Don't you understand the foundations of the earth?

22 God is enthroned above the earth, and those who live on it are like grasshoppers.

He stretches out the sky like a canopy and spreads it out like a tent to live in.

23 He makes rulers unimportant and makes earthly judges worth nothing.

24 They have hardly been planted.

They have hardly been sown.

They have hardly taken root in the ground.

Then he blows on them and they wither, and a windstorm sweeps them away like straw.

25 "To whom, then, can you compare me?

Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.

26 Look at the sky and see.

Who created these things?

Who brings out the stars one by one?

He calls them all by name.

Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing.

27 Jacob, why do you complain?

Israel, why do you say, "My way is hidden from Yahweh, and my rights are ignored by my Elohim "?

28 Don't you know?

Haven't you heard?

El Olam, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't grow tired or become weary.

His understanding is beyond reach.

29 He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak.

30 Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall.

31 Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in Yahweh will be renewed.

They will soar on wings like eagles.

They will run and won't become weary.

They will walk and won't grow tired.

The Nations Chose Idols, but the LORD Chose Israel 41 1 "Be silent and listen to me, you coastlands.

Let the people gain new strength.

Let them come near and speak.

Let us come together for judgment.

2 "Who has raised up from the east someone to whom Yahweh gives victory with every step he takes?

Nations are handed over to him.

He defeats kings.

With his sword he turns them into dust.

With his bow he turns them into straw blown by the wind.

3 He chases them, marching by safely on a path his feet have never traveled before.

4 Who has accomplished this?

Who has determined the course of history from the beginning?

I, Yahweh, was there first, and I will be there to the end.

I am the one!"

5 The coastlands have seen him and are afraid.

The ends of the earth tremble.

They have come near and gathered together.

6 People help their neighbors and say to their relatives, "Be brave!"

7 Craftsmen encourage goldsmiths.

Metalsmiths encourage blacksmiths who work at their anvils.

They say that their soldering is good.

And they fasten things with nails so they won't move.

8 "But you are my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendant of Abraham, my dear friend.

9 I have taken you from the ends of the earth and called you from its most distant places.

I said to you, 'You are my servant.

I've chosen you; I haven't rejected you.'

10 Don't be afraid, because I am with you.

Don't be intimidated; I am your Elohim.

I will strengthen you.

I will help you.

I will support you with my victorious right hand.

11 "Everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced.

Those who oppose you will be reduced to nothing and disappear.

12 You will search for your enemies, but you will not find them.

Those who are at war with you will be reduced to nothing and no longer exist.

13 I, Yahweh your Elohim, hold your right hand and say to you, 'Don't be afraid; I will help you.'

14 Don't be afraid, Jacob, you worm.

You people of Israel, I will help you,"

declares Yahweh, your Go'el , Qedosh Yisrael .

15 "I am going to make you into a new threshinga sledge with sharp, double-edged teeth.

You will thresh the mountains and crush them to dust.

You will turn the hills into straw.

16 You will winnowb them.

The wind will carry them away.

The windstorm will scatter them.

But you will find joy in Yahweh and praise Qedosh Yisrael .

17 "The poor and needy are looking for water, but there is none.

Their tongues are parched with thirst.

I, Yahweh, will answer them.

I, the Elohim of Israel, will not abandon them.

18 I will make rivers flow on bare hilltops.

I will make springs flow through valleys.

I will turn deserts into lakes.

I will turn dry land into springs.

19 I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and wild olive trees in the desert.

I will place cedar, fir, and cypress trees together in the wilderness.

20 People will see and know.

Together they will consider and understand that Yahweh's power has done this, that Qedosh Yisrael has created it.

21 "Present your case," says Yahweh .

"Bring forward your best arguments," says Jacob's Melek .

22 "Bring your idols so they can tell us what's going to happen.

Explain past events that your idols told you about so that we may consider them and know what their outcome will be.

Tell us about future events.

23 Tell us what's going to happen so that we may know that you are gods.

Yes, do something, good or evil, to intimidate us and make us afraid.

24 You are nothing!

You can't do anything!

Whoever chooses you is disgusting.

25 "I have raised up someone from the north, and he has come.

He will call on my name from the east.

He will attack rulers as if they were mud, as if he were treading on clay like a potter.

26 Who revealed this from the beginning so that we could know it?

Who revealed this from the past so that we could say that he was right?