will not be there; those who
make war against you will be as nothing and will come to destruction. [13]
For I, the Lord your God, have taken your right hand in mine, saying to
you, Have no fear; I will be your helper. [14] Have no fear, you worm
Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will be your helper, says the Lord, even he
who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel. [15] See, I will make you
like a new grain-crushing instrument with teeth, crushing the mountains
small, and making the hills like dry stems. [16] You will send the wind
over them, and it will take them away; they will go in all directions
before the storm-wind: you will have joy in the Lord, and be glad in the
Holy One of Israel. [17] The poor and crushed are looking for water where
no water is, and their tongue is dry for need of it: I the Lord will give
ear to their prayer, I the God of Israel will not give them up. [18] I will
make rivers on the dry mountain-tops, and fountains in the valleys: I will
make the waste land a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
[19] I will put in the waste land the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and
the olive-tree; and in the lowland will be planted the fir-tree, the plane,
and the cypress together: [20] So that they may see and be wise and give
their mind to it, and that it may be clear to them all that the hand of the
Lord has done this, and that the Holy One of Israel has made it. [21] Put
forward your cause, says the Lord; let your strong argument come out, says
the King of Jacob. [22] Let the future be made clear to us: give us news of
the past things, so that we may give thought to them; or of the things to
come, so that we may see if they are true. [23] Give us word of what will
be after this, so that we may be certain that you are gods: yes, do good or
do evil, so that we may all see it and be surprised. [24] But you are
nothing, and your work is of no value: foolish is he who takes you for his
gods. [25] I have sent for one from the north, and from the dawn he has
come; in my name he will get rulers together and go against them; they will
be like dust, even as the wet earth is stamped on by the feet of the
potter. [26] Who has given knowledge of it from the first, so that we may
be certain of it? and from the start, so that we may say, His word is true?
There is no one who gives news, or says anything, or who gives ear to your
words. [27] I was the first to give word of it to Zion, and I gave the good
news to Jerusalem. [28] And I saw that there was no man, even no wise man
among them, who might give an answer to my questions. [29] Truly they are
all nothing, their works are nothing and of no value: their metal images
are of no more use than wind.
