1 Come quietly before me, O sea-lands, and let the peoples get together their strength: let them come near; then let them say what they have to say: let us put forward our cause against one another.
2 Who sent out from the east one who is right wherever he goes? he gives the nations into his hands, and makes him ruler over kings; he gives them as the dust to his sword, as dry stems before the wind to his bow.
3 He goes after them safely, not touching the road with his feet.
4 Whose purpose and work was it? His who sent out the generations from the start. I the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he.
5 The sea-lands saw it, and were in fear; the ends of the earth were shaking: they came near.
6 They gave help everyone to his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Take heart!
7 So the metal-worker put heart into the gold-worker, and he who was hammering the metal smooth said kind words to the iron-worker, saying of the plate, It is ready: and he put it together with nails, so that there might be no slipping.
8 But as for you, Israel, my servant, and you, Jacob, whom I have taken for myself, the seed of Abraham my friend:
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and sent for from its farthest parts, saying to you, You are my servant, whom I have taken for myself, and whom I have not given up:
10 Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support.
11 Truly, all those who are angry with you will be made low and put to shame: those desiring to do you wrong will come to nothing and never again be seen.
12 You will make search for your haters but they will not be there; those who make war against you will be as nothing and will come to destruction.
13 For I, the Lord your God, have taken your right hand in mine, saying to you, Have no fear; I will be your helper.
14 Have no fear, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will be your helper, says the Lord, even he who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel.
15 See, I will make you like a new grain-crushing instrument with teeth, crushing the mountains small, and making the hills like dry stems.
16 You will send the wind over them, and it will take them away; they will go in all directions before the storm-wind: you will have joy in the Lord, and be glad in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The poor and crushed are looking for water where no water is, and their tongue is dry for need of it: I the Lord will give ear to their prayer, I the God of Israel will not give them up.
18 I will make rivers on the dry mountain-tops, and fountains in the valleys: I will make the waste land a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
19 I will put in the waste land the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive-tree; and in the lowland will be planted the fir-tree, the plane, and the cypress together:
20 So that they may see and be wise and give their mind to it, and that it may be clear to them all that the hand of the Lord has done this, and that the Holy One of Israel has made it.
21 Put forward your cause, says the Lord; let your strong argument come out, says the King of Jacob.
22 Let the future be made clear to us: give us news of the past things, so that we may give thought to them; or of the things to come, so that we may see if they are true.
23 Give us word of what will be after this, so that we may be certain that you are gods: yes, do good or do evil, so that we may all see it and be surprised.
24 But you are nothing, and your work is of no value: foolish is he who takes you for his gods.
25 I have sent for one from the north, and from the dawn he has come; in my name he will get rulers together and go against them; they will be like dust, even as the wet earth is stamped on by the feet of the potter.
26 Who has given knowledge of it from the first, so that we may be certain of it? and from the start, so that we may say, His word is true? There is no one who gives news, or says anything, or who gives ear to your words.
27 I was the first to give word of it to Zion, and I gave the good news to Jerusalem.
28 And I saw that there was no man, even no wise man among them, who might give an answer to my questions.
29 Truly they are all nothing, their works are nothing and of no value: their metal images are of no more use than wind.
1 ESCUCHADME, islas, y esfuércense los pueblos; alléguense, y entonces hablen: estemos juntamente á juicio.
2 ¿Quién despertó del oriente al justo, lo llamó para que le siguiese, entregó delante de él naciones, é hízolo enseñorear de reyes; entrególos á su espada como polvo, y á su arco como hojarascas arrebatadas?
3 Siguiólos, pasó en paz por camino por donde sus pies nunca habían entrado.
4 ¿Quién obró é hizo esto? ¿Quién llama las generaciones desde el principio? Yo Jehová, el primero, y yo mismo con los postreros.
5 Las islas vieron, y tuvieron temor, los términos de la tierra se espantaron: congregáronse, y vinieron.
6 Cada cual ayudó á su cercano, y á su hermano dijo: Esfuérzate.
7 El carpintero animó al platero, y el que alisa con martillo al que batía en el yunque, diciendo: Buena está la soldadura, y afirmólo con clavos, porque no se moviese.
8 Mas tú, Israel, siervo mío eres, tú, Jacob, á quien yo escogí, simiente de Abraham mi amigo.
9 Porque te tomé de los extremos de la tierra, y de sus principales te llamé, y te dije: Mi siervo eres tú, te escogí, y no te deseché.
10 No temas, que yo soy contigo; no desmayes, que yo soy tu Dios que te esfuerzo: siempre te ayudaré, siempre te sustentaré con la diestra de mi justicia.
11 He aquí que todos los que se airan contra ti, serán avergonzados y confundidos: serán como nada y perecerán, los que contienden contigo.
12 Los buscarás, y no los hallarás, los que tienen contienda contigo, serán como nada, y como cosa que no es, aquellos que te hacen guerra.
13 Porque yo Jehová soy tu Dios, que te ase de tu mano derecha, y te dice: No temas, yo te ayudé.
14 No temas, gusano de Jacob, oh vosotros los pocos de Israel; yo te socorrí, dice Jehová, y tu Redentor el Santo de Israel.
15 He aquí que yo te he puesto por trillo, trillo nuevo, lleno de dientes: trillarás montes y los molerás, y collados tornarás en tamo.
16 Los aventarás, y los llevará el viento, y esparcirálos el torbellino. Tú empero te regocijarás en Jehová, te gloriarás en el Santo de Israel.
17 Los afligidos y menesterosos buscan las aguas, que no hay; secóse de sed su lengua; yo Jehová los oiré, yo el Dios de Israel no los desampararé.
18 En los altos abriré ríos, y fuentes en mitad de los llanos: tornaré el desierto en estanques de aguas, y en manaderos de aguas la tierra seca.
19 Daré en el desierto cedros, espinos, arrayanes, y olivas; pondré en la soledad hayas, olmos, y álamos juntamente;
20 Porque vean y conozcan, y adviertan y entiendan todos, que la mano de Jehová hace esto, y que el Santo de Israel lo crió.
21 Alegad por vuestra causa, dice Jehová: exhibid vuestros fundamentos, dice el Rey de Jacob.
22 Traigan, y anúnciennos lo que ha de venir: dígannos lo que ha pasado desde el principio, y pondremos nuestro corazón en ello; sepamos también su postrimería, y hacednos entender lo que ha de venir.
23 Dadnos nuevas de lo que ha de ser después, para que sepamos que vosotros sois dioses; ó á lo menos haced bien, ó mal, para que tengamos qué contar, y juntamente nos maravillemos.
24 He aquí que vosotros sois de nada, y vuestras obras de vanidad; abominación el que os escogió.
25 Del norte desperté uno, y vendrá; del nacimiento del sol llamará en mi nombre: y hollará príncipes como lodo, y como pisa el barro el alfarero.
26 ¿Quién lo anunció desde el principio, para que sepamos; ó de tiempo atrás, y diremos: Es justo? Cierto, no hay quien anuncie, sí, no hay quien enseñe, ciertamente no hay quien oiga vuestras palabras.
27 Yo soy el primero que he enseñado estas cosas á Sión, y á Jerusalem daré un portador de alegres nuevas.
28 Miré, y no había ninguno; y pregunté de estas cosas, y ningún consejero hubo: preguntéles, y no respondieron palabra.
29 He aquí, todos iniquidad, y las obras de ellos nada: viento y vanidad son sus vaciadizos.