Isaiah 41:1-9

Expanded Bible

² “Who ·caused the one to come [stirs up one] from the east [^Cthe Persian king Cyrus the Great; 44:28—45:6; 46:11; 48:14–16]?
    Who ·gives him victories everywhere he goes [or calls him in righteousness to his service/^Lfoot]?
He [^Cthe Lord] gives nations over to him
    and ·defeats [subdues] kings.
He uses his sword, and kings become like dust.
    He uses his bow, and they are blown away like ·chaff [straw].
³ He chases them and ·is never hurt [^Lpasses by in peace],
    ·going places he has never been before [^Lby a path his feet have not gone].
⁴ Who caused this to happen?
    ·Who has controlled history [^L…calling generations] since the beginning?
I, the Lord, am the one. ·I was here at the beginning,
    and I will be here when all things are finished [or…the First and the Last; or…with them at the first and the last; ^Lfirst and with them at the last].”

⁵ All you ·faraway places [or islands; or coastlands], look and be afraid;
    all you ·places far away on [ends of] the earth, shake with fear.
Come close and ·listen to [approach] me.
⁶     ·The workers help each other [A man helps his companion/neighbor]
    and say to ·each other [his brother], “Be strong!”
⁷ The ·craftsman [engraver; metal worker] encourages the goldsmith,
    and the workman who smooths the metal with a hammer encourages the one who ·shapes the metal [strikes the anvil].
He says, “This ·metal work [welding; soldering] is ·good [sound; well crafted].”
    He nails the statue to a base so it can’t fall over [^Cthe nations find false hope and baseless courage in their idols; vv. 28–29].