The Lord Controls Human Events
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?
Who puts nations and kings
in his power?
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.
What Can Idols Do?
6 Worshipers of idols
comfort each other,
saying, “Don't worry!”
7 Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,
and other workers
encourage one another and say,
“We've done a great job!”
Then they nail the idol down,
so it won't fall over.
The Lord's Chosen Servant
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—
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.
You will grind and crush
every mountain and hill
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.
The Lord Helps the Poor
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.
Idols Are Useless
21 I am the Lord,
the King of Israel!
Come argue your case with me.
Present your evidence.
22 Come near me, you idols.
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.
24 You idols are nothing,
and you are powerless.
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 kings like mud,
as potters trample clay.
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!”
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,
and they can do nothing—
they are merely
a passing breeze.
Elob ra Israelsa ǁaposasiba mā
1 Elob ge ra mî:
“ǃNū ǃhūb dido, ǃnō î ǃgâ te!
A di ǁaede ǀasa ǀgaiba ǁkhawa hōbasen;
an ǃgûǀgū tsî ǃhoa;
a da ǀgoraǃgâs ǃaroma ǀhao.
2 “Tari-e aiǂoas danaoba ge khâikhâiǃnâ-e,
ǁîba ǁîb ǃoabas ǃoa ge ǂgaihā-e?
ǁÎb ge ǁaede ǁîb ǃoa ra ǁkhaeǁnâ
tsî gao-aoga ra ǃgamǃgam.
ǁÎb ge ǁîna gôab âb ǀkha tsarab khami ra dī,
khās âb ǀkha ǃgommahe ra ǀhōb khami.
3 ǁÎb ge ǁîna sauruǃgon tsî ǂhanihe tamase,
ǁîb ǂaira ra ǁaubexa ǃhūba tsâǀkhāse ra ǃkharu.
4 Tariba nēsa ī kai tsî ge dība,
ôananôaguga tsoatsoasa xu ge ǂgaiba?
Tita ǃKhūta ge ǂguro ta,
tsî ǀuniga nî hâ ta.
5 “ǃNū ǃhūgu khoen ge nēsa mû tsî ge ǃao,
ǃhūbaib ǀkhâuǀamdi ge ǃaob xa ge ǀkhū.
ǁÎn ge ǀgūǀgūsen tsî ge hā.
6 Mâ-i hoa-i ge nau-e ra hui,
tsî ǁîǃnābe ra mî ‘ǀGaiba ūhâ!’ ti.
7 Sîsenaob ge ǃhuniǀurikuru-aoba ra ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ,
tsî ǁnāb hamers ǀkha ra ǂnauǂhanuǂhanub
ge ǃgâuǁare raba ra ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ.
Nēti ra mîse ‘Nēs ge a ǃgâi,’ ti;
tsî ǁî-e gon-i tidese spaikern ǀkha ra ǃgâuǁapoǁapo.
8 “Xawe sats Israeltse, ti ǃgātse,
Jakotse, tita xa ge ǁhûiǂuihetse,
ti horesab Abrahammi suritse.
9 Satsa ta ge ǃhūbaib ǀkhâuǀamde xu ge hā-ū
tsî ǁîdi a ǃnū ǁhôade xu ge ǂgaihā,
tsî sats ǃoa ge mî: ‘Sats ge ti ǃgātsa,
tita ge ge ǁhûi tsi tsî ǂhara tsi tama hâ.
10 Tā ǃao, tita sats ǀkha hâ xuige,
tā ǃaoǃaohe, tita a sa Elo xuige!
Tita ge ǀgaiǀgai tsî nî hui tsi,
tita ge ti ore ra amǀkhāb ǁôab ǀkha nî ǁkhauba tsi.’
11 “Mû, sa ǃoagu ge ǁaixa hâ in
ge taotaohe tsî nî ǁauxūdīhe.
Sa ǃoagu ra ǃkhamn hoan
ge xū tamase dīhe tsî nî ǁō.
12 Sa mâǃoasabenats ge nî ôa,
xawets ge ǁîna hō tide;
sats ǃoagu ra torodīn
ge hoaragase nî ǁauxū kai.
13 Tita ǃKhūta sa Elota,
amǀkhāb ǃommi âtsa nî ǃkhō xui-ao;
Tita ge sats ǃoa ra mî ta
‘Tā ǃao, tita ge nî hui tsi,’ ” ti.
14 Tā ǃao re Jakotse, sa ǂunirots, Israelǁîtse!
ǃKhūb ge ra mî: “Tita ge nî hui tsi,
sa Ore-aob ge Israeli di ǃAnuba.
15 Mû, tita ge ǃgao-ūdas gôab khami nî ǀāǀā tsi,
ǀasa ǀā gôaga ūhâ ǁgûgu ǀkha;
ǃhomga ǃgao tsîts ge ǁîga nî ǂkhūǂkhū
tsî ǃnâuga ǀhōb khami nî tsautsau.
16 Sats ge ǁîna ǂoab ǃnâ nî aokhâi,
on ge ǂoab xa nî ǃgombēhe;
ǁgaoǂoas ge ǁîna nî ǃgomǀgaruǀgaru.
Ots ge ǃKhūb ǃnâ nî ǃgâiaǂgao;
Israeli di ǃAnub ǃnâts ge nî dâ.
17 “ǀGâsan tsî ǂhâsib ǃnâ hân ge ǁgam-e ra ôa,
xawe i ge nî ǀkhai tsî gu ga namga ǁgâs xa ǂnâ,
o ta ge tita ǃKhūta ǁîna nî ǃeream;
tita Israeli Elota ge ǁîna ǁnāxūǃgâ tide.
18 Tita ge ǃgora-ai ǃnâugu ai ǃāga nî dâu kai
tsî ǀaude ǃgoaǃnāgu ǁaegu;
ǃgaroǃhūba ta ge ǃkhubis ase nî dī
tsî ǂnâsa ǃhūba ǁgamǀause.
19 Sederhaisa ta ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ nî ǁhai kai,
tsî ǁkhāti akasiahais, mirtehais tsî ǀkherahais tsîde;
ǃam haiǀgoms ge ǃgaroǃhūb ai nî ǁhai,
denehais, siprehais tsî bushais tsîdi hoade.
20 Hoan ge mû tsî nî ǂan,
hoan ge ǂâiǃgâ tsî nî ǁnâuǃā,
ǃKhūb ǃommi ge nēsa dī ǃkhaisa,
Israeli di ǃAnub ge ǁîsa ge kuru.”
ǃKhūb ra ǁgôa-elogu xa ǁgoaǂuihe
21 ǃKhūb ge ra mî: “Sadu ǁhōba ǀkhī-ū.”
Jakob Gao-aob ge ra mî: “Sadu ǂnoagu-aide hā-ū.
22 An ǁîna ǀkhī-ūhe tsî tare-i nî īsa mîba ge.
ǃKharu ge xūn xa ǁgamba ge,
taren a ǁîna ǃkhaisa, ǁîn xa da nî ǂâiǃgâse.
Mâti i go ǁîn ǀkha hāsa da nî ǂan,
tamas ka io hā nîse ī xūn xa ǂansa.
23 Tare-i nēs khaoǃgâ nî īsa mîba da,
elogo asa da nî ǂanǂuiga;
ā, ǃgâi tamas ka io tsūse dī,
î da ǀkhūb tsî ǃaob xa xāǂgāhe.
24 Amase, sadu ge xūtama tsî sadu sîsenni hoab tsîn;
sado ge ǁhûiǂui-i ge a taotaosa!
25 “Tita ge ǀguib ǀapasǀkhāb diba ge khâikhâiǃnâ, tsîb ge ge hā;
soreǁhaisǀkhāba xub ge ti ǀons xa ge ǂgaihāhe.
ǁÎb ge ǂgoab ais khami ǂgaeǂgui-aoga nî dā-ai,
sūǂnubi-aob ra ǂgoaba dī-ū khami.
26 Tari-e tsoatsoasa xu ǁnāsa ge mîǁgui-e,
ǁîsa da nî ǂan tsî mî ǁkhāse: ‘ǁÎb ge a ǂhanu.’
Khoe-i xare-i ǁnāsa mîǁgui tama,
khoe-i xare-i aoǁnâ tamas ka io sa mîde ǁnâu tama.
27 Tita ǃKhūta ge ǂgurose Sionsa ge ǂanǂan ta
tsî Jerusalemsa ta ge ǀgui ǃgâiǂhôasa ra mā.
28 Xawe kō ta ge, o ta ge khoe-i xare-e mû tama ge i;
ǁîgu ǃnâ i ge ǀapemā-ao-i xare-e ge ǀkhai i,
dî ta ra xū-i xare-e ge ǃeream ǁkhā i-e.
29 Ā, hoan ge xū tama hâ;
ǁîn sîsengu ge a ǁau;
ǁîn īgu ge ǂoab khami a ǀkhaiǃnâ.
