161 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
161 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
The Lord versus the Nations' Gods
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# Chapter 41
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1. "Be silent before me, coasts and islands!
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And let peoples renew their strength.
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Let them approach; let them testify;
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let's come together for the trial.
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2. Who has stirred up someone from the east?
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In righteousness he calls him to serve.
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The Lord hands nations over to him,
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and he subdues kings.
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He makes them like dust with his sword,
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like wind-driven stubble with his bow.
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3. He pursues them, going on safely,
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hardly touching the path with his feet.
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4. Who has performed and done this,
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calling the generations from the beginning?
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I am the Lord, the first
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and with the last--I am he."
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5. The coasts and islands see and are afraid,
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the whole earth trembles.
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They approach and arrive.
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6. Each one helps the other,
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and says to another, "Take courage!"
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7. The craftsman encourages the metalworker;
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the one who flattens with the hammer
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encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
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saying of the soldering, "It is good."
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He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.
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8. But you, Israel, my servant,
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Jacob, whom I have chosen,
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descendant of Abraham, my friend--
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9. I brought you from the ends of the earth
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and called you from its farthest corners.
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I said to you: You are my servant;
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I have chosen you; I haven't rejected you.
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10. Do not fear, for I am with you;
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do not be afraid, for I am your God.
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I will strengthen you; I will help you;
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I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.
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11. Be sure that all who are enraged against you
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will be ashamed and disgraced;
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those who contend with you
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will become as nothing and will perish.
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12. You will look for
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those who contend with you,
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but you will not find them.
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Those who war against you
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will become absolutely nothing.
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13. For
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I am the Lord your God,
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who holds your right hand,
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who says to you, "Do not fear,
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I will help you.
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14. Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
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you men of Israel.
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I will help you"--
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this is the Lord's declaration.
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Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
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15. See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board,
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new, with many teeth.
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You will thresh mountains and pulverize them
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and make hills into chaff.
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16. You will winnow them
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and a wind will carry them away,
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a whirlwind will scatter them.
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But you will rejoice in the Lord;
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you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
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17. The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;
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their tongues are parched with thirst.
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I will answer them.
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I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them.
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18. I will open rivers on the barren heights,
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and springs in the middle of the plains.
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I will turn the desert into a pool
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and dry land into springs.
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19. I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees
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in the wilderness.
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I will put juniper, elm, and cypress trees together
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in the desert,
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20. so that all may see and know,
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consider and understand,
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that the hand of the Lord has done this,
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the Holy One of Israel has created it.
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21. "Submit your case,"
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says the Lord.
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"Present your arguments," says Jacob's King.
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22. "Let them come and tell us
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what will happen.
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Tell us the past events,
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so that we may reflect on them
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and know the outcome,
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or tell us the future.
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23. Tell us the coming events,
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then we will know that you are gods.
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Indeed, do something good or bad,
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then we will be in awe when we see it.
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24. Look, you are nothing
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and your work is worthless.
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Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
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25. "I have stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
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one from the east who invokes my name.
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He will march over rulers as if they were mud,
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like a potter who treads the clay.
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26. Who told about this from the beginning,
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so that we might know,
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and from times past,
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so that we might say, 'He is right'?
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No one announced it,
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no one told it,
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no one heard your words.
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27. I was the first to say to Zion,
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'Look! Here they are!'
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And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news.
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28. When I look, there is no one;
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there is no counselor among them;
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when I ask them, they have nothing to say.
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29. Look, all of them are a delusion;
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their works are nonexistent;
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their images are wind and emptiness.
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