Perserkongen Kyros som redskab til Israels befrielse
1Herren siger: „Lyt til mig, I fjerne lande! Tag mod til jer og kom, så vi kan tale sammen! Hvad har I at sige?2Hvem tilkaldte et redskab* fra østen til at udføre den retfærdige straf? Hvem gav ham sejr over talrige folkeslag og lod ham nedtrampe deres konger? Hvem hjalp ham besejre sine fjender med sværd og bue?3Han forfølger sine fjender, men forbliver selv uskadt, selv om han marcherer gennem ukendt terræn.4Hvem står bagved og trækker i trådene? Det gør jeg, Herren, jeg, som kalder på mit folk fra generation til generation. Jeg var til stede ved begyndelsen, og jeg vil være der ved afslutningen.5Fjerne lande ser til med gru, hele verden skælver af frygt, når hærene nærmer sig. Folk trøster hinanden. ‚Tab ikke modet!’ siger de.6Håndværkerne opmuntrer hinanden, mens de skynder sig at lave flere statuer af deres afguder. ‚Nu er den færdig!’ siger de og slår statuen fast med søm, så den ikke vælter.8Men du, Israel, min tjener, Jakob, min udvalgte, min ven Abrahams efterkommere, frygt ikke!9Jeg kalder mit folk hjem fra jordens ender og siger: Dig har jeg udvalgt, jeg forkaster dig ikke. Du er min tjener.10Vær ikke bange, for jeg er med dig. Tab ikke modet, for jeg er din Gud. Med min retfærdige hånd vil jeg styrke, hjælpe og beskytte dig.11Se, alle dine fjender lider nederlag, dine modstandere bukker skamfulde under.12Hvis du spejder efter fjenderne, ser du dem ikke, for de er alle døde og borte.13Jeg, Herren din Gud, griber din hånd og siger: Vær ikke bange! Jeg er her for at hjælpe dig.14Frygt ikke, Israel. Selv om ingen regner dig for noget, er jeg med dig for at frelse dig. Jeg er Herren, din Befrier. Jeg er Israels hellige Gud.15Jeg gør dig til et nyt og skarptandet tærskeredskab, som kan slå dine fjender, som man tærsker korn.16Du kaster dem i vejret, og de spredes for alle vinde. Da vil du juble over Herrens magt og fryde dig over din Gud, Israels Hellige.17Når de fattige og hjælpeløse forgæves søger efter vand, og deres tunger tørster efter noget at drikke, så vil jeg svare dem, når de råber til mig. Jeg er Herren, Israels Gud, og jeg svigter dem ikke.18Jeg lader bække strømme ned fra de golde bjerge og åbner kilder for dem i dalene. Jeg forvandler ørken til oase og det tørre land til kildevæld.19Jeg planter træer i ørkenen—cedre, akacier, myrter, oliventræer, cypresser, enebær- og fyrretræer.20Så vil de forstå, at det er Herren, der har gjort det, at det er Israels hellige Gud, der står bag.”
Herren udfordrer afguderne
21„Lad bare de andre folks guder stå frem,” siger Herren, Israels Konge. „Kom og vis, hvad I duer til.22Kan I forudsige, hvad der vil ske i fremtiden, eller forklare betydningen af det, der skete i fortiden? Fortæl, fortæl, så vi kan tage ved lære!23Hvis I er guder, så sig os, hvad der vil ske i fremtiden. Eller gør et mirakel, noget godt eller noget ondt, så vi kan stå og måbe af frygt!24Men nej, I er intet værd, I duer ikke til noget. Det er en skændsel at tilbede jer.25Jeg tilkaldte mit redskab fra østen. Han skal bringe ære til mit navn. Han kommer fra nord og tramper på fyrster, som en pottemager tramper i sit ler for at ælte det.26Hvem af jer, guder, forudsagde, at det ville ske, så man bagefter kunne sige: ‚Det var rigtigt nok.’? Ingen af jer sagde en lyd!27Jeg var den første til at fortælle Jerusalem de gode nyheder.28Jeg ser mig omkring, men ingen af guderne ved noget. De svarer ikke, når de bliver spurgt.29Så indse dog, at de intet er værd. De kan intet udrette. At stole på dem er fuldstændig absurd.”
King James Version
1Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.2Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.3He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.4Who hath wrought and done it , calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.5The isles saw it , and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, 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.8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.9Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.15Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.17When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.18I 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.19I will plant 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:20That 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.21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons , saith the King of Jacob.22Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be , that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.23Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.25I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.27The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.28For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
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