New Living Translation

King James Bible

1“Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.

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.

2“Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.

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.

3He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.

3He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

4Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”

4Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

5The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.

5The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

6The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, “Be strong!”

6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

7The carver encourages the goldsmith, and the molder helps at the anvil. “Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.” Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.

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.

8“But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,

8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

9I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.

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.

10Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

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.

11“See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing.

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.

12You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you. Those who attack you will come to nothing.

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.

13For I hold you by your right hand— I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’

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.

15You will be a new threshing instrument with many sharp teeth. You will tear your enemies apart, making chaff of mountains.

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.

16You will toss them into the air, and the wind will blow them all away; a whirlwind will scatter them. Then you will rejoice in the LORD. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

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.

17“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.

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.

18I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.

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.

19I will plant trees in the barren desert— cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.

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:

20I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means— that it is the LORD who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.

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.

21“Present the case for your idols,” says the LORD. “Let them show what they can do,” says the King of Israel.

21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

22“Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence. Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what’s going to happen.

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.

23Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods. In fact, do anything—good or bad! Do something that will amaze and frighten us.

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.

24But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves.

24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

25“But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north. From the east he will call on my name. I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.

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.

26“Who told you from the beginning that this would happen? Who predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one said a word!

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.

27I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.

27The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.

28Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked.

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.

29See, they are all foolish, worthless things. All your idols are as empty as the wind.

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

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.