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Isaiah 41-52
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 41-52
New American Standard Bible
Israel Encouraged
41 “(A)Listen to Me (B)in silence, you coastlands,
And let the peoples (C)gain new strength;
(D)Let them come forward, then let them speak;
(E)Let’s come together for judgment.
2 (F)Who has stirred one from the east
Whom He (G)calls in righteousness to His [a]feet?
He (H)turns nations over to him
And subdues kings.
He makes them like (I)dust with his sword,
Like the wind-driven (J)chaff with his bow.
3 He pursues them, passing on in safety,
By a way he had not been [b]traversing with his feet.
4 (K)Who has performed and accomplished it,
Summoning the generations from the beginning?
‘(L)I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. (M)I am He.’”
5 The (N)coastlands have seen and are afraid;
The (O)ends of the earth tremble;
They have approached and have come.
6 Each one helps his neighbor
And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7 So the (P)craftsman encourages the (Q)smelter,
And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
And he fastens it with nails,
(R)So that it will not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, (S)My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of (T)Abraham My (U)friend,
9 You whom I have [c](V)taken from the ends of the earth
And called from its (W)remotest parts,
And said to you, ‘You are (X)My servant,
I have (Y)chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 Do not (Z)fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, (AA)I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous (AB)right hand.’
11 Behold, (AC)all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
(AD)Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12 (AE)You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13 For I am the Lord your God (AF)who takes hold of your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘(AG)Do not fear, I will help you.’
14 Do not fear, you (AH)worm Jacob, you people of Israel;
I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and (AI)your [d]Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I turned you into a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges;
(AJ)You will thresh the (AK)mountains and pulverize them,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You will (AL)winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will (AM)rejoice in the Lord,
You will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy are seeking (AN)water, but there is none,
And their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, (AO)will answer them Myself;
As the God of Israel I (AP)will not abandon them.
18 I will open (AQ)rivers on the bare heights,
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make (AR)the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land fountains of water.
19 I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia, the (AS)myrtle, and the olive tree;
I will place the (AT)juniper in the desert,
Together with the elm tree and the cypress,
20 So that (AU)they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the (AV)hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 “[e]Present your case,” the Lord says.
“Bring forward your evidence,”
The (AW)King of Jacob says.
22 (AX)Let them bring them forward and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the (AY)former events, declare what they were,
So that we may consider them and know their outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming;
23 (AZ)Declare the things that are going to come afterward,
So that we may know that you are gods;
Indeed, (BA)do good or evil, that we may be afraid and fear together.
24 Behold, (BB)you are less than nothing,
And (BC)your work is less than nothing!
He who chooses you is an (BD)abomination.
25 “I have put (BE)one from the north into motion, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon rulers as upon [f](BF)mortar,
As the potter treads on clay.”
26 Who has (BG)declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”?
There was (BH)no one at all who declared,
There was no one at all who proclaimed,
There was no one at all who heard your words.
27 “(BI)Previously I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a (BJ)messenger of good news.’
28 But (BK)when I look, there is no one,
And there is no (BL)counselor [g]among them
Who, if I ask, can (BM)give an answer.
29 Behold, all of them are [h]false;
Their (BN)works are (BO)nothing,
Their cast metal images are (BP)wind and emptiness.
God’s Promise concerning His Servant
42 “(BQ)Behold, My (BR)Servant, whom I [i]uphold;
My (BS)chosen one in whom My (BT)soul delights.
I have put My (BU)Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth (BV)justice to the [j]nations.
2 He will not cry out nor raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 A bent reed He will not break off
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth (BW)justice.
4 He will not be (BX)disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice on the earth;
And the (BY)coastlands will wait expectantly for His [k]law.”
5 This is what God the Lord says,
Who (BZ)created the heavens and (CA)stretched them out,
Who spread out the (CB)earth and its [l]offspring,
Who (CC)gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord, I have (CD)called You in righteousness,
I will also (CE)hold You by the hand and (CF)watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a (CG)covenant to the people,
As a (CH)light to the nations,
7 To (CI)open blind eyes,
To (CJ)bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 (CK)I am the Lord, that is (CL)My name;
I will not give My (CM)glory to another,
Nor My praise to idols.
9 Behold, the (CN)former things have come to pass,
Now I declare (CO)new things;
Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.”
10 Sing to the Lord a (CP)new song,
Sing His praise from the (CQ)end of the earth!
(CR)You who go down to the sea, and (CS)all that is in it;
You (CT)islands, and those who live on them.
11 Let the (CU)wilderness and its cities raise their voices,
The settlements which (CV)Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of (CW)Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the (CX)mountains.
12 Let them (CY)give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the (CZ)coastlands.
13 (DA)The Lord will go out like a warrior,
He will stir His (DB)zeal like a man of war.
He will shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry.
He will (DC)prevail against His enemies.
The Blindness of the People
14 “(DD)I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will (DE)lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will (DF)turn the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 I will (DG)lead those who are blind by a way they have not known,
In paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will (DH)turn darkness into light before them
And (DI)uneven land into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (DJ)not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be (DK)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [m]idols,
Who say to cast metal images,
“You are our gods.”
18 (DL)Hear, you who are deaf!
And look, you who are blind, so that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My (DM)servant,
Or so deaf as My (DN)messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as one who is [n](DO)at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (DP)You have seen many things, but you do not retain them;
Your ears are open, but no one hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the Law (DQ)great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and pillaged;
All of them are (DR)trapped in [o]caves,
Or are (DS)hidden away in prisons;
They have become plunder, with no one to save them,
And spoils with no one to say, “Give them back!”
23 Who among you will listen to this?
Who will pay attention and listen in the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoils, and Israel to plunderers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they (DT)were not willing to walk,
And whose Law they did not (DU)obey?
25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the (DV)fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not recognize it;
And it burned him, but he [p](DW)paid no attention.
Israel Redeemed
43 But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your (DX)Creator, Jacob,
And He who (DY)formed you, Israel:
“Do not (DZ)fear, for I have (EA)redeemed you;
I have (EB)called you by name; you are (EC)Mine!
2 When you (ED)pass through the waters, (EE)I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you (EF)walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 For (EG)I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your (EH)Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
[q](EI)Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Since you are (EJ)precious in My sight,
Since you are (EK)honored and I (EL)love you,
I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for (EM)I am with you;
I will bring (EN)your offspring from the east,
And (EO)gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the (EP)north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My (EQ)sons from afar
And My daughters from the (ER)ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is (ES)called by My name,
And whom I have (ET)created for My (EU)glory,
(EV)Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is God’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are (EW)blind, even though they have eyes,
And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have (EX)gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can (EY)declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present (EZ)their witnesses so (FA)that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are (FB)My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And (FC)My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that (FD)I am He.
(FE)Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 I, only I, am the Lord,
And there is no (FF)savior (FG)besides Me.
12 It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no (FH)strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God.
13 Even [r](FI)from eternity (FJ)I am He,
And there is (FK)no one who can rescue from My hand;
(FL)I act, and who can reverse it?”
Babylon to Be Destroyed
14 This is what the Lord your (FM)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says:
“For your sake I have sent to Babylon,
And will bring them all down as fugitives,
[s]Even the (FN)Chaldeans, into the (FO)ships [t]over which they rejoice.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
(FP)The Creator of Israel, your (FQ)King.”
16 This is what the Lord says,
He who (FR)makes a way through the sea
And a path through the mighty waters,
17 Who brings out the (FS)chariot and the horse,
The army and the mighty man
(They will lie down together and not rise again;
They have been (FT)extinguished, and have gone out like a wick):
18 “(FU)Do not call to mind the former things,
Or consider things of the past.
19 Behold, I am going to do something (FV)new,
Now it will spring up;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even (FW)make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will glorify Me,
The (FX)jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have (FY)given waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My chosen people.
21 The people whom (FZ)I formed for Myself
(GA)Will declare My praise.
The Shortcomings of Israel
22 “Yet you have not called on Me, Jacob;
But you have become (GB)weary of Me, Israel.
23 You have (GC)not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings,
Nor have you (GD)honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not (GE)burdened you with [u]offerings,
Nor wearied you with (GF)incense.
24 You have not bought Me [v](GG)sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
Rather, you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have (GH)wearied Me with your wrongdoings.
25 “I, I alone, am the one who (GI)wipes out your wrongdoings (GJ)for My own sake,
And I will (GK)not remember your sins.
26 [w]Meet Me in court, (GL)let’s argue our case together;
State your cause, (GM)so that you may be proved right.
27 Your (GN)first [x]forefather sinned,
And your [y](GO)spokesmen have rebelled against Me.
28 So I will profane the [z]officials of the sanctuary,
And I will turn Jacob over to (GP)destruction and Israel to (GQ)abuse.
The Blessings of Israel
44 “But now listen, Jacob, My (GR)servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 This is what the Lord says, He who made you
And (GS)formed you from the womb, who (GT)will help you:
‘(GU)Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And [aa](GV)Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For (GW)I will pour water on [ab]the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will (GX)pour out My Spirit on your (GY)offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up [ac]among the grass
Like (GZ)poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And that one [ad]will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will (HA)write [ae]on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.
6 “This is what the Lord says, He who is the (HB)King of Israel and his (HC)Redeemer, the Lord of armies:
‘I am the (HD)first and I am the last,
And there is no God (HE)besides Me.
7 Who is like Me? (HF)Let him proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
[af]Beginning with My establishing of the ancient [ag]nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
(HG)Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And (HH)you are My witnesses.
Is there any God (HI)besides Me,
Or is there any other (HJ)Rock?
I know of none.’”
The Foolishness of Idolatry
9 Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be (HK)put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to (HL)no benefit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be (HM)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.
12 The (HN)craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, [ah]fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and [ai]his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 (HO)The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of (HP)mankind, so that it may sit in a (HQ)house. 14 He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also (HR)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and (HS)bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 Yet the rest of it he (HT)makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also (HU)prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not (HV)know, nor do they understand, for He has (HW)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one [aj]remembers, nor is there (HX)knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then [ak]I make the rest of it into an (HY)abomination, [al]I bow down before a block of wood!” 20 He [am](HZ)feeds on ashes; a (IA)deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save [an]himself, nor say, “(IB)Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
God Forgives and Redeems
21 “(IC)Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are (ID)My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will (IE)not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have (IF)wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a [ao]heavy mist.
(IG)Return to Me, for I have (IH)redeemed you.”
23 (II)Shout for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
(IJ)Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For (IK)the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He (IL)shows His glory.
24 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (IM)Redeemer, and the one who (IN)formed you from the womb:
“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
(IO)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth [ap]alone,
25 (IP)Causing the [aq]omens of diviners to fail,
[ar]Making fools of fortune-tellers;
(IQ)Causing wise men to turn back
And [as]making their knowledge ridiculous,
26 (IR)Confirming the word of His servant
And [at]carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the (IS)cities of Judah, ‘(IT)They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers (IU)dry up.
28 It is I who says of (IV)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And [au]he says of Jerusalem, ‘(IW)She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘[av]Your foundation will be laid.’”
God Uses Cyrus
45 This is what the Lord says to (IX)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right (IY)hand,
To (IZ)subdue nations before him
And [aw]to (JA)undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you and (JB)make the [ax]rough places smooth;
I will (JC)shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron (JD)bars.
3 I will give you the [ay](JE)treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who (JF)calls you by your name.
4 For the sake of (JG)Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also (JH)called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have (JI)not known Me.
5 I am the Lord, and (JJ)there is no one else;
(JK)There is no God except Me.
I will (JL)[az]arm you, though you have not known Me,
6 So that (JM)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is (JN)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
7 The One (JO)forming light and (JP)creating darkness,
Causing [ba]well-being and (JQ)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.
God’s Supreme Power
8 “(JR)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the (JS)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
(JT)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who (JU)quarrels with [bb]his Maker—
A piece of pottery [bc]among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the (JV)clay say to the [bd]potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you [be]giving birth?’”
11 This is what the (JW)Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and [bf]his (JX)Maker:
“[bg](JY)Ask Me about the things to come [bh]concerning My (JZ)sons,
And you shall commit to Me (KA)the work of My hands.
12 It is I who (KB)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I (KC)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I [bi]ordained (KD)all their [bj]lights.
13 I have stirred him in (KE)righteousness,
And I will (KF)make all his ways smooth.
He will (KG)build My city and let My exiles go (KH)free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The [bk]products of (KI)Egypt and the merchandise of [bl](KJ)Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will (KK)come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in (KL)chains
And will (KM)bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
‘[bm](KN)God certainly is [bn]with you, and (KO)there is no one else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who (KP)hides Himself,
God of Israel, (KQ)Savior!
16 They will be (KR)put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The (KS)manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an (KT)everlasting salvation;
You (KU)will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.
18 For this is what the Lord says, He who (KV)created the heavens (He is the God who (KW)formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it [bo]as a (KX)waste place, but formed it to be (KY)inhabited):
“I am the Lord, and (KZ)there is no one else.
19 (LA)I have not spoken in secret,
In [bp]some dark land;
I did not say to the [bq](LB)offspring of Jacob,
‘(LC)Seek Me in [br]a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, (LD)speak righteousness,
(LE)Declaring things that are right.
20 “(LF)Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
(LG)They have no knowledge,
Who (LH)carry around [bs]their wooden idol
And (LI)pray to a god who cannot save.
21 (LJ)Declare and present your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
(LK)Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is (LL)no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a (LM)Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 (LN)Turn to Me and (LO)be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (LP)I have sworn by Myself;
The (LQ)word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me (LR)every knee will bow, every tongue will (LS)swear allegiance.
24 They will say of Me, ‘Only (LT)in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And (LU)all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be (LV)justified and will (LW)boast.”
Babylon’s Idols and the True God
46 (LX)Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;
Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle.
The things [bt]that you carry are burdensome,
A load for the weary animal.
2 They stooped over, they have bowed down together;
They could not rescue the burden,
But [bu]have themselves (LY)gone into captivity.
3 “(LZ)Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
And all (MA)the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been (MB)carried by Me from [bv]birth
And have been carried from the womb;
4 Even to your old age (MC)I [bw]will be the same,
And even to your [bx](MD)graying years I will [by]carry you!
I have [bz]done it, and I will bear you;
And I will [ca]carry you and I will save you.
5 “(ME)To whom would you liken Me
And make Me equal, and compare Me,
That we would be alike?
6 Those who (MF)lavish gold from the bag
And weigh silver on the scale,
Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
They (MG)bow down, indeed they worship it.
7 They (MH)lift it on the shoulder, carry it,
And set it in its place, and it stands there.
(MI)It does not move from its place.
Though one may shout to it, it (MJ)cannot answer;
It (MK)cannot save him from his distress.
8 “(ML)Remember this, and be [cb]assured;
(MM)Recall it to [cc]mind, you (MN)wrongdoers.
9 Remember the (MO)former things long past,
For I am God, and there is (MP)no other;
I am God, and there is (MQ)no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘(MR)My plan will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a (MS)bird of prey from the (MT)east,
The man of [cd]My purpose from a distant country.
Truly I have (MU)spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, I will certainly do it.
12 “(MV)Listen to Me, you (MW)stubborn-minded,
Who are (MX)far from righteousness.
13 I (MY)bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant (MZ)salvation in Zion,
And My (NA)glory for Israel.
Mourning for Babylon
47 “(NB)Come down and sit in the dust,
(NC)Virgin (ND)daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called (NE)tender and delicate.
2 Take the (NF)millstones and (NG)grind flour.
Remove your (NH)veil, (NI)strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
3 Your (NJ)nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will (NK)take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
4 Our (NL)Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
5 “(NM)Sit silently, and go into (NN)darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The (NO)queen of (NP)kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the (NQ)aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 Yet you said, ‘I will be a (NR)queen forever.’
These things you did not (NS)consider
Nor remember the (NT)outcome of [ce]them.
8 “Now, then, hear this, you (NU)luxuriant one,
Who (NV)lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
‘(NW)I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will (NX)not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
9 But these (NY)two things will come on you (NZ)suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many (OA)sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt (OB)secure in your wickedness and said,
‘(OC)No one sees me,’
Your (OD)wisdom and your knowledge, [cf]they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
‘(OE)I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But (OF)evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And (OG)destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you (OH)suddenly.
12 “Persist now in your (OI)spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are (OJ)wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the (OK)astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and (OL)save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become (OM)like stubble,
(ON)Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be (OO)no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have (OP)done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own [cg]way;
There is (OQ)no one to save you.
Israel’s Obstinacy
48 “(OR)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (OS)waters of Judah,
Who (OT)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (OU)righteousness.
2 For they name themselves after the (OV)holy city,
And (OW)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
3 I (OX)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(OY)Suddenly I acted, and they (OZ)came to pass.
4 Because I know that you are [ch](PA)obstinate,
And your (PB)neck is an iron tendon
And your (PC)forehead bronze,
5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [ci]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (PD)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
6 You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (PE)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
7 They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have not (PF)heard, you have not known.
Even from long ago your ear has not been open,
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a [cj](PG)rebel from [ck]birth.
9 (PH)For the sake of My name I (PI)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (PJ)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (PK)furnace of affliction.
11 (PL)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (PM)glory to another.
Rescue Promised
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [cl]whom I called;
(PN)I am He, (PO)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (PP)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (PQ)call to them, they stand together.
14 (PR)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(PS)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (PT)carry out His good pleasure against (PU)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (PV)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (PW)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (PX)not spoken in secret,
(PY)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (PZ)the Lord [cm]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (QA)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (QB)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (QC)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [cn](QD)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (QE)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [co](QF)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [cp]your offspring like its grains;
(QG)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (QH)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (QI)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(QJ)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(QK)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (QL)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (QM)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (QN)the water gushed out.
22 “(QO)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Salvation Reaches to the Ends of the Earth
49 Listen to Me, you (QP)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(QQ)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [cq]body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My (QR)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (QS)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened (QT)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “(QU)You are My Servant, Israel,
(QV)In whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have (QW)labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (QX)reward is with My God.”
5 And now says (QY)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (QZ)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (RA)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (RB)strength),
6 He says, “It is too [cr]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (RC)protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (RD)light [cs]of the nations
So that My salvation may [ct]reach to the (RE)end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord, the (RF)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [cu](RG)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
“(RH)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (RI)bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At a (RJ)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (RK)watch over You and (RL)make You a covenant of the people,
To [cv](RM)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are (RN)bound, ‘[cw]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (RO)bare heights.
10 They will (RP)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (RQ)heat or sun strike them down;
For (RR)He who has compassion on them will (RS)lead them,
And He will guide them to (RT)springs of water.
11 I will make all (RU)My mountains a road,
And My (RV)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (RW)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (RX)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (RY)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (RZ)Lord has comforted His people
And will (SA)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (SB)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (SC)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (SD)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [cx]builders hurry;
Your (SE)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (SF)Raise your eyes and look around;
(SG)All of them gather together, (SH)they come to you.
(SI)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (SJ)put them all on as [cy]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (SK)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (SL)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (SM)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (SN)children [cz]you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
21 Then you will (SO)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (SP)cannot conceive, and I am an (SQ)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (SR)left alone;
[da](SS)Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [db]God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (ST)flag to the peoples;
And they will (SU)bring your sons [dc]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (SV)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (SW)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (SX)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (SY)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (SZ)wait for Me will (TA)not be put to shame.
25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
“Even the (TC)captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will (TD)save your sons.
26 I will feed your (TE)oppressors with their (TF)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [de](TG)humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your (TH)Savior
And your (TI)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
God Helps His Servant
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is the (TJ)certificate of divorce
By which I have (TK)sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I (TL)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (TM)wrongdoings,
And for your (TN)wrongful acts your mother (TO)was sent away.
2 Why was there (TP)no one when I came?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?
Is My (TQ)hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or do I have no power to rescue?
Behold, I (TR)dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I (TS)turn rivers into a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water,
And die of thirst.
3 I (TT)clothe the heavens with blackness,
And make sackcloth their covering.”
4 The Lord [df]God has given Me the tongue of (TU)disciples,
So that I may know how to (TV)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (TW)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has (TX)opened My ear,
And I was (TY)not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (TZ)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard;
I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
7 For the Lord God (UA)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (UB)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have made My face like (UC)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who (UD)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (UE)stand up to each other.
Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me.
9 Behold, (UF)the Lord God helps Me;
(UG)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (UH)they will all wear out like a garment;
A moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His (UI)servant,
Who (UJ)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (UK)trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (UL)kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with flaming arrows,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the flaming arrows you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (UM)lie down in torment.
Israel Exhorted
51 “(UN)Listen to Me, you who (UO)pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the (UP)rock from which you were cut,
And to the [dg]quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to (UQ)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he (UR)was only one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (US)the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (UT)ruins.
And He will make her (UU)wilderness like (UV)Eden,
And her desert like the (UW)garden of the Lord.
(UX)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the sound of a melody.
4 “(UY)Pay attention to Me, My people,
And listen to Me, My [dh]nation;
For a (UZ)law will go out from Me,
And I will bring My (VA)justice as a (VB)light of the peoples.
5 My (VC)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (VD)arms will judge the peoples;
The (VE)coastlands will wait for Me,
And they will wait expectantly for My (VF)arm.
6 (VG)Raise your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (VH)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (VI)earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die [di]in the same way.
But My (VJ)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not fail.
7 (VK)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (VL)heart is My Law;
Do not fear the (VM)taunting of [dj]people,
Nor be terrified of their abuses.
8 For the (VN)moth will eat them like a garment;
Yes, the (VO)moth will eat them like wool.
But My (VP)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (VQ)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the (VR)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(VS)Was it not You who cut [dk]Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (VT)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (VU)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (VV)redeemed to cross over?
11 And the (VW)redeemed of the Lord will return
And come to Zion with joyful shouting,
And (VX)everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And (VY)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, I Myself, am He who (VZ)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of [dl](WA)mortal man,
And of a son of man who is made like (WB)grass,
13 That you have (WC)forgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who (WD)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (WE)fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,
As he makes ready to destroy?
And where is the rage of the (WF)oppressor?
14 The [dm](WG)exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the [dn]dungeon, (WH)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God, who (WI)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). 16 And I have (WJ)put My words in your mouth and have (WK)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [do](WL)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (WM)Pull yourself up! Pull yourself up! Arise, Jerusalem!
You who have (WN)drunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of His anger;
The [dp]chalice of staggering you have drunk to the dregs.
18 There is (WO)no one to guide her among all the sons to whom she has given birth,
Nor is there anyone to take her by the hand among all the sons she has raised.
19 These two things have happened to you;
Who will mourn for you?
The (WP)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They (WQ)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (WR)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord,
The (WS)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, listen to this, you (WT)afflicted,
Who are (WU)drunk, but not with wine:
22 This is what your Lord, the Lord, your God
Who (WV)contends for His people says:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand the (WW)cup of staggering,
The [dq]chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will (WX)put it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to [dr]you, ‘(WY)Lie down so that we may walk over you.’
You have also made your back like the ground,
And like the street for those who walk over it.”
Cheer for Prostrate Zion
52 (WZ)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, Zion;
Clothe yourself with your (XA)beautiful garments,
Jerusalem, the (XB)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (XC)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (XD)from the dust, (XE)rise up,
Captive Jerusalem;
(XF)Release yourself from the chains around your neck,
Captive daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the Lord says: “You were (XG)sold for nothing, and you will be (XH)redeemed (XI)without money.” 4 For this is what the Lord [ds]God says: “My people (XJ)went down to Egypt first to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without reason. 5 And now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason?” Again the Lord declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (XK)name is continually reviled all day long. 6 Therefore, My people shall (XL)know My name; therefore on that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
7 How delightful on the mountains
Are the feet of one who brings (XM)good news,
Who announces [dt]peace
And brings good news of [du]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (XN)God [dv]reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen raise their (XO)voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [dw]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 (XP)Be cheerful, shout joyfully together,
You (XQ)ruins of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has (XR)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy (XS)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[dx]So that (XT)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (XU)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(XV)Do not touch what is unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (XW)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in (XX)a hurry,
Nor will you go [dy]as fugitives;
For the (XY)Lord will go before you,
And (XZ)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The Exalted Servant
13 Behold, My (YA)Servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and [dz]greatly (YB)exalted.
14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people,
So His (YC)appearance was marred beyond that of a man,
And His form beyond the sons of mankind.
15 So [ea]He will (YD)sprinkle many nations,
Kings will (YE)shut their mouths on account of Him;
For (YF)what they had not been told, they will see,
And what they had not heard, they will understand.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:2 Lit foot
- Isaiah 41:3 Lit going
- Isaiah 41:9 Lit seized
- Isaiah 41:14 Or Redeemer, the Holy One
- Isaiah 41:21 Lit Bring near
- Isaiah 41:25 I.e., the building material
- Isaiah 41:28 Lit out of those
- Isaiah 41:29 Another reading is nothing
- Isaiah 42:1 Or hold fast
- Isaiah 42:1 Or Gentiles
- Isaiah 42:4 Or instruction
- Isaiah 42:5 Or vegetation
- Isaiah 42:17 Or carved images
- Isaiah 42:19 Or the devoted one
- Isaiah 42:22 Or holes
- Isaiah 42:25 Lit did not lay it to heart
- Isaiah 43:3 Or Ethiopia
- Isaiah 43:13 As in LXX; MT from the day
- Isaiah 43:14 Another reading is As for the Chaldeans, their rejoicing is turned into mourning
- Isaiah 43:14 Lit of their rejoicing
- Isaiah 43:23 Or a meal offering
- Isaiah 43:24 Or calamus
- Isaiah 43:26 Or Report to Me
- Isaiah 43:27 Lit father
- Isaiah 43:27 Or interpreters
- Isaiah 43:28 Or holy princes
- Isaiah 44:2 I.e., Israel
- Isaiah 44:3 Or him who is thirsty
- Isaiah 44:4 Another reading is like grass among the waters
- Isaiah 44:5 Another reading is will be called by the name of Jacob
- Isaiah 44:5 Or with
- Isaiah 44:7 Lit From My establishing of
- Isaiah 44:7 Or people
- Isaiah 44:12 Lit and fashions
- Isaiah 44:12 Lit there is no strength
- Isaiah 44:19 Lit returns to his heart
- Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I make?
- Isaiah 44:19 Or shall I bow...?
- Isaiah 44:20 Or is a companion of ashes
- Isaiah 44:20 Lit his soul
- Isaiah 44:22 Or cloud
- Isaiah 44:24 Or who was with Me?
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit signs
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit He makes
- Isaiah 44:25 Lit He turns
- Isaiah 44:26 Lit He performs
- Isaiah 44:28 Lit to say
- Isaiah 44:28 Lit You will be founded
- Isaiah 45:1 Lit I will loose
- Isaiah 45:2 Another reading is mountains
- Isaiah 45:3 Or hoarded treasures
- Isaiah 45:5 Or embrace
- Isaiah 45:7 Or peace
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit He who formed him
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit with
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit he who formed him
- Isaiah 45:10 Lit in labor pains with
- Isaiah 45:11 Lit He who formed him
- Isaiah 45:11 Or Will you ask
- Isaiah 45:11 Or upon
- Isaiah 45:12 Or commanded
- Isaiah 45:12 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
- Isaiah 45:14 Lit labor
- Isaiah 45:14 Or Ethiopia
- Isaiah 45:14 Or God is with you alone
- Isaiah 45:14 Or in
- Isaiah 45:18 LXX in vain
- Isaiah 45:19 Lit a place of a land of darkness
- Isaiah 45:19 Lit seed
- Isaiah 45:19 Or vain
- Isaiah 45:20 Lit the wood of their carved image
- Isaiah 46:1 Lit carried by you
- Isaiah 46:2 Or their soul has
- Isaiah 46:3 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 46:4 Lit will be He
- Isaiah 46:4 Lit gray hairs
- Isaiah 46:4 Or support
- Isaiah 46:4 Or made you
- Isaiah 46:4 Or support
- Isaiah 46:8 Lit firm
- Isaiah 46:8 Lit heart
- Isaiah 46:11 Lit His
- Isaiah 47:7 Lit it
- Isaiah 47:10 Lit it has
- Isaiah 47:15 Lit side, region
- Isaiah 48:4 Or harsh
- Isaiah 48:5 Lit it
- Isaiah 48:8 Or transgressor
- Isaiah 48:8 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
- Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts
- Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
- Isaiah 49:6 Or to
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 49:7 Lit despised of soul
- Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
- Isaiah 49:9 Lit Go out
- Isaiah 49:17 Ancient versions and DSS; MT sons
- Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
- Isaiah 49:20 Lit of your bereavement
- Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
- Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 49:22 Lit on the chest
- Isaiah 49:24 Ancient versions and DSS; MT the righteous, cf. v 25
- Isaiah 49:26 Lit all flesh
- Isaiah 50:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
- Isaiah 51:4 Or people
- Isaiah 51:6 Another reading is like gnats
- Isaiah 51:7 Or mankind
- Isaiah 51:9 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Isaiah 51:12 Lit man who dies
- Isaiah 51:14 Lit one in chains
- Isaiah 51:14 Lit pit
- Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of reeling
- Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul
- Isaiah 52:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 52:7 Or well-being
- Isaiah 52:7 Lit good
- Isaiah 52:7 Or is King
- Isaiah 52:8 Lit eye to eye
- Isaiah 52:10 Or And all...will see
- Isaiah 52:12 Lit in flight
- Isaiah 52:13 Or very high
- Isaiah 52:15 LXX many nations will wonder at Him
Isaiah 41-52
New International Version
Isaiah 41-52
New International Version
The Helper of Israel
41 “Be silent(A) before me, you islands!(B)
Let the nations renew their strength!(C)
Let them come forward(D) and speak;
let us meet together(E) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred(F) up one from the east,(G)
calling him in righteousness(H) to his service[a]?(I)
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(J) with his sword,
to windblown chaff(K) with his bow.(L)
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(M)
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling(N) forth the generations from the beginning?(O)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last(P)—I am he.(Q)”
5 The islands(R) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth(S) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!(T)”
7 The metalworker(U) encourages the goldsmith,(V)
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.(W)
8 “But you, Israel, my servant,(X)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(Y)
you descendants of Abraham(Z) my friend,(AA)
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,(AB)
from its farthest corners I called(AC) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(AD)
I have chosen(AE) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(AF) for I am with you;(AG)
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(AH) you and help(AI) you;
I will uphold you(AJ) with my righteous right hand.(AK)
11 “All who rage(AL) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(AM)
those who oppose(AN) you
will be as nothing and perish.(AO)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.(AP)
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing(AQ) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand(AR)
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help(AS) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(AT) you worm(AU) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(AV) you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer,(AW) the Holy One(AX) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(AY)
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(AZ) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.(BA)
16 You will winnow(BB) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale(BC) will blow them away.(BD)
But you will rejoice(BE) in the Lord
and glory(BF) in the Holy One(BG) of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy search for water,(BH)
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.(BI)
But I the Lord will answer(BJ) them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake(BK) them.
18 I will make rivers flow(BL) on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert(BM) into pools of water,(BN)
and the parched ground into springs.(BO)
19 I will put in the desert(BP)
the cedar and the acacia,(BQ) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers(BR) in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress(BS) together,(BT)
20 so that people may see and know,(BU)
may consider and understand,(BV)
that the hand(BW) of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One(BX) of Israel has created(BY) it.
21 “Present your case,(BZ)” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.(CA)
22 “Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.(CB)
Tell us what the former things(CC) were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,(CD)
23 tell us what the future holds,
so we may know(CE) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,(CF)
so that we will be dismayed(CG) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing(CH)
and your works are utterly worthless;(CI)
whoever chooses you is detestable.(CJ)
25 “I have stirred(CK) up one from the north,(CL) and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads(CM) on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,(CN) so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold(CO) it,
no one heard any words(CP) from you.
27 I was the first to tell(CQ) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.(CR)
28 I look but there is no one(CS)—
no one among the gods to give counsel,(CT)
no one to give answer(CU) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;(CV)
their images(CW) are but wind(CX) and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant,(CY) whom I uphold,
my chosen one(CZ) in whom I delight;(DA)
I will put my Spirit(DB) on him,
and he will bring justice(DC) to the nations.(DD)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(DE)
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(DF) he will not break,(DG)
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(DH)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(DI)
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(DJ) on earth.
In his teaching(DK) the islands(DL) will put their hope.”(DM)
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(DN) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(DO) with all that springs from it,(DP)
who gives breath(DQ) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(DR) you in righteousness;(DS)
I will take hold of your hand.(DT)
I will keep(DU) you and will make you
to be a covenant(DV) for the people
and a light(DW) for the Gentiles,(DX)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(DY)
to free(DZ) captives from prison(EA)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(EB)
8 “I am the Lord;(EC) that is my name!(ED)
I will not yield my glory to another(EE)
or my praise to idols.(EF)
9 See, the former things(EG) have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce(EH) them to you.”
Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing(EI) to the Lord a new song,(EJ)
his praise(EK) from the ends of the earth,(EL)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(EM)
you islands,(EN) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(EO) and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar(EP) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(EQ) sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.(ER)
12 Let them give glory(ES) to the Lord
and proclaim his praise(ET) in the islands.(EU)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(EV)
like a warrior(EW) he will stir up his zeal;(EX)
with a shout(EY) he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.(EZ)
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(FA)
I have been quiet and held myself back.(FB)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.(FC)
15 I will lay waste(FD) the mountains(FE) and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up(FF) the pools.
16 I will lead(FG) the blind(FH) by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(FI) before them
and make the rough places smooth.(FJ)
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake(FK) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(FL)
will be turned back in utter shame.(FM)
Israel Blind and Deaf
18 “Hear, you deaf;(FN)
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(FO) but my servant,(FP)
and deaf like the messenger(FQ) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(FR) with me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(FS)
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake(FT) of his righteousness
to make his law(FU) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(FV) and looted,
all of them trapped in pits(FW)
or hidden away in prisons.(FX)
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;(FY)
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”
23 Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention(FZ) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?(GA)
Was it not the Lord,(GB)
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(GC) his ways;
they did not obey his law.(GD)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(GE)
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(GF) yet they did not understand;(GG)
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(GH)
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created(GI) you, Jacob,
he who formed(GJ) you, Israel:(GK)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(GL) you;
I have summoned you by name;(GM) you are mine.(GN)
2 When you pass through the waters,(GO)
I will be with you;(GP)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(GQ)
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.(GR)
3 For I am the Lord your God,(GS)
the Holy One(GT) of Israel, your Savior;(GU)
I give Egypt(GV) for your ransom,
Cush[b](GW) and Seba(GX) in your stead.(GY)
4 Since you are precious and honored(GZ) in my sight,
and because I love(HA) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid,(HB) for I am with you;(HC)
I will bring your children(HD) from the east
and gather(HE) you from the west.(HF)
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,(HG) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters(HH) from the ends of the earth(HI)—
7 everyone who is called by my name,(HJ)
whom I created(HK) for my glory,(HL)
whom I formed and made.(HM)”
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(HN)
who have ears but are deaf.(HO)
9 All the nations gather together(HP)
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(HQ) this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are my witnesses,(HR)” declares the Lord,
“and my servant(HS) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(HT) and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(HU) was formed,
nor will there be one after me.(HV)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(HW)
and apart from me there is no savior.(HX)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god(HY) among you.
You are my witnesses,(HZ)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Yes, and from ancient days(IA) I am he.(IB)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?”(IC)
God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(ID) the Holy One(IE) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives(IF) all the Babylonians,[c](IG)
in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(IH) your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator,(II) your King.(IJ)”
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,(IK)
17 who drew out(IL) the chariots and horses,(IM)
the army and reinforcements together,(IN)
and they lay(IO) there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(IP)
18 “Forget the former things;(IQ)
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(IR)
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(IS)
and streams in the wasteland.(IT)
20 The wild animals(IU) honor me,
the jackals(IV) and the owls,
because I provide water(IW) in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed(IX) for myself(IY)
that they may proclaim my praise.(IZ)
22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearied(JA) yourselves for[d] me, Israel.(JB)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(JC)
nor honored(JD) me with your sacrifices.(JE)
I have not burdened(JF) you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands(JG) for incense.(JH)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(JI) for me,
or lavished on me the fat(JJ) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied(JK) me with your offenses.(JL)
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions,(JM) for my own sake,(JN)
and remembers your sins(JO) no more.(JP)
26 Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;(JQ)
state the case(JR) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(JS) sinned;
those I sent to teach(JT) you rebelled(JU) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction[e](JV)
and Israel to scorn.(JW)
Israel the Chosen
44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,(JX)
Israel, whom I have chosen.(JY)
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made(JZ) you, who formed you in the womb,(KA)
and who will help(KB) you:
Do not be afraid,(KC) Jacob, my servant,(KD)
Jeshurun,[f](KE) whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water(KF) on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;(KG)
I will pour out my Spirit(KH) on your offspring,
and my blessing(KI) on your descendants.(KJ)
4 They will spring up like grass(KK) in a meadow,
like poplar trees(KL) by flowing streams.(KM)
5 Some will say, ‘I belong(KN) to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,(KO) ‘The Lord’s,’(KP)
and will take the name Israel.
The Lord, Not Idols
6 “This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King(KQ) and Redeemer,(KR) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;(KS)
apart from me there is no God.(KT)
7 Who then is like me?(KU) Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretell(KV) what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim(KW) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God(KX) besides me?
No, there is no other Rock;(KY) I know not one.”
9 All who make idols(KZ) are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.(LA)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;(LB)
they are ignorant, to their own shame.(LC)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,(LD)
which can profit nothing?(LE)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(LF)
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.(LG)
12 The blacksmith(LH) takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.(LI)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.(LJ)
13 The carpenter(LK) measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,(LL)
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.(LM)
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine,(LN) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(LO) for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships(LP) it;
he makes an idol and bows(LQ) down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.(LR)”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.(LS)
He prays(LT) to it and says,
“Save(LU) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(LV) nothing;
their eyes(LW) are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding(LX) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(LY)
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(LZ) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(MA)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(MB) a deluded(MC) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(MD)”
21 “Remember(ME) these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.(MF)
I have made you, you are my servant;(MG)
Israel, I will not forget you.(MH)
22 I have swept away(MI) your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return(MJ) to me,
for I have redeemed(MK) you.”
23 Sing for joy,(ML) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth(MM) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,(MN)
you forests and all your trees,(MO)
for the Lord has redeemed(MP) Jacob,
he displays his glory(MQ) in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,(MU)
who spreads out the earth(MV) by myself,
25 who foils(MW) the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,(MX)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(MY)
and turns it into nonsense,(MZ)
26 who carries out the words(NA) of his servants
and fulfills(NB) the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,(NC) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins,(ND) ‘I will restore them,’(NE)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up(NF) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus,(NG) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,(NH) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple,(NI) “Let its foundations(NJ) be laid.”’
45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(NK)
to Cyrus,(NL) whose right hand I take hold(NM) of
to subdue nations(NN) before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you(NO)
and will level(NP) the mountains[g];
I will break down gates(NQ) of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.(NR)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,(NS)
riches stored in secret places,(NT)
so that you may know(NU) that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(NV)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,(NW)
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge(NX) me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(NY)
apart from me there is no God.(NZ)
I will strengthen you,(OA)
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting(OB)
people may know(OC) there is none besides me.(OD)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,(OE)
I bring prosperity and create disaster;(OF)
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “You heavens above, rain(OG) down my righteousness;(OH)
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation(OI) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to those who quarrel(OJ) with their Maker,(OK)
those who are nothing but potsherds(OL)
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(OM)
‘What are you making?’(ON)
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?(OO)
10 Woe to the one who says to a father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
‘What have you brought to birth?’
11 “This is what the Lord says—
the Holy One(OP) of Israel, and its Maker:(OQ)
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?(OR)
12 It is I who made the earth(OS)
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(OT)
I marshaled their starry hosts.(OU)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[h](OV) in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.(OW)
He will rebuild my city(OX)
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(OY)
says the Lord Almighty.”
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products(OZ) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[i]
and those tall Sabeans(PA)—
they will come over to you(PB)
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(PC)
coming over to you in chains.(PD)
They will bow down before you
and plead(PE) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(PF) and there is no other;
there is no other god.(PG)’”
15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(PH) himself,
the God and Savior(PI) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(PJ)
they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(PK) by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;(PL)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(PM)
to ages everlasting.
18 For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,(PN)
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,(PO)
but formed it to be inhabited(PP)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.(PQ)
19 I have not spoken in secret,(PR)
from somewhere in a land of darkness;(PS)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,(PT)
‘Seek(PU) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(PV)
20 “Gather together(PW) and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(PX) are those who carry(PY) about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.(PZ)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold(QA) this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?(QB)
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me,(QC)
a righteous God(QD) and a Savior;(QE)
there is none but me.
22 “Turn(QF) to me and be saved,(QG)
all you ends of the earth;(QH)
for I am God, and there is no other.(QI)
23 By myself I have sworn,(QJ)
my mouth has uttered in all integrity(QK)
a word that will not be revoked:(QL)
Before me every knee will bow;(QM)
by me every tongue will swear.(QN)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
are deliverance(QO) and strength.(QP)’”
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(QQ)
25 But all the descendants(QR) of Israel
will find deliverance(QS) in the Lord
and will make their boast in him.(QT)
Gods of Babylon
46 Bel(QU) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols(QV) are borne by beasts of burden.[j]
The images that are carried(QW) about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2 They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.(QX)
3 “Listen(QY) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant(QZ) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(RA)
and have carried(RB) since you were born.(RC)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs(RD)
I am he,(RE) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain(RF) you and I will rescue you.
5 “With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?(RG)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(RH) to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.(RI)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry(RJ) it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.(RK)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(RL)
it cannot save(RM) them from their troubles.
8 “Remember(RN) this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.(RO)
9 Remember the former things,(RP) those of long ago;(RQ)
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.(RR)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(RS)
from ancient times,(RT) what is still to come.(RU)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(RV)
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(RW) a bird of prey;(RX)
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned,(RY) that I will do.(RZ)
12 Listen(SA) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(SB)
you who are now far from my righteousness.(SC)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(SD) near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation(SE) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(SF)
my splendor(SG) to Israel.
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(SH)
Virgin Daughter(SI) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
queen city of the Babylonians.[k](SJ)
No more will you be called
tender or delicate.(SK)
2 Take millstones(SL) and grind(SM) flour;
take off your veil.(SN)
Lift up your skirts,(SO) bare your legs,
and wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness(SP) will be exposed
and your shame(SQ) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(SR)
I will spare no one.(SS)”
5 “Sit in silence,(SX) go into darkness,(SY)
queen city of the Babylonians;(SZ)
no more will you be called
queen(TA) of kingdoms.(TB)
6 I was angry(TC) with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;(TD)
I gave them into your hand,(TE)
and you showed them no mercy.(TF)
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
7 You said, ‘I am forever(TG)—
the eternal queen!’(TH)
But you did not consider these things
or reflect(TI) on what might happen.(TJ)
8 “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
lounging in your security(TK)
and saying to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.(TL)
I will never be a widow(TM)
or suffer the loss of children.’
9 Both of these will overtake you
in a moment,(TN) on a single day:
loss of children(TO) and widowhood.(TP)
They will come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries(TQ)
and all your potent spells.(TR)
10 You have trusted(TS) in your wickedness
and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(TT)
Your wisdom(TU) and knowledge mislead(TV) you
when you say to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(TW) will come upon you,
and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
will suddenly(TX) come upon you.
12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,(TY)
which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(TZ)
Let your astrologers(UA) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
let them save(UB) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(UC)
the fire(UD) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
from the power of the flame.(UE)
These are not coals for warmth;
this is not a fire to sit by.
15 That is all they are to you—
these you have dealt with
and labored(UF) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
there is not one that can save(UG) you.
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(UH)
and come from the line of Judah,(UI)
you who take oaths(UJ) in the name of the Lord(UK)
and invoke(UL) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(UM) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(UN)
and claim to rely(UO) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(UP)
3 I foretold the former things(UQ) long ago,
my mouth announced(UR) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(US) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(UT) you were;
your neck muscles(UU) were iron,
your forehead(UV) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(UW) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(UX)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(UY)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(UZ) now, and not long ago;(VA)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(VB) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(VC)
from of old your ears(VD) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(VE) you are;
you were called a rebel(VF) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(VG) I delay my wrath;(VH)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(VI)
10 See, I have refined(VJ) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(VK) you in the furnace(VL) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(VM) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(VN)
I will not yield my glory to another.(VO)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(VP) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(VQ)
I am he;(VR)
I am the first and I am the last.(VS)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(VT)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(VU)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(VV)
14 “Come together,(VW) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(VX) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(VY)
will carry out his purpose(VZ) against Babylon;(WA)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[l]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(WB) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(WC) in his mission.
16 “Come near(WD) me and listen(WE) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(WF)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(WJ) the Holy One(WK) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(WL) you what is best for you,
who directs(WM) you in the way(WN) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(WO) to my commands,
your peace(WP) would have been like a river,(WQ)
your well-being(WR) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(WS) would have been like the sand,(WT)
your children like its numberless grains;(WU)
their name would never be blotted out(WV)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(WW) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(WX)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(WY)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(WZ) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(XA) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(XB) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(XC)
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(XF) to me, you islands;(XG)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(XH) the Lord called(XI) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(XJ)
2 He made my mouth(XK) like a sharpened sword,(XL)
in the shadow of his hand(XM) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(XN)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(XO)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(XP)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(XQ)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(XR)
and my reward(XS) is with my God.”(XT)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(XU) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(XV) to himself,
for I am[m] honored(XW) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(XX)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(XY)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(XZ)
I will also make you a light(YA) for the Gentiles,(YB)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(YC)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(YD)—
to him who was despised(YE) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(YF) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(YG)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(YH)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(YI) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(YJ) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(YK)
I will keep(YL) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(YM)
to restore the land(YN)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(YO)
9 to say to the captives,(YP) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(YQ) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(YR)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(YS)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(YT)
He who has compassion(YU) on them will guide(YV) them
and lead them beside springs(YW) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(YX) will be raised up.(YY)
12 See, they will come from afar(YZ)—
some from the north, some from the west,(ZA)
some from the region of Aswan.[n]”
13 Shout for joy,(ZB) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;(ZC)
burst into song, you mountains!(ZD)
For the Lord comforts(ZE) his people
and will have compassion(ZF) on his afflicted ones.(ZG)
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child(ZJ) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!(ZK)
16 See, I have engraved(ZL) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls(ZM) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste(ZN) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather(ZO) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(ZP)” declares the Lord,
“you will wear(ZQ) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(ZR)
and your land laid waste,(ZS)
now you will be too small for your people,(ZT)
and those who devoured(ZU) you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;
give us more space to live in.’(ZV)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these?(ZW)
I was bereaved(ZX) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.(ZY)
Who brought these(ZZ) up?
I was left(AAA) all alone,(AAB)
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(AAC) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner(AAD) to the peoples;
they will bring(AAE) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.(AAF)
23 Kings(AAG) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.(AAH)
They will bow down(AAI) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust(AAJ) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(AAK)
those who hope(AAL) in me will not be disappointed.(AAM)”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives(AAO) will be taken from warriors,(AAP)
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(AAQ)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(AAR)
and your children I will save.(AAS)
26 I will make your oppressors(AAT) eat(AAU) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood,(AAV) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(AAW)
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(AAX)
your Redeemer,(AAY) the Mighty One of Jacob.(AAZ)”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(ABA)
with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
did I sell(ABB) you?
Because of your sins(ABC) you were sold;(ABD)
because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 When I came, why was there no one?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?(ABE)
Was my arm too short(ABF) to deliver you?
Do I lack the strength(ABG) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(ABH) I dry up the sea,(ABI)
I turn rivers into a desert;(ABJ)
their fish rot for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness(ABK)
and make sackcloth(ABL) its covering.”
4 The Sovereign Lord(ABM) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(ABN)
to know the word that sustains the weary.(ABO)
He wakens me morning by morning,(ABP)
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(ABQ)
5 The Sovereign Lord(ABR) has opened my ears;(ABS)
I have not been rebellious,(ABT)
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat(ABU) me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(ABV)
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.(ABW)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord(ABX) helps(ABY) me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(ABZ)
and I know I will not be put to shame.(ACA)
8 He who vindicates(ACB) me is near.(ACC)
Who then will bring charges against me?(ACD)
Let us face each other!(ACE)
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord(ACF) who helps(ACG) me.
Who will condemn(ACH) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths(ACI) will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears(ACJ) the Lord
and obeys(ACK) the word of his servant?(ACL)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,(ACM)
trust(ACN) in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.
11 But now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves with flaming torches,(ACO)
go, walk in the light of your fires(ACP)
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(ACQ)
You will lie down in torment.(ACR)
Everlasting Salvation for Zion
51 “Listen(ACS) to me, you who pursue righteousness(ACT)
and who seek(ACU) the Lord:
Look to the rock(ACV) from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham,(ACW) your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
and I blessed him and made him many.(ACX)
3 The Lord will surely comfort(ACY) Zion(ACZ)
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(ADA)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(ADB)
her wastelands(ADC) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(ADD) will be found in her,
thanksgiving(ADE) and the sound of singing.
4 “Listen to me, my people;(ADF)
hear me,(ADG) my nation:
Instruction(ADH) will go out from me;
my justice(ADI) will become a light to the nations.(ADJ)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation(ADK) is on the way,(ADL)
and my arm(ADM) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(ADN) will look to me
and wait in hope(ADO) for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(ADP)
the earth will wear out like a garment(ADQ)
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(ADR) will last forever,(ADS)
my righteousness will never fail.(ADT)
7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,(ADU)
you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(ADV)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
or be terrified by their insults.(ADW)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(ADX)
the worm(ADY) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(ADZ)
my salvation through all generations.”
9 Awake, awake,(AEA) arm(AEB) of the Lord,
clothe yourself with strength!(AEC)
Awake, as in days gone by,
as in generations of old.(AED)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(AEE) to pieces,
who pierced that monster(AEF) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(AEG)
the waters of the great deep,(AEH)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(AEI)
so that the redeemed(AEJ) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(AEK) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(AEL)
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(AEM) will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AEN)
12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(AEO) you.
Who are you that you fear(AEP) mere mortals,(AEQ)
human beings who are but grass,(AER)
13 that you forget(AES) the Lord your Maker,(AET)
who stretches out the heavens(AEU)
and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(AEV) every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(AEW)
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(AEX)
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread.(AEY)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea(AEZ) so that its waves roar(AFA)—
the Lord Almighty(AFB) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(AFC)
and covered you with the shadow of my hand(AFD)—
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,(AFE)
and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(AFF)’”
The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath
17 Awake, awake!(AFG)
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup(AFH) of his wrath,(AFI)
you who have drained to its dregs(AFJ)
the goblet that makes people stagger.(AFK)
18 Among all the children(AFL) she bore
there was none to guide her;(AFM)
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand.(AFN)
19 These double calamities(AFO) have come upon you—
who can comfort you?(AFP)—
ruin and destruction,(AFQ) famine(AFR) and sword(AFS)—
who can[p] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,(AFT)
like antelope caught in a net.(AFU)
They are filled with the wrath(AFV) of the Lord,
with the rebuke(AFW) of your God.
21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted(AFX) one,
made drunk,(AFY) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends(AFZ) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup(AGA) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,(AGB)
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate(AGC) that we may walk(AGD) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.”(AGE)
52 Awake, awake,(AGF) Zion,
clothe yourself with strength!(AGG)
Put on your garments of splendor,(AGH)
Jerusalem, the holy city.(AGI)
The uncircumcised(AGJ) and defiled(AGK)
will not enter you again.(AGL)
2 Shake off your dust;(AGM)
rise up,(AGN) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(AGO)
Daughter Zion,(AGP) now a captive.
3 For this is what the Lord says:
4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
5 “And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
- Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 43:14 Or Chaldeans
- Isaiah 43:22 Or Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of
- Isaiah 43:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Isaiah 44:2 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
- Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
- Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle
- Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
- Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
- Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
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