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The coastlands[a] see and are afraid;
the whole earth[b] trembles;
they approach and come.
They help one another;[c]
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encourages[d] the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding,[e]
and nails it down so it won’t fall over.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 41:5 tn Or “islands” (NIV, CEV); NCV “faraway places”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
  2. Isaiah 41:5 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
  3. Isaiah 41:6 tn Heb “each his neighbor helps”; NCV “The workers help each other.”
  4. Isaiah 41:7 tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  5. Isaiah 41:7 tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”

The islands(A) have seen it and fear;
    the ends of the earth(B) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
    they help each other
    and say to their companions, “Be strong!(C)
The metalworker(D) encourages the goldsmith,(E)
    and the one who smooths with the hammer
    spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
    The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.(F)

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