Isaiah 41 - Easy To Read Version

Israel Assured of God’s Help

1. The Lord says,\par “Faraway countries, be quiet\par and come to me!\par Nations be brave. {\cf2\super [375]} \par Come to me and speak.\par We will meet together,\par and we will decide who is right.\par

2. \{Tell me the answers to these questions:\}\par Who woke the man \{that is coming\}\par from the east?\par Goodness walks with him.\par He uses his sword \{and defeats nations\}—\par they become like dust.\par He uses his bow and conquers kings—\par they run away like straw blown\par by the wind.\par

3. He chases armies and is never hurt.\par He goes places he has never been before.\par

4. Who caused \{these things to happen\}?\par Who did this?\par Who called all people from the beginning?\par \{I, the Lord, did these things\}!\par I, the Lord, am the first.\par I was here before the beginning.\par And I will be here when all things\par are finished.\par

5. All you faraway places,\par look, and be afraid!\par All you places far away on the earth,\par shake with fear!\par Come here \{and listen to me\}!”\par And they came.\par

6. “Workers help each other. They encourage each other to be strong.

7. One worker cuts \{wood to make a statue\}. That person encourages the man that works with gold. Another worker uses a hammer and makes the metal smooth. Then that worker encourages the man at the anvil. {\cf2\super [376]} This last worker says, ‘This work is good; the metal will not come off.’ Then he nails the statue to a base so it won’t fall over. And it never moves!”

8. \{The Lord says\}:

9. You were in a far away country,\par but I reached out to you.\par I called you from that faraway place.\par I said, ‘You are my servant.’\par I chose you.\par And I have not rejected you.\par

10. Don’t worry, I am with you.\par Don’t be afraid, I am your God.\par I will make you strong.\par I will help you.\par I will support you with my good\par right hand.\par

11. Look, some people are angry with you.\par But they will be shamed.\par Your enemies will be lost and disappear.\par

12. You will look for the people\par that were against you,\par but you will not be able to find them.\par The people that fought against you\par will disappear completely.\par

13. I am the Lord your God.\par I am holding your right hand.\par And I tell you:\par Don’t be afraid!\par I will help you.\par

14. Precious Judah, don’t be afraid!\par My dear {\cf2\super [377]} people of Israel, don’t be scared!\par I really will help you.”\par

15. “Look, I have made you like\par a new threshing board.\par That tool has many sharp teeth,\par Farmers use it to crush the hulls\par so they will separate from the grain.\par You will trample (walk on) mountains\par and crush them.\par You will make the hills like those hulls.\par

16. You will throw them into the air,\par and the wind will blow them away\par and scatter them.\par Then you will be happy in the Lord.\par You will be very proud of the Holy One (God) of Israel.”\par

17. “The poor and needy people look for water,\par but they can’t find any.\par They are thirsty.\par Their tongues are very dry.\par I will answer their prayers.\par I will not leave them and let them die.\par

18. I will make rivers flow on dry hills.\par I will make springs of water flow\par through the valleys.\par I will change the desert into a lake\par filled with water.\par There will be springs of water\par in that dry land.\par

19. Trees will grow in the desert.\par There will be cedar trees, acacia trees,\par olive trees, cypress trees, fir trees,\par and pine trees.\par

20. People will see these things,\par and they will know\par that the Lord’s power did this.\par The people will see these things,\par and they will begin to understand.\par that the Holy One (God) of Israel\par did these things.”\par

The Futility of Idols

21. The Lord, the king of Jacob, says, “Come, tell me your arguments. Show me your proof, \{and we will decide the things that are right\}.

22. \{Your statues (false gods) should come and tell us what is happening.

23. Tell us the things we should look for to know what will happen. Then we will believe that you really are gods. Do something! Do anything, good or bad! Then we will see that you are alive. And we will follow you.

24. “Look, you false gods are less than nothing! You can’t do anything! Only a worthless person would want to worship you!”

25. “I woke a person in the north. {\cf2\super [378]} \par He is coming from the east\par where the sun rises.\par He worships my name.\par A man that makes pots walks on wet clay.\par In the same way, this special man will trample (walk on) kings.”\par

26. Who told us about this before it happened?\par We should call him God. {\cf2\super [379]} \par \{Did one of your statues\par tell us these things\}?\par No! None of those statues\par told us anything.\par Those statues did not say a word—\par and those false gods can’t hear\par the words that you say.\par

27. I, the Lord, was the first person to tell\par Zion {\cf2\super [380]} about these things.\par I sent a messenger to Jerusalem\par with this message:\par “Look, your people are coming back!”\par

28. I looked at those false gods.\par None of them were wise enough\par to say anything.\par I asked them questions,\par and they did not say a word!\par

29. All of those gods are less than nothing!\par They can’t do anything!\par Those statues are absolutely worthless!\par