Isaiah 41

41 ¹Make una keep quiet listen me, una coastlands; make di people gaddar new strength. Make dem come near come talk; make we all draw near for judgment.

²Na who wake up one person from di east, dey call am for correct-and-holy way make e follow am? E dey hand nations give am, e dey put kings under am; e dey turn dem to dust wit im sword, to chaff wey wind dey blow wit im bow. ³E dey chase dem, e dey pass go safe-safe, for road wey im leg neva step before. ⁴Na who do dis thing finish, dey call di generations from di beginning? Na Me be di Papa—di first, and Me still dey wit di last; na Me be am.

⁵Di coastlands don see am, fear catch dem; di ends of di earth dey shake; dem dey draw near, dem dey come. ⁶Everybody dey help im neighbour, e dey tell im broda say, “Take heart!” ⁷Di craftsman dey encourage di goldsmith, and di one wey dey smooth wit hammer dey encourage di one wey dey knock di anvil, e dey talk about di soldering say, “E good”; and dem dey nail am tight so e no go fit shake.

⁸But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, wey I don choose, di seed of Abraham, my friend, ^a a v8 Na Israel dem call here as our Papa im servant; di special Servant wey dey Isaiah later songs (Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52–53) na Jesus, di true Israel wey complete di calling. ⁹you wey I carry from di ends of di earth, wey I call from im farthest corners, wey I tell say, “Na you be my servant; I don choose you, I no throway you”. ¹⁰“No fear, because I dey wit you; no let your mind fall, because na Me be your Papa. I go make you strong, I go help you, I go hold you up wit my correct-and-holy right hand. ^b b v10 “Na Me be your Papa” na di Hebrew Covenant word “I am your God” — our Papa tie imself to im people, no be as some far-far deity but as Papa.

¹¹Look, everybody wey dey vex against you go shame, dishonour go catch dem; di people wey dey fight you go turn to nothing, dem go perish. ¹²You go look for di people wey dey make war against you, but you no go see dem; di people wey dey battle against you go turn to nothing at all.” ¹³Because Me, your Papa, dey hold your right hand; na Me be di one wey dey tell you, “No fear, na Me be di one wey dey help you.” ¹⁴No fear, you worm Jacob, you people of Israel! Na Me be di one wey dey help you, na wetin our Papa talk; your Redeemer na di Holy One of Israel—your Papa. ^c c v14 “Di Holy One of Israel” na Isaiah im special name for our Papa — di holy one wey don tie imself for Covenant to di people wey e dey call im own. ¹⁵“Look, I go make you into threshing sledge, new one wey sharp, wey get plenty teeth; you go thresh di mountains and grind dem, you go make di hills be like chaff. ¹⁶You go winnow dem, and wind go carry dem comot, and storm go scatter dem. But you go dey rejoice for inside our Papa; for inside di Holy One of Israel na im you go dey glory.

¹⁷Wen di poor and needy people dey find water, and none dey, and thirst don dry dem tongue, Me, your Papa, go answer dem; Me, di Papa of Israel, no go leave dem. ¹⁸I go open rivers for di dry high-ground, and springs for inside di valleys; I go turn di desert to pools of water, and dry ground to springs wey dey flow. ¹⁹I go plant for di wilderness di cedar, di acacia, di myrtle, and di olive; I go set for di desert di cypress, di plane, and di pine togeda, ²⁰so dat dem go see, dem go know, dem go think am well, dem go understand togeda, say na my hand do dis thing, say na Me, di Holy One of Israel, create am.”

²¹Bring out your case, na so our Papa talk; bring your proof, na so di King of Jacob talk. ²²Make dem bring dem come, make dem tell us wetin go happen. Tell us di former things, wetin dem be, so we go fit think am and know how e end; abi tell us di things wey dey come. ²³Tell us wetin go come afta, so we go know say na gods una be; do good, abi do bad, so fear go catch us and we go full wit fear togeda. ²⁴Look, una be nothing, and una work be less than nothing; whoever choose una na abomination.

²⁵I wake up one person from di north, and e don come, from wia sun dey rise one wey dey call my name; e dey trample rulers like mud, like potter wey dey step clay. ²⁶Na who talk am from di beginning, so we go know, and beforehand, so we go fit say, “E correct”? Nobody dey wey talk am, nobody proclaim am, nobody hear una words. ²⁷Na Me be di first to tell Zion say, “Look, dem don dey here!” and I give Jerusalem one messenger of good news. ²⁸“But wen I look, nobody dey; for inside dem, no counsellor dey wey, wen I ask, fit give answer. ²⁹Look, all of dem na deception; dem work na nothing; dem cast idols na empty wind.”