New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment.
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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 has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service? He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.
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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 pursues them and passes on safely, scarcely touching the path with his feet.
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He goes after them safely, not touching the road with his feet.
4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am first, and will be with the last.
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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 coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.
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The sea-lands saw it, and were in fear; the ends of the earth were shaking: they came near.
6 Each one helps the other, saying to one another, "Take courage!"
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They gave help everyone to his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Take heart!
7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.
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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 you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
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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 took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off";
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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 do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
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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 Yes, all who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.
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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 shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.
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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, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Do not fear, I will help you."
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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 Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
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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 Now, I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff.
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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 shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. Then you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
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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 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
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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 open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
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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 wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together,
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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 all may see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.
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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 Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
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Put forward your cause, says the Lord; let your strong argument come out, says the King of Jacob.
22 Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, so that we may consider them, and that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come.
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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 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be afraid and terrified.
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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 You, indeed, are nothing and your work is nothing at all; whoever chooses you is an abomination.
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But you are nothing, and your work is of no value: foolish is he who takes you for his gods.
25 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name. He shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay.
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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 declared it from the beginning, so that we might know, and beforehand, so that we might say, "He is right"? There was no one who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words.
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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 first have declared it to Zion, and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.
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I was the first to give word of it to Zion, and I gave the good news to Jerusalem.
28 But when I look there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer.
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And I saw that there was no man, even no wise man among them, who might give an answer to my questions.
29 No, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their images are empty wind.
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Truly they are all nothing, their works are nothing and of no value: their metal images are of no more use than wind.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.