¶ Keep silence¹ before me, O islands; and let the people² renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us³ come near together to judgment.

Who raised⁴ up the righteous man⁵ from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the⁷ dust to his sword, and as driven⁸ stubble to his bow.

He pursued them, and passed safely⁹; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

Who hath¹⁰ wrought and done it, calling¹¹ the generations from the beginning? I the LORD¹², the first, and with the¹³ last; I am he.

The isles¹⁴ saw it, and feared; the ends¹⁵ of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

They helped¹⁶ every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage¹⁷.

So the carpenter¹⁸ encouraged the goldsmith¹⁹, 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.

But thou,²⁰ Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed²¹ of Abraham my friend²².

Thou whom²³ I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called²⁴ thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen²⁵ thee, and not cast thee away.

¶ Fear²⁶ thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God²⁷: I will strengthen²⁸ thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold²⁹ thee with the right³⁰ hand of my righteousness.

Behold, all they³¹ that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;³² and they that strive with thee³³ shall perish.

Thou shalt seek³⁴ them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee:³⁵ they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

For I the LORD thy God will hold³⁶ thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear³⁷ not; I will help thee.

Fear not, thou worm³⁸ Jacob, and ye men³⁹ of Israel; I will help thee, saith⁴⁰ the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Behold, I will make⁴¹ thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth⁴²: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Thou shalt fan⁴³ them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice⁴⁴ in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

When the poor⁴⁵ and needy seek⁴⁶ water, and there is none, and their tongue⁴⁷ faileth for thirst, I the LORD⁴⁸ will hear them, I the God⁴⁹ of Israel will not forsake them.

⁵⁰I 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.

I will plant⁵¹ 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:

¶⁵²That 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.

¶ Produce⁵³ your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

Let them bring them forth, and shew⁵⁴ us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them,⁵⁵ and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.

Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know⁵⁶ that ye are gods: yea, do good⁵⁷, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

Behold, ye are⁵⁸ of nothing⁵⁹, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

I have⁶⁰ raised⁶¹ up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call⁶² upon my name: and he shall come upon⁶³ princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.

Who hath declared⁶⁴ from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous⁶⁵? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.

The first⁶⁶ shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give⁶⁷ to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.

For I beheld⁶⁸, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer⁶⁹ a word.

Behold, they are all⁷⁰ vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind⁷¹ and confusion.