Read the Bible

¹ Be silent and listen,
    every island in the sea.
Have courage and come near,
    every one of you nations.
Let's settle this matter!
² Who appointed this ruler
    from the east?^[a]
Who puts nations and kings
    in his power?^[b]
His sword and his arrows
turn them to dust
    blown by the wind.
³ He goes after them so quickly
that his feet
    barely touch the ground—
he doesn't even get hurt.

⁴ Who makes these things happen?
Who controls human events?
    I do! I am the Lord.
I was there at the beginning;
    I will be there at the end.
⁵ Islands and foreign nations
saw what I did
and trembled
    as they came near.

⁶ Worshipers of idols
comfort each other,
    saying, "Don't worry!"
⁷ Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,
    and other workers^[c]
encourage one another and say,
    "We've done a great job!"
Then they nail the idol down,
    so it won't fall over.

⁸ Israel, you are my servant.
I chose you,
the family
    of my friend Abraham.
⁹ From far across the earth
    I brought you here and said,
"You are my chosen servant.
    I haven't forgotten you."

¹⁰ Don't be afraid. I am with you.
Don't tremble with fear.
    I am your God.
I will make you strong,
as I protect you with my arm
    and give you victories.
¹¹ Everyone who hates you
    will be terribly disgraced;
those who attack
    will vanish into thin air.
¹² You will look around
    for those brutal enemies,
but you won't find them
    because they will be gone.

¹³ I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
    so don't be afraid.
I am here to help you.

¹⁴ People of Israel, don't worry,
though others may say,
    "Israel is only a worm!"
I am the holy God of Israel,
    who saves and protects you.
¹⁵ I will let you be like a log
    covered with sharp spikes.^[d]
You will grind and crush
every mountain and hill^[e]
    until they turn to dust.
¹⁶ A strong wind will scatter them
    in all directions.
Then you will celebrate
and praise me, your Lord,
    the holy God of Israel.

¹⁷ When the poor and needy
are dying of thirst
    and cannot find water,
I, the Lord God of Israel,
will come to their rescue.
    I won't forget them.
¹⁸ I will make rivers flow
    on mountain peaks.
I will send streams
    to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land
will flow with springs
    and become a lake.
¹⁹ I will fill the desert
    with all kinds of trees—
cedars, acacias, and myrtles;
olive and cypress trees;
    fir trees and pines.
²⁰ Everyone will see this
    and know that I,
the holy Lord God of Israel,
    created it all.

²¹ I am the Lord,
    the King of Israel!
Come argue your case with me.
    Present your evidence.
²² Come near me, you idols.^[f]
Tell us about the past,
    and we will think about it.
Tell us about the future,
so we will know
    what is going to happen.
²³ Prove that you are gods
by making your predictions
    come true.
Do something good or evil,
so we can be amazed
    and terrified.^[g]
24 You idols are nothing,
    and you are powerless.^[h]
To worship you
    would be disgusting.

²⁵ I, the Lord, appointed a ruler
    in the north;
now he comes from the east
    to honor my name.
He tramples^[i] kings like mud,
    as potters trample clay.^[j]
26 Did any of you idols predict
    what would happen?
Did any of you get it right?
None of you told about this
    or even spoke a word.
²⁷ I was the first to tell
the people of Jerusalem,
    "Look, it's happening!"^[k]
I was the one who announced
    this good news to Zion.

²⁸ None of these idols
are able to give advice
    or answer questions.
²⁹ They are nothing,^[l]
    and they can do nothing—
they are less
    than a passing breeze.