God's Help to Israel

1Keep silent towards Me, O isles, And the peoples pass on [to] power, They come nigh, then they speak, ‘Together — to judgment we draw near.’

2Who stirred up from the east a righteous one? He calleth him to His foot, He giveth before him nations, And kings He causeth him to rule, He giveth [them] as dust [to] his sword, As driven stubble [to] his bow.

3He pursueth them, he passeth over in safety A path with his feet he entereth not.

4Who hath wrought and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last I [am] He.

5Seen have isles and fear, ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, yea, they come.

6Each his neighbour they help, And to his brother he saith, ‘Be strong.’

7And strengthen doth an artizan the refiner, A smoother [with] a hammer, Him who is beating [on] an anvil, Saying, ‘For joining it [is] good,’ And he strengtheneth it with nails, it is not moved!

8— And thou, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham, My lover,

9Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called thee, And I say to thee, My servant Thou [art], I have chosen thee, and not rejected thee.

10Be not afraid, for with thee I [am], Look not around, for I [am] thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld thee, With the right hand of My righteousness.

11Lo, all those displeased with thee, They are ashamed and blush, They are as nothing, yea, perish Do the men who strive with thee.

12Thou seekest them, and findest them not, The men who debate with thee, They are as nothing, yea, as nothing, The men who war with thee.

13For I, Jehovah thy God, Am strengthening thy right hand, He who is saying to thee, ‘Fear not, I have helped thee.’

14Fear not, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest.

16Thou winnowest them, and a wind lifteth them up, And a whirlwind scattereth them, And thou — thou rejoicest in Jehovah, In the Holy One of Israel dost boast thyself.

17The poor and the needy are seeking water, And there is none, Their tongue with thirst hath failed, I, Jehovah do answer them, The God of Israel — I forsake them not.

18I open on high places rivers, And in midst of valleys fountains, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land become springs of water.

19I give in a wilderness the cedar, Shittah, and myrtle, and oil-tree, I set in a desert the fir-pine and box-wood together.

20So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath prepared it.

Meaningless Idols

21Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.

22They bring nigh, and declare to us that which doth happen, The first things — what they [are] declare ye, And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or the coming things cause us to hear.

23Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye [are] gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see [it] together.

24Lo, ye [are] of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination — it fixeth on you.

25I have stirred up [one] from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in [on] prefects as [on] clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.

26Who hath declared from the first, and we know? And beforetime, and we say, ‘Righteous?’ yea, there is none declaring, Yea, there is none proclaiming, Yea, there is none hearing your sayings.

27First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,

28And I see that there is no man, Yea, of these that there is no counsellor, And I ask them, and they return word:

29‘Lo, all of them [are] vanity, Nought [are] their works, Wind and emptiness their molten images!’