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Chapter 41
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1
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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
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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
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He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way
that he had not gone with his feet. |
4
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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
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The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth
were afraid, drew near, and came. |
6
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They helped every one his neighbour; and every one
said to his brother, Be of good courage. |
7
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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
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But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have
chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. |
9
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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
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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
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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
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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
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For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying
unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. |
14
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your
strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. |
22
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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
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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
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Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought:
an abomination is he that chooseth you. |
25
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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
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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
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The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and
I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. |
28
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For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them,
and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them,
could answer a word. |
29
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Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing:
their molten images are wind and confusion. |
