Isaiah 49-51

New International Version

⁵ And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb^(P) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel^(Q) to himself,
for I am^[a] honored^(R) in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength^(S)—
⁶ he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant^(T)
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.^(U)
I will also make you a light^(V) for the Gentiles,^(W)
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”^(X)

⁷ This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel^(Y)—
to him who was despised^(Z) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings^(AA) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,^(AB)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,^(AC)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen^(AD) you.”

“In the time of my favor^(AE) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;^(AF)
I will keep^(AG) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,^(AH)
to restore the land^(AI)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,^(AJ)
9 to say to the captives,^(AK) ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness,^(AL) ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
    and find pasture on every barren hill.^(AM)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,^(AN)
    nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.^(AO)
He who has compassion^(AP) on them will guide^(AQ) them
    and lead them beside springs^(AR) of water.
¹¹ I will turn all my mountains into roads,
    and my highways^(AS) will be raised up.^(AT)
12 See, they will come from afar^(AU)—
    some from the north, some from the west,^(AV)
    some from the region of Aswan.^[b]”

¹³ Shout for joy,^(AW) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;^(AX)
    burst into song, you mountains!^(AY)
For the Lord comforts^(AZ) his people
    and will have compassion^(BA) on his afflicted ones.^(BB)

¹⁴ But Zion^(BC) said, “The Lord has forsaken^(BD) me,
    the Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child^(BE) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!^(BF)
16 See, I have engraved^(BG) you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls^(BH) are ever before me.
¹⁷ Your children hasten back,
    and those who laid you waste^(BI) depart from you.
¹⁸ Lift up your eyes and look around;
    all your children gather^(BJ) and come to you.
As surely as I live,^(BK)” declares the Lord,
    “you will wear^(BL) them all as ornaments;
    you will put them on, like a bride.

¹⁹ “Though you were ruined and made desolate^(BM)
    and your land laid waste,^(BN)
now you will be too small for your people,^(BO)
    and those who devoured^(BP) 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.’^(BQ)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?^(BR)
I was bereaved^(BS) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.^(BT)
    Who brought these^(BU) up?
I was left^(BV) all alone,^(BW)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner^(BY) to the peoples;
they will bring^(BZ) your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.^(CA)
23 Kings^(CB) will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.^(CC)
They will bow down^(CD) before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust^(CE) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;^(CF)
    those who hope^(CG) in me will not be disappointed.^(CH)”

²⁴ Can plunder be taken from warriors,^(CI)
    or captives be rescued from the fierce^[c]?

“Yes, captives^(CJ) will be taken from warriors,^(CK)
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;^(CL)
I will contend with those who contend with you,^(CM)
    and your children I will save.^(CN)
26 I will make your oppressors^(CO) eat^(CP) their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood,^(CQ) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know^(CR)
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,^(CS)
    your Redeemer,^(CT) the Mighty One of Jacob.^(CU)”

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce^(CV)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell^(CW) you?
Because of your sins^(CX) you were sold;^(CY)
    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?^(CZ)
Was my arm too short^(DA) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength^(DB) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke^(DC) I dry up the sea,^(DD)
    I turn rivers into a desert;^(DE)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
³ I clothe the heavens with darkness^(DF)
    and make sackcloth^(DG) its covering.”

⁴ The Sovereign Lord^(DH) has given me a well-instructed tongue,^(DI)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.^(DJ)
He wakens me morning by morning,^(DK)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.^(DL)
5 The Sovereign Lord^(DM) has opened my ears;^(DN)
    I have not been rebellious,^(DO)
    I have not turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat^(DP) me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;^(DQ)
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.^(DR)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord^(DS) helps^(DT) me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,^(DU)
    and I know I will not be put to shame.^(DV)
8 He who vindicates^(DW) me is near.^(DX)
    Who then will bring charges against me?^(DY)
    Let us face each other!^(DZ)
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord^(EA) who helps^(EB) me.
    Who will condemn^(EC) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths^(ED) will eat them up.

¹⁰ Who among you fears^(EE) the Lord
    and obeys^(EF) the word of his servant?^(EG)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,^(EH)
trust^(EI) 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,^(EJ)
go, walk in the light of your fires^(EK)
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:^(EL)
    You will lie down in torment.^(EM)

⁴ “Listen to me, my people;^(FA)
    hear me,^(FB) my nation:
Instruction^(FC) will go out from me;
    my justice^(FD) will become a light to the nations.^(FE)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation^(FF) is on the way,^(FG)
    and my arm^(FH) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands^(FI) will look to me
    and wait in hope^(FJ) for my arm.
⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,^(FK)
    the earth will wear out like a garment^(FL)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation^(FM) will last forever,^(FN)
    my righteousness will never fail.^(FO)

⁷ “Hear me, you who know what is right,^(FP)
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:^(FQ)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.^(FR)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;^(FS)
    the worm^(FT) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,^(FU)
    my salvation through all generations.”

⁹ Awake, awake,^(FV) arm^(FW) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(FX)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.^(FY)
Was it not you who cut Rahab^(FZ) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster^(GA) through?
¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea,^(GB)
    the waters of the great deep,^(GC)
who made a road in the depths of the sea^(GD)
    so that the redeemed^(GE) might cross over?
¹¹ Those the Lord has rescued^(GF) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;^(GG)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy^(GH) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(GI)

¹² “I, even I, am he who comforts^(GJ) you.
    Who are you that you fear^(GK) mere mortals,^(GL)
    human beings who are but grass,^(GM)
13 that you forget^(GN) the Lord your Maker,^(GO)
    who stretches out the heavens^(GP)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror^(GQ) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?^(GR)
14     The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;^(GS)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.^(GT)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea^(GU) so that its waves roar^(GV)—
    the Lord Almighty^(GW) is his name.
¹⁶ I have put my words in your mouth^(GX)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand^(GY)—
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,^(GZ)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.^(HA)’”

²¹ Therefore hear this, you afflicted^(HS) one,
    made drunk,^(HT) but not with wine.
²² This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends^(HU) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup^(HV) 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,^(HW)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate^(HX) that we may walk^(HY) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”^(HZ)