1 “ Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment.

Listen in silence before Me, O islands and regions bordering on the sea! And let the people gather and renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment.

2 “ Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.

Who has roused up one from the east, whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? He subdues nations before him and makes him ruler over kings. He turns them to dust with the sword, and to driven straw and chaff with his bow.

3 “ He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.

He pursues them and passes safely and unhindered, even by a way his feet had not trod and so swiftly that his feet do not touch the ground.

4 “ Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘ I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’”

Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—the first and with the last —I am He.

5 T he coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.

The islands and coastlands have seen and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They draw near and come;

6 E ach one helps his neighbor And says to his brother, “Be strong!”

They help every one his neighbor and say to his brother, Be of good courage!

7 S o the craftsman encourages the smelter, 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, So that it will not totter.

So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who smites the anvil, saying of the soldering, That is good! And he fastens it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

8 “ But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,

But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham My friend,

9 Y ou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.

You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and have called from the corners of it, and said to you, You are My servant—I have chosen you and not cast you off.

10 ‘ Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Fear not, for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My right hand of rightness and justice.

11 “ Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.

Behold, all they who are enraged and inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.

12 “ You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.

You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all.

13 “ For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘ Do not fear, I will help you.’

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!

14 “ Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the Lord, “ and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 “ Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.

Behold, I will make you to be a new, sharp, threshing instrument which has teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills like chaff.

16 “ You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the Lord, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest or whirlwind shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the Lord, you shall glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 “ The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

The poor and needy are seeking water when there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 “ I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.

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

19 “ I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress,

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the wild olive; I will set the cypress in the desert, the plane and the pine together,

20 T hat they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

That men may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21 “ Present your case,” the Lord says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says.

Produce your cause, says the Lord. Bring forth your strong proofs, says the King of Jacob.

22 L et them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming;

Let them bring them forth and tell us what is to happen. Let them tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them and know the outcome of them; or declare to us the things to come.

23 D eclare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.

Tell us the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; yes, do good or do evil, that we may stare in astonishment and be dismayed as we behold together!

24 B ehold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.

Behold, you are nothing, and your work is nothing! The worshiper who chooses you is an abomination.

25 “ I have aroused one 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 mortar, Even as the potter treads clay.”

I have raised up and impelled to action one from the north, and he comes; from the rising of the sun he calls upon My name. And he shall tread upon rulers and deputies as upon mortar and as the potter treads clay.

26 W ho has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “ He is right!”? Surely there was no one who declared, Surely there was no one who proclaimed, Surely there was no one who heard your words.

has declared this from the beginning, that we could know? And beforetime, that we could say that he is right? Yes, there is none who declares it, yes, there is none who proclaims it; yes, there is none who hears you speak!

27 “ Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’

I first gave to Zion the announcement, Behold, behold them! And to Jerusalem I gave a herald bringing the good news.

28 “ But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer.

For I look and there is no man among them, and among these there is no counselor who, when I ask of him, can answer a word.

29 “ Behold, all of them are false; Their works are worthless, Their molten images are wind and emptiness.

Behold, these are all emptiness (falseness and futility)! Their works are worthless; their molten images are empty wind (confusion and waste).