(KJV) Isaiah 41¹

⥃God’s Help to Israel

[1] Keep silence² before me, O islands; and let the people³ renew [their] strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us⁴ come near together to judgment. [2] Who raised⁵ up the righteous [man⁶] from the east, called him to his foot, gave⁷⁸ the nations before him, and made [him] rule over kings? he gave [them] as the⁹ dust to his sword, [and] as driven¹⁰ stubble to his bow. [3] He pursued them, [and] passed safely¹¹; [even] by the way [that] he had not gone with his feet. [4] Who hath¹² wrought and done [it], calling¹³ the generations from the beginning? I the Lord¹⁴, the first, and with the¹⁵ last; I [am] he. [5] The isles¹⁶ saw [it], and feared; the ends¹⁷ of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. [6] They helped¹⁸ every one his neighbour; and [every one] said to his brother, Be of good courage¹⁹. [7] So the carpenter²⁰ encouraged the goldsmith²¹, [and] he that smootheth [with] the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It [is] ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, [that] it should not be moved. [8] But thou²², Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed²³ of Abraham my friend²⁴. [9] [Thou] whom²⁵ I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called²⁶ thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen²⁷ thee, and not cast thee away.

[10] Fear²⁸ thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God²⁹: I will strengthen³⁰ thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold³¹ thee with the right³² hand of my righteousness. [11] Behold, all they³³ that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing³⁴; and they that strive with thee³⁵ shall perish. [12] Thou shalt seek³⁶ them, and shalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee³⁷: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. [13] For I the Lord thy God will hold³⁸ thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear³⁹ not; I will help thee. [14] Fear not, thou worm⁴⁰ Jacob, [and] ye men⁴¹ of Israel; I will help thee, saith⁴² the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. [15] Behold, I will make⁴³ thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth⁴⁴: thou shalt⁴⁵ thresh the mountains, and beat [them] small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. [16] Thou shalt fan⁴⁶ them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice⁴⁷ in the Lord, [and] shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. [17] [When] the poor⁴⁸ and needy seek⁴⁹ water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue⁵⁰ faileth for thirst, I the Lord⁵¹ will hear them, [I] the God⁵² of Israel will not forsake them. [18] I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.⁵³ [19] I will plant⁵⁴ in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, [and] the pine, and the box tree together: [20] That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.⁵⁵

⥃Meaningless Idols

[21] Produce⁵⁶ your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong [reasons], saith the King of Jacob. [22] Let them bring [them] forth, and shew⁵⁷ us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they [be], that we may consider them⁵⁸, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. [23] Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know⁵⁹ that ye [are] gods: yea, do good⁶⁰, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold [it] together. [24] Behold, ye [are⁶¹] of nothing⁶², and your work of nought⁶³: an abomination⁶⁴ [is he that] chooseth you. [25] I have⁶⁵ raised⁶⁶ up [one] from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call⁶⁷ upon my name: and he shall come upon⁶⁸ princes as [upon] morter, and as the potter treadeth clay. [26] Who hath declared⁶⁹ from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, [He is] righteous⁷⁰? yea, [there is] none that sheweth, yea, [there is] none that declareth, yea, [there is] none that heareth your words. [27] The first⁷¹ [shall say] to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give⁷² to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. [28] For I beheld⁷³, and [there was] no man; even among them, and [there was] no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer⁷⁴ a word. [29] Behold, they [are] all⁷⁵ vanity; their works [are] nothing: their molten images [are] wind⁷⁶ and confusion.