KEEP 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 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.
3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
7 So 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 thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
9 Thou 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.
10 Fear 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 Behold, 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.
12 Thou 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.
13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, 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.
16 Thou 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 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.
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.
19 I 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:
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.
21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
22 Let 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.
23 Shew 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.
24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
25 I 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 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.
27 The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
28 For 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.
29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

1Keepe silence before me, O ylands, and let the people renew their strength: let them come neere, then let them speake: let vs come neere together to iudgement.

2Who raised vp the righteous man from the East, called him to his foote, gaue the nations before him, and made him rule ouer kings? Hee gaue them as the dust to his sword, and as driuen stuble to his bow.

3He pursued them, and passed safely; euen by the way, that hee had not gone with his feete.

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 yles saw it and feared, the ends of the earth were afraid, drew neere, and came.

6They helped euery one his neighbour, and euery one sayd to his brother, Be of good courage.

7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anuill, saying; It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nayles that it should not be moued.

8But thou Israel, art my seruant, Iacob whom I haue chosen, the seede of Abraham my friend.

9Thou whom I haue taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chiefe men thereof, and sayd vnto thee; Thou art my seruant, I haue chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

10 Feare thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismaied, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea I will helpe thee, yea I will vphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse.

11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee, shalbe ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing, and they that striue with thee, shall perish.

12Thou shalt seeke them, and shalt not find them, euen them that contended with thee: they that warre against thee shalbe as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying vnto thee, Feare not, I will helpe thee.

14Feare not, thou worme Iacob, and ye men of Israel: I will helpe thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

15Behold, I will make thee a new sharpe threshing instrument hauing teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountaines, and beate them small, and shalt make the hilles as chaffe.

16Thou shalt fanne them, and the winde shall carie them away, and the whirlewinde shall scatter them: and thou shalt reioyce in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17When the poore and needie seeke water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will heare them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

18I will open riuers in hie places, and fountaines in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wildernesse a poole of water, and the dry land springs of water.

19I will plant in the wildernes the Cedar, the Shittah tree, and the Myrtle, and the Oyle tree: I will set in the desert the Firre tree, and the Pine and the Boxe tree together:

20That they may see, and knowe, and consider, and vnderstand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21Produce your cause, saith the Lord, bring foorth your strong reasons, saith the King of Iacob.

22Let them bring them foorth, and shew vs what shall happen: let them shew the former things what they bee, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them, or declare vs things for to come.

23Shewe the things that are to come hereafter, that wee may knowe that ye are gods: yea doe good or doe euill, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

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

25I haue raised vp one from the North, and he shall come: from the rising of the Sunne shall he call vpon my name, and he shall come vpon princes as vpon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.

26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and before time, 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.

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

28For I behelde, and there was no man, euen amongst them, and there was no counseller, that when I asked of them, could answere a word.

29Behold, they are all vanitie, their works are nothing: their moulten images are winde and confusion.

I == Zech 2:13

 

 

II == Gen 14:14 ; Isa 41:25 ; 45:1 ; 46:11

 

 

 

 

IV == Isa 41:26 ; 43:10 ; 44:6-7 ; 46:10 ; 48:12 ; Rev 1:17 ; 22:13

 

 

VI == Isa 40:19 ; 44:12

VII == Isa 40:19-20

 

 

 

VIII == Deut 7:6 ; 10:15 ; 14:2 ; 2nd Chr 20:7 ; Ps 135:4 ; Isa 43:1 ; 44:1 ; James 2:23

 

 

X == Deut 31:6 , 8 ; Isa 41:13-14 ; 43:5

 

 

XI == Ex 23:22 ; Isa 45:24 ; 60:12 ; Zech 12:3

 

 

 

 

 

XIII == Isa 41:10

 

 

 

 

XV == Mic 4:13 ; 2nd Cor 10:4-5

 

XVI == Isa 45:25 ; Jer 51:2

 

 

 

 

 

XVIII == Ps 107:35 ; Isa 5:6-7 ; 43:19 ; 44:3

 

 

 

 

 

XX == Job 12:9

 

 

 

 

 

XXII == Isa 45:21

 

 

 

XXIII == Isa 42:9 ; 44:7-8 ; 45:3 ; Jer 10:5 ; John 13:19

XXIV == Ps 115:8 ; Isa 44:9 ; 1st Cor 8:4

XXV == Ezra 1:2 ; Isa 41:2

 

 

 

XXVI == Isa 43:9

 

 

 

XXVII == Isa 40:9 ; 41:4

 

XXVIII == Isa 63:5

 

XXIX == Isa 41:24

1 Keep silence before me, O coastlands; you peoples, wait for my words! Let them draw near and speak; let us come together for judgment.

2 Who has stirred up from the East the champion of justice, and summoned him to be his attendant? To him he delivers the nations and subdues the kings; With his sword he reduces them to dust, with his bow, to driven straw.

3 He pursues them, passing on without loss, by a path his feet do not even tread.

4 Who has performed these deeds? He who has called forth the generations since the beginning. I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last I will also be.

5 The coastlands see, and fear; the ends of the earth tremble: these things are near, they come to pass.

8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend - 

9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and summoned from its far-off places, You whom I have called my servant, whom I have chosen and will not cast off - 

10 Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice.

11 Yes, all shall be put to shame and disgrace who vent their anger against you; Those shall perish and come to nought who offer resistance.

12 You shall seek out, but shall not find, those who strive against you; They shall be as nothing at all who do battle with you.

13 For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, "Fear not, I will help you."

14 Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel; I will help you, says the LORD; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged, To thresh the mountains and crush them, to make the hills like chaff.

16 When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off and the storm shall scatter them. But you shall rejoice in the LORD, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, 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 up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water.

19 I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine,

20 That all may see and know, observe and understand, That the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21 Present your case, says the LORD; bring forward your reasons, says the King of Jacob.

22 Let them come near and foretell to us what it is that shall happen! What are the things of long ago? Tell us, that we may reflect on them And know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come!

23 Foretell the things that shall come afterward, that we may know that you are gods! Do something, good or evil, that will put us in awe and in fear.

24 Why, you are nothing and your work is nought! To choose you is an abomination.

25 I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes; from the east I summon him by name; He shall trample the rulers down like red earth, as the potter treads the clay.

26 Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know; beforehand, that we might say it is true? Not one of you foretold it, not one spoke; no one heard you say,

27 "The first news for Zion: they are coming now," or, "For Jerusalem I will pick out a bearer of the glad tidings."

28 When I loo, there is not one, no one of them to give counsel, to make an answer when I question them.

29 Ah, all of them are nothing, their works are nought, their idols are empty wind!

v 1-4. God challenges all the nations of the world to meet before Him, and informs them that He controls history. God, in righteousness, called up Cyrus from the east, v 2 and 46:11, and north v 25.   who would subdue the nations according to God’s desire.

 

 

 

 

 

v 5-7. Isaiah mocks the nations that form alliances and turn to idols for help, but they would not be able to withstand Cyrus when he came.

v 8- 10. In Isaiah God names David, 37:35, the nation of Israel, 41:8-16, 43:1-10, 48:20, and Messiah, 42:1-12 and ch. 49,  as His servant. Israel need not fear. Though they were chastened in Babylon, they would, not be cast away.

 

 

 

v 11-16. God would not protect opposing nations, but would help Israel and use them, at Christ’s coming, to punish other nations. Israel will then rejoice in the Lord.
v 17-20. In the Millennium God will water the deserts to make them flourish. He will cause seven kinds of trees to grow there so that people may know He has done it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 21-24. God lays down the challenge for idols to predict the future and explain the past. Both the idols and those who trust them are vile and abominable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 25-29. Cyrus ruled both north and east  of Israel. God could tell what he would do, and this would be good tidings to Israel. In contrast, idols were no help at all.