Isaiah 43:1-44:5

English Standard Version

Israel's Only Savior

43 But now thus says the Lord,
^(A)he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
^(B)“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    ^(C)I have called you by name, you are mine.
²^(D)When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
^(E)when you walk through fire ^(F)you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
³For ^(G)I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
^(H)I give Egypt as your ransom,
    Cush and ^(I)Seba in exchange for you.
⁴Because you are precious in my eyes,
    and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
    peoples in exchange for your life.
⁵^(J)Fear not, for I am with you;
    ^(K)I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you.
⁶I will say to the north, Give up,
    and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring ^(L)my sons from afar
    and ^(M)my daughters from the end of the earth,
⁷everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

⁸Bring out ^(N)the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
    who are deaf, yet have ears!
⁹^(O)All the nations gather together,
    and the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this,
    and show us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,
    and let them hear and say, It is true.
¹⁰^(P)“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and ^(Q)my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
^(R)Before me no god was formed,
    nor shall there be any after me.
¹¹^(S)I, I am the Lord,
    and besides me there is no savior.
¹²I declared and saved and proclaimed,
    when there was no strange god among you;
    and ^(T)you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
¹³Also ^(U)henceforth I am he;
    there is none who can deliver from my hand;
    I work, and who can turn it back?”

¹⁴Thus says the Lord,
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
^(V)“For your sake I send to Babylon
    and ^(W)bring them all down as fugitives,
    ^(X)even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    the Creator of Israel, your King.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord,
    ^(Y)who makes a way in the sea,
    a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷who ^(Z)brings forth chariot and horse,
    army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
    ^(AA)they are extinguished, ^(AB)quenched like a wick:
¹⁸^(AC)“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹^(AD)Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
^(AE)I will make a way in the wilderness
    ^(AF)and rivers in the desert.
²⁰The wild beasts will honor me,
    ^(AG)the jackals and the ostriches,
^(AH)for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
²¹    the people whom I formed for myself
^(AI)that they might declare my praise.

²²“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
    but ^(AJ)you have been weary of me, O Israel!
²³^(AK)You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
    or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
    ^(AL)or wearied you with frankincense.
²⁴You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
    or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
    you have wearied me with your iniquities.

²⁵“I, I am he
    ^(AM)who blots out ^(AN)your transgressions for my own sake,
    and I will not remember your sins.
²⁶Put me in remembrance; ^(AO)let us argue together;
    set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
²⁷^(AP)Your first father sinned,
    and ^(AQ)your mediators transgressed against me.
²⁸Therefore ^(AR)I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
    and ^(AS)deliver Jacob to utter destruction
    and Israel to reviling.

Israel the Lord's Chosen

44 “But now hear, ^(AT)O Jacob my servant,
    Israel whom I have chosen!
²Thus says the Lord who made you,
    ^(AU)who formed you from the womb and will help you:
^(AV)Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
    ^(AW)Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
³^(AX)For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴They shall spring up among the grass
    ^(AY)like willows by flowing streams.
⁵^(AZ)This one will say, ‘I am the Lord's,’
    another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord's,’
    and name himself by the name of Israel.”