1 ¶ Listen unto me, O islands; and let the peoples strengthen themselves; let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment.

Keep silence before me, islands; and let the peoples renew strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us draw near together to judgment.

2 W ho raised up righteousness from the east, called him that he might follow him, gave the Gentiles before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow.

Who raised up from the east him whom righteousness calleth to its foot? He gave the nations before him, and caused him to have dominion over kings; he gave them as dust to his sword, as driven stubble to his bow.

3 H e pursued them and passed in peace by the way that his feet had never entered.

He pursued them, he passed on in safety, by a way he had never come with his feet.

4 W ho has wrought and done it? Who calls the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and I, myself am with those who are last.

Who hath wrought and done, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first; and with the last, I HE.

5 T he isles saw it and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid; they congregated and came.

The isles saw, and feared; the ends of the earth trembled: they drew near, and came.

6 E ach one helped his neighbour; and each one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

They helped every one his neighbour, and said to his brother, Take courage.

7 S o the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smooths with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is well joined and he strengthened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

And the artizan encouraged the founder, he that smootheth the hammer him that smiteth on the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good; and he fasteneth it with nails, that it be not moved.

8 B ut thou, Israel, my slave, Jacob whom I have chosen, art the seed of Abraham my friend.

But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend

9 F or I have taken thee from the ends of the earth and called thee from the boundaries thereof and said unto thee Thou shalt be my slave; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

—thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from the extremities thereof, and to whom I said, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not rejected thee,

10 ¶ Do not fear for I am with thee; do not be dismayed, for I am thy God, who strengthens thee; I will help thee always; I will always uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

—Fear not, for I with thee; be not dismayed, for I thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 B ehold, all those that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing; and those that strive with thee shall perish.

Lo, all that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they that strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish.

12 T hou shalt seek them and shalt not find them, even those that contended with thee; those that war against thee shall be as nothing and as a thing of nought.

Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them—them that contend with thee; they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13 F or I am the LORD thy God that holds thy right hand saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

For I, Jehovah, thy God, hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14 F ear not, thou worm Jacob, ye dead of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15 B ehold, I have placed thee as a threshing instrument, as a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Behold, I have made of thee a new sharp threshing instrument having double teeth: thou shalt thresh and beat small the mountains, and shalt make the hills as chaff;

16 T hou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; but thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 T he poor and needy seek the waters that are not; their tongue fails for thirst; I the LORD will hear them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

The afflicted and the needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst: I, Jehovah, will answer them,, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the plains; I will turn the wilderness into pools of water and the dry land into springs of water.

I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into water-springs.

19 I will bring forth in the wilderness cedars, thorns, myrtles, and olive trees; I will set in the desert the fir tree and the pine and the box tree together:

I will give in the wilderness the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and oleaster; I will set in the desert the cypress, pine, and box-tree together;

20 T hat they may see and know and take warning and understand together that the hand of the LORD does this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21 ¶ Explain your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your foundations, saith the King of Jacob.

Produce your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forward your arguments, saith the King of Jacob.

22 L et them bring forth and declare unto us what shall happen; tell us what has happened from the beginning, and we shall consider it in our hearts; and we shall know what his end shall be, and cause us to understand that which is to come.

Let them bring them forward, and declare to us what shall happen: shew the former things, what they are, that we may give attention to them, and know the end of them;—or let us hear things to come:

23 G ive us news of that which is to come hereafter that we may know that ye are gods; or at least do good or do evil that we may have something to tell, and together we shall marvel.

declare the things that are to happen hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods; yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be astonished, and behold it together.

24 B ehold, ye are of nothing and your works of vanity; an abomination is he that chooses you.

Behold, ye are less than nothing, and your work is of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you. …

25 I have raised up one from the north, and he came from the rising of the sun; he called in my name and came unto princes as upon clay and as the potter treads clay.

I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come,—from the rising of the sun, he who will call upon my name; and he shall come upon princes as on mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.

26 W ho has declared from the beginning, that we shall know? and beforetime that we shall say, He is righteous? yea, there is no one that declares this, yea, there is no one that teaches, yea, there is no one that hears your words.

Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, right? Indeed, there is none that declareth; no, none that sheweth; no, none that heareth your words.

27 I am the first that has taught these things unto Zion, and unto Jerusalem I brought the news.

The first, to Zion, Behold, behold them! and to Jerusalem, I will give one that bringeth glad tidings.

28 F or I beheld, and there was no one; and I asked regarding these things, and there was no counsellor; I asked them, and they did not answer a word.

And I beheld, and there was no man; even among them,—and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

29 B ehold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

Behold, they are all vanity, their works are nought, their molten images are wind and emptiness.