" aCoastlands, listen to Me bin silence
, And let the peoples
cgain
new
strength
; dLet them come
forward
, then
let them speak
; eLet us come
together
for judgment
.
" aWho has aroused
one from the east
Whom He bcalls
in righteousness
to His 1feet
? He cdelivers
up nations
before
him And subdues
kings
. He makes
them like ddust
with his sword
, As the wind-driven echaff
with his bow
.
"He pursues them, passing
on in safety
, By a way
he had not been 1traversing
with his feet
.
" aWho has performed
and accomplished
it, Calling
forth the generations
from the beginning
? ` bI, the LORD
, am the first
, and with the last
. cI am He.' "
The acoastlands have seen
and are afraid
; The bends
of the earth
tremble
; They have drawn
near
and have come
.
Each one
helps
his neighbor
And says
to his brother
, "Be strong
!"
So the acraftsman encourages
the bsmelter
, And he who smooths
metal with the hammer
encourages him who beats
the anvil
, Saying
of the soldering
, "It is good
"; And he fastens
it with nails
, cSo that it will not totter
.
"But you, Israel, aMy servant
, Jacob
whom
I have chosen
, Descendant
of bAbraham
My cfriend
,
You whom I have 1 ataken
from the ends
of the earth
, And called
from its bremotest
parts
And said
to you, `You are cMy servant
, I have dchosen
you and not rejected
you.
`Do not afear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look
about you, for I am your God
. I will strengthen
you, surely
bI will help
you, Surely
I will uphold
you with My righteous
cright
hand
.'
"Behold, aall
those who are angered
at you will be shamed
and dishonored
; bThose
who
contend
with you will be as nothing
and will perish
.
" aYou will seek those
who
quarrel
with you, but will not find
them, Those
who
war
with you will be as nothing
and non-existent
.
"For I am the LORD your God
, awho upholds
your right
hand
, Who says
to you, ` bDo not fear
, I will help
you.'
"Do not fear, you aworm
Jacob
, you men
of Israel
; I will help
you," declares
the LORD
, " 1and byour Redeemer
is the Holy
One
of Israel
.
"Behold, I have made
you a new
, sharp
threshing
sledge
with double edges
; aYou will thresh
the bmountains
and pulverize
them, And will make
the hills
like chaff
.
"You will awinnow them, and the wind
will carry
them away, And the storm
will scatter
them; But you will brejoice
in the LORD
, You will glory
in the Holy
One
of Israel
.
"The 1afflicted and needy
are seeking
awater
, but there
is none
, And their tongue
is parched
with thirst
; I, the LORD
, bwill answer
them Myself, As the God
of Israel
I cwill not forsake
them.
"I will open arivers
on the bare
heights
And springs
in the midst
of the valleys
; I will make
bthe wilderness
a pool
of water
And the dry
land
fountains
of water
.
"I will put the cedar
in the wilderness
, The acacia
and the amyrtle
and the 1olive
tree
; I will place
the ajuniper
in the desert
Together
with the box
tree
and the cypress
,
That athey may see and recognize
, And consider
and gain
insight
as well
, That the bhand
of the LORD
has done
this
, And the Holy
One
of Israel
has created
it.
" 1Present your case
," the LORD
says
. "Bring
forward
your strong
arguments," The aKing
of Jacob
says
.
aLet them bring forth
and declare
to us what
is going to take
place
; As for the bformer
events, declare
what
they were, That we may consider
them and know
their outcome
. Or
announce
to us what is coming
;
aDeclare the things
that are going to come
afterward
, That we may know
that you are gods
; Indeed
, bdo
good
or evil
, that we may anxiously look
about us and fear
together
.
Behold, ayou are of 1no
account
, And byour work
amounts to nothing
; He who chooses
you is an cabomination
.
"I have aroused aone from the north
, and he has come
; From the rising
of the sun
he will call
on My name
; And he will come
upon rulers
as upon bmortar
, Even as the potter
treads
clay
."
Who has adeclared
this from the beginning
, that we might know
? Or from former
times
, that we may say
, "He is right
!"? Surely
there
was bno
one
who declared
, Surely
there
was no
one
who proclaimed
, Surely
there
was no
one
who heard
your words
.
" aFormerly I said to Zion
, `Behold
, here
they are.' And to Jerusalem
, `I will give
a bmessenger
of good news
.'
"But awhen I look, there
is no
one
, And there
is no
bcounselor
1among
them Who, if I ask
, can cgive
an answer
.
"Behold, all
of them are 1false
; Their aworks
are bworthless
, Their molten
images
are cwind
and emptiness
.