25 “To(A) whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
(B)He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.

27 (C)Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
(D)His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who (E)wait on the Lord
(F)Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Israel Assured of God’s Help

41 “Keep (G)silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us (H)come near together for judgment.

“Who raised up one (I)from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who (J)gave 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?
Who pursued them, and passed [a]safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
(K)Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am (L)the first;
And with the last I am (M)He.’ ”

The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
(N)Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
[b]“Be of good courage!”
(O)So the craftsman encouraged the (P)goldsmith;[c]
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, [d]“It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
(Q)That it might not totter.

“But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have (R)chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My (S)friend.
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 (T)Fear not, (U)for 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 (V)ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[e]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 (W)worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, (X)I 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 (Y)winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And (Z)glory 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 (AA)forsake them.
18 I will open (AB)rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the (AC)wilderness 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 (AD)desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
20 (AE)That 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 (AF)King of Jacob.
22 “Let(AG) them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the (AH)former things, what they were,
That we may [f]consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
23 (AI)Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, (AJ)do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed (AK)you 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 [g]rising of the sun (AL)he shall call on My name;
(AM)And he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
26 (AN)Who 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 (AO)The first time (AP)I said to Zion,
‘Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
28 (AQ)For 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 (AR)Indeed they are all [h]worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Behold! (AS)My Servant whom I uphold,
My [i]Elect One in whom My soul (AT)delights!
(AU)I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And [j]smoking flax He will not [k]quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
(AV)And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Thus says God the Lord,
(AW)Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
(AX)Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
“I,(AY) the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You (AZ)and give You as a covenant to the people,
As (BA)a light to the Gentiles,
(BB)To open blind eyes,
To (BC)bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in (BD)darkness from the prison house.
I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My (BE)glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 41:3 Lit. in peace
  2. Isaiah 41:6 Lit. Be strong
  3. Isaiah 41:7 refiner
  4. Isaiah 41:7 Or The soldering is good
  5. Isaiah 41:12 Lit. Men of your strife
  6. Isaiah 41:22 Lit. set our heart on them
  7. Isaiah 41:25 East
  8. Isaiah 41:29 So with MT, Vg.; DSS, Syr., Tg. nothing; LXX omits first line
  9. Isaiah 42:1 Chosen
  10. Isaiah 42:3 dimly burning
  11. Isaiah 42:3 extinguish

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