| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. | 1"Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment. |
| 2Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. | 2"Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. |
| 3He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. | 3He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. |
| 4Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. | 4Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD--with the first of them and with the last--I am he." |
| 5The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. | 5The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; |
| 6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. | 6they help each other and say to their companions, "Be strong!" |
| 7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, 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. | 7The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, "It is good." The other nails down the idol so it will not topple. |
| 8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. | 8"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, |
| 9Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. | 9I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. |
| 10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. | 10So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. |
| 11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. | 11"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. |
| 12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. | 12Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. |
| 13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. | 13For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. |
| 14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. | 14Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. |
| 15Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. | 15"See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. |
| 16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. | 16You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel. |
| 17When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. | 17"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. |
| 18I 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. | 18I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. |
| 19I will plant 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: | 19I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, |
| 20That 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. | 20so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. |
| 21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. | 21"Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King. |
| 22Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. | 22"Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, |
| 23Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. | 23tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. |
| 24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you. | 24But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable. |
| 25I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay. | 25"I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes-- one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. |
| 26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. | 26Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, 'He was right'? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. |
| 27The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. | 27I was the first to tell Zion, 'Look, here they are!' I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news. |
| 28For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counseller, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word. | 28I look but there is no one-- no one among the gods to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them. |
| 29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion. | 29See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion. |
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