Isaiah 42-54

New International Version

⁵ This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,^(P) who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth^(Q) with all that springs from it,^(R)
    who gives breath^(S) to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the Lord, have called^(T) you in righteousness;^(U)
    I will take hold of your hand.^(V)
I will keep^(W) you and will make you
    to be a covenant^(X) for the people
    and a light^(Y) for the Gentiles,^(Z)
7 to open eyes that are blind,^(AA)
    to free^(AB) captives from prison^(AC)
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.^(AD)

⁸ “I am the Lord;^(AE) that is my name!^(AF)
    I will not yield my glory to another^(AG)
    or my praise to idols.^(AH)
9 See, the former things^(AI) have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce^(AJ) them to you.”

¹⁴ “For a long time I have kept silent,^(BC)
    I have been quiet and held myself back.^(BD)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.^(BE)
15 I will lay waste^(BF) the mountains^(BG) and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up^(BH) the pools.
¹⁶ I will lead^(BI) the blind^(BJ) by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light^(BK) before them
    and make the rough places smooth.^(BL)
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake^(BM) them.
¹⁷ But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’^(BN)
    will be turned back in utter shame.^(BO)

²³ Which of you will listen to this
    or pay close attention^(CB) in time to come?
²⁴ Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
    and Israel to the plunderers?^(CC)
Was it not the Lord,^(CD)
    against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow^(CE) his ways;
    they did not obey his law.^(CF)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,^(CG)
    the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,^(CH) yet they did not understand;^(CI)
    it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.^(CJ)

⁸ Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,^(DP)
    who have ears but are deaf.^(DQ)
9 All the nations gather together^(DR)
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold^(DS) 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,^(DT)” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant^(DU) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know^(DV) and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god^(DW) was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.^(DX)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,^(DY)
    and apart from me there is no savior.^(DZ)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god^(EA) among you.
You are my witnesses,^(EB)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³     Yes, and from ancient days^(EC) I am he.^(ED)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”^(EE)

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,^(EM)
17 who drew out^(EN) the chariots and horses,^(EO)
    the army and reinforcements together,^(EP)
and they lay^(EQ) there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:^(ER)
18 “Forget the former things;^(ES)
    do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!^(ET)
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness^(EU)
    and streams in the wasteland.^(EV)
20 The wild animals^(EW) honor me,
    the jackals^(EX) and the owls,
because I provide water^(EY) in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
²¹     the people I formed^(EZ) for myself^(FA)
    that they may proclaim my praise.^(FB)

²² “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
    you have not wearied^(FC) yourselves for^[c] me, Israel.^(FD)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,^(FE)
    nor honored^(FF) me with your sacrifices.^(FG)
I have not burdened^(FH) you with grain offerings
    nor wearied you with demands^(FI) for incense.^(FJ)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus^(FK) for me,
    or lavished on me the fat^(FL) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
    and wearied^(FM) me with your offenses.^(FN)

²⁵ “I, even I, am he who blots out
    your transgressions,^(FO) for my own sake,^(FP)
    and remembers your sins^(FQ) no more.^(FR)
26 Review the past for me,
    let us argue the matter together;^(FS)
    state the case^(FT) for your innocence.
²⁷ Your first father^(FU) sinned;
    those I sent to teach^(FV) you rebelled^(FW) against me.
²⁸ So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
    I consigned Jacob to destruction^[d](FX)
    and Israel to scorn.^(FY)

⁹ All who make idols^(HB) are nothing,
    and the things they treasure are worthless.^(HC)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;^(HD)
    they are ignorant, to their own shame.^(HE)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,^(HF)
    which can profit nothing?^(HG)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;^(HH)
    such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
    they will be brought down to terror and shame.^(HI)

¹² The blacksmith^(HJ) 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.^(HK)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
    he drinks no water and grows faint.^(HL)
13 The carpenter^(HM) 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,^(HN)
    human form in all its glory,
    that it may dwell in a shrine.^(HO)
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,^(HP) and the rain made it grow.
¹⁵ It is used as fuel^(HQ) 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^(HR) it;
    he makes an idol and bows^(HS) 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.^(HT)”
¹⁷ From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
    he bows down to it and worships.^(HU)
He prays^(HV) to it and says,
    “Save^(HW) me! You are my god!”
¹⁸ They know nothing, they understand^(HX) nothing;
    their eyes^(HY) 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^(HZ) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;^(IA)
    I even baked bread over its coals,
    I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable^(IB) thing from what is left?
    Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”^(IC)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;^(ID) a deluded^(IE) heart misleads him;
    he cannot save himself, or say,
    “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?^(IF)”

²¹ “Remember^(IG) these things, Jacob,
    for you, Israel, are my servant.^(IH)
I have made you, you are my servant;^(II)
    Israel, I will not forget you.^(IJ)
22 I have swept away^(IK) your offenses like a cloud,
    your sins like the morning mist.
Return^(IL) to me,
    for I have redeemed^(IM) you.”

²³ Sing for joy,^(IN) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
    shout aloud, you earth^(IO) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,^(IP)
    you forests and all your trees,^(IQ)
for the Lord has redeemed^(IR) Jacob,
    he displays his glory^(IS) in Israel.

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,^(IW)
    who spreads out the earth^(IX) by myself,
²⁵ who foils^(IY) the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,^(IZ)
who overthrows the learning of the wise^(JA)
    and turns it into nonsense,^(JB)
26 who carries out the words^(JC) of his servants
    and fulfills^(JD) the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,^(JE) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
    of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
    and of their ruins,^(JF) ‘I will restore them,’^(JG)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
    and I will dry up^(JH) your streams,’
²⁸ who says of Cyrus,^(JI) ‘He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,^(JJ) “Let it be rebuilt,”
    and of the temple,^(JK) “Let its foundations^(JL) be laid.”’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,^(JM)
    to Cyrus,^(JN) whose right hand I take hold^(JO) of
to subdue nations^(JP) 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^(JQ)
    and will level^(JR) the mountains^[f];
I will break down gates^(JS) of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron.^(JT)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,^(JU)
    riches stored in secret places,^(JV)
so that you may know^(JW) that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.^(JX)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,^(JY)
    of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
    and bestow on you a title of honor,
    though you do not acknowledge^(JZ) me.
⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other;^(KA)
    apart from me there is no God.^(KB)
I will strengthen you,^(KC)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting^(KD)
people may know^(KE) there is none besides me.^(KF)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,^(KG)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;^(KH)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

⁸ “You heavens above, rain^(KI) down my righteousness;^(KJ)
    let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
    let salvation^(KK) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
    I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹ “Woe to those who quarrel^(KL) with their Maker,^(KM)
    those who are nothing but potsherds^(KN)
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,^(KO)
    ‘What are you making?’^(KP)
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?^(KQ)
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^(KR) of Israel, and its Maker:^(KS)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?^(KT)
12 It is I who made the earth^(KU)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;^(KV)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.^(KW)
13 I will raise up Cyrus^[g](KX) in my righteousness:
    I will make all his ways straight.^(KY)
He will rebuild my city^(KZ)
    and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,^(LA)
    says the Lord Almighty.”

“The products^(LB) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,^[h]
    and those tall Sabeans^(LC)—
they will come over to you^(LD)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,^(LE)
    coming over to you in chains.^(LF)
They will bow down before you
    and plead^(LG) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,^(LH) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.^(LI)’”

¹⁵ Truly you are a God who has been hiding^(LJ) himself,
    the God and Savior^(LK) of Israel.
¹⁶ All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;^(LL)
    they will go off into disgrace together.
¹⁷ But Israel will be saved^(LM) by the Lord
    with an everlasting salvation;^(LN)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,^(LO)
    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,^(LP)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,^(LQ)
    but formed it to be inhabited^(LR)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.^(LS)
19 I have not spoken in secret,^(LT)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;^(LU)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,^(LV)
    ‘Seek^(LW) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.^(LX)

²⁰ “Gather together^(LY) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant^(LZ) are those who carry^(MA) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.^(MB)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold^(MC) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?^(MD)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,^(ME)
a righteous God^(MF) and a Savior;^(MG)
    there is none but me.

²² “Turn^(MH) to me and be saved,^(MI)
    all you ends of the earth;^(MJ)
    for I am God, and there is no other.^(MK)
23 By myself I have sworn,^(ML)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity^(MM)
    a word that will not be revoked:^(MN)
Before me every knee will bow;^(MO)
    by me every tongue will swear.^(MP)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance^(MQ) and strength.^(MR)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.^(MS)
25 But all the descendants^(MT) of Israel
    will find deliverance^(MU) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.^(MV)

³ “Listen^(NA) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant^(NB) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,^(NC)
    and have carried^(ND) since you were born.^(NE)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs^(NF)
    I am he,^(NG) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain^(NH) 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?^(NI)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
    and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith^(NJ) to make it into a god,
    and they bow down and worship it.^(NK)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry^(NL) it;
    they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
    From that spot it cannot move.^(NM)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;^(NN)
    it cannot save^(NO) them from their troubles.

⁸ “Remember^(NP) this, keep it in mind,
    take it to heart, you rebels.^(NQ)
9 Remember the former things,^(NR) those of long ago;^(NS)
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.^(NT)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,^(NU)
    from ancient times,^(NV) what is still to come.^(NW)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,^(NX)
    and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹ From the east I summon^(NY) a bird of prey;^(NZ)
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned,^(OA) that I will do.^(OB)
12 Listen^(OC) to me, you stubborn-hearted,^(OD)
    you who are now far from my righteousness.^(OE)
13 I am bringing my righteousness^(OF) near,
    it is not far away;
    and my salvation^(OG) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,^(OH)
    my splendor^(OI) to Israel.

⁴ Our Redeemer^(OV)—the Lord Almighty^(OW) is his name^(OX)—
    is the Holy One^(OY) of Israel.

⁵ “Sit in silence,^(OZ) go into darkness,^(PA)
    queen city of the Babylonians;^(PB)
no more will you be called
    queen^(PC) of kingdoms.^(PD)
6 I was angry^(PE) with my people
    and desecrated my inheritance;^(PF)
I gave them into your hand,^(PG)
    and you showed them no mercy.^(PH)
Even on the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
⁷ You said, ‘I am forever^(PI)—
    the eternal queen!’^(PJ)
But you did not consider these things
    or reflect^(PK) on what might happen.^(PL)

⁸ “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security^(PM)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.^(PN)
I will never be a widow^(PO)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
⁹ Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,^(PP) on a single day:
    loss of children^(PQ) and widowhood.^(PR)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries^(PS)
    and all your potent spells.^(PT)
10 You have trusted^(PU) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’^(PV)
Your wisdom^(PW) and knowledge mislead^(PX) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
¹¹ Disaster^(PY) 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^(PZ) come upon you.

¹² “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,^(QA)
    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!^(QB)
    Let your astrologers^(QC) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save^(QD) you from what is coming upon you.
¹⁴ Surely they are like stubble;^(QE)
    the fire^(QF) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.^(QG)
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^(QH) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
    there is not one that can save^(QI) you.

“From now on I will tell you of new things,^(RA)
    of hidden things unknown to you.
⁷ They are created^(RB) now, and not long ago;^(RC)
    you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
    ‘Yes, I knew^(RD) of them.’
⁸ You have neither heard nor understood;^(RE)
    from of old your ears^(RF) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous^(RG) you are;
    you were called a rebel^(RH) from birth.
⁹ For my own name’s sake^(RI) I delay my wrath;^(RJ)
    for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
    so as not to destroy you completely.^(RK)
10 See, I have refined^(RL) you, though not as silver;
    I have tested^(RM) you in the furnace^(RN) of affliction.
¹¹ For my own sake,^(RO) for my own sake, I do this.
    How can I let myself be defamed?^(RP)
    I will not yield my glory to another.^(RQ)

¹⁴ “Come together,^(RY) all of you, and listen:
    Which of the idols has foretold^(RZ) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally^(SA)
    will carry out his purpose^(SB) against Babylon;^(SC)
    his arm will be against the Babylonians.^[k]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
    yes, I have called^(SD) him.
I will bring him,
    and he will succeed^(SE) in his mission.

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;^(SH)
    at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord^(SI) has sent^(SJ) me,
    endowed with his Spirit.^(SK)

¹⁷ This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,^(SL) the Holy One^(SM) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches^(SN) you what is best for you,
    who directs^(SO) you in the way^(SP) you should go.
¹⁸ If only you had paid attention^(SQ) to my commands,
    your peace^(SR) would have been like a river,^(SS)
    your well-being^(ST) like the waves of the sea.
¹⁹ Your descendants^(SU) would have been like the sand,^(SV)
    your children like its numberless grains;^(SW)
their name would never be blotted out^(SX)
    nor destroyed from before me.”

²⁰ Leave Babylon,
    flee^(SY) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy^(SZ)
    and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;^(TA)
    say, “The Lord has redeemed^(TB) his servant Jacob.”
²¹ They did not thirst^(TC) when he led them through the deserts;
    he made water flow^(TD) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
    and water gushed out.^(TE)

²² “There is no peace,”^(TF) says the Lord, “for the wicked.”^(TG)

⁵ And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb^(TW) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel^(TX) to himself,
for I am^[l] honored^(TY) in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength^(TZ)—
⁶ he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant^(UA)
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.^(UB)
I will also make you a light^(UC) for the Gentiles,^(UD)
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”^(UE)

⁷ This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel^(UF)—
to him who was despised^(UG) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings^(UH) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,^(UI)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,^(UJ)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen^(UK) you.”

“In the time of my favor^(UL) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;^(UM)
I will keep^(UN) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,^(UO)
to restore the land^(UP)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,^(UQ)
9 to say to the captives,^(UR) ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness,^(US) ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
    and find pasture on every barren hill.^(UT)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,^(UU)
    nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.^(UV)
He who has compassion^(UW) on them will guide^(UX) them
    and lead them beside springs^(UY) of water.
¹¹ I will turn all my mountains into roads,
    and my highways^(UZ) will be raised up.^(VA)
12 See, they will come from afar^(VB)—
    some from the north, some from the west,^(VC)
    some from the region of Aswan.^[m]”

¹³ Shout for joy,^(VD) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;^(VE)
    burst into song, you mountains!^(VF)
For the Lord comforts^(VG) his people
    and will have compassion^(VH) on his afflicted ones.^(VI)

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

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

¹⁹ “Though you were ruined and made desolate^(VT)
    and your land laid waste,^(VU)
now you will be too small for your people,^(VV)
    and those who devoured^(VW) 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.’^(VX)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?^(VY)
I was bereaved^(VZ) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.^(WA)
    Who brought these^(WB) up?
I was left^(WC) all alone,^(WD)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner^(WF) to the peoples;
they will bring^(WG) your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.^(WH)
23 Kings^(WI) will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.^(WJ)
They will bow down^(WK) before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust^(WL) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;^(WM)
    those who hope^(WN) in me will not be disappointed.^(WO)”

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

“Yes, captives^(WQ) will be taken from warriors,^(WR)
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;^(WS)
I will contend with those who contend with you,^(WT)
    and your children I will save.^(WU)
26 I will make your oppressors^(WV) eat^(WW) their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood,^(WX) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know^(WY)
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,^(WZ)
    your Redeemer,^(XA) the Mighty One of Jacob.^(XB)”

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce^(XC)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell^(XD) you?
Because of your sins^(XE) you were sold;^(XF)
    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?^(XG)
Was my arm too short^(XH) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength^(XI) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke^(XJ) I dry up the sea,^(XK)
    I turn rivers into a desert;^(XL)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
³ I clothe the heavens with darkness^(XM)
    and make sackcloth^(XN) its covering.”

⁴ The Sovereign Lord^(XO) has given me a well-instructed tongue,^(XP)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.^(XQ)
He wakens me morning by morning,^(XR)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.^(XS)
5 The Sovereign Lord^(XT) has opened my ears;^(XU)
    I have not been rebellious,^(XV)
    I have not turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat^(XW) me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;^(XX)
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.^(XY)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord^(XZ) helps^(YA) me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,^(YB)
    and I know I will not be put to shame.^(YC)
8 He who vindicates^(YD) me is near.^(YE)
    Who then will bring charges against me?^(YF)
    Let us face each other!^(YG)
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord^(YH) who helps^(YI) me.
    Who will condemn^(YJ) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths^(YK) will eat them up.

¹⁰ Who among you fears^(YL) the Lord
    and obeys^(YM) the word of his servant?^(YN)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,^(YO)
trust^(YP) 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,^(YQ)
go, walk in the light of your fires^(YR)
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:^(YS)
    You will lie down in torment.^(YT)

⁴ “Listen to me, my people;^(ZH)
    hear me,^(ZI) my nation:
Instruction^(ZJ) will go out from me;
    my justice^(ZK) will become a light to the nations.^(ZL)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation^(ZM) is on the way,^(ZN)
    and my arm^(ZO) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands^(ZP) will look to me
    and wait in hope^(ZQ) for my arm.
⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,^(ZR)
    the earth will wear out like a garment^(ZS)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation^(ZT) will last forever,^(ZU)
    my righteousness will never fail.^(ZV)

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

⁹ Awake, awake,^(AAC) arm^(AAD) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(AAE)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.^(AAF)
Was it not you who cut Rahab^(AAG) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster^(AAH) through?
¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea,^(AAI)
    the waters of the great deep,^(AAJ)
who made a road in the depths of the sea^(AAK)
    so that the redeemed^(AAL) might cross over?
¹¹ Those the Lord has rescued^(AAM) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;^(AAN)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy^(AAO) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(AAP)

¹² “I, even I, am he who comforts^(AAQ) you.
    Who are you that you fear^(AAR) mere mortals,^(AAS)
    human beings who are but grass,^(AAT)
13 that you forget^(AAU) the Lord your Maker,^(AAV)
    who stretches out the heavens^(AAW)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror^(AAX) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?^(AAY)
14     The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;^(AAZ)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.^(ABA)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea^(ABB) so that its waves roar^(ABC)—
    the Lord Almighty^(ABD) is his name.
¹⁶ I have put my words in your mouth^(ABE)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand^(ABF)—
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,^(ABG)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.^(ABH)’”

²¹ Therefore hear this, you afflicted^(ABZ) one,
    made drunk,^(ACA) but not with wine.
²² This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends^(ACB) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup^(ACC) 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,^(ACD)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate^(ACE) that we may walk^(ACF) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”^(ACG)

52 Awake, awake,^(ACH) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(ACI)
Put on your garments of splendor,^(ACJ)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.^(ACK)
The uncircumcised^(ACL) and defiled^(ACM)
    will not enter you again.^(ACN)
2 Shake off your dust;^(ACO)
    rise up,^(ACP) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,^(ACQ)
    Daughter Zion,^(ACR) now a captive.

“You were sold for nothing,^(ACS)
    and without money^(ACT) you will be redeemed.^(ACU)”

“At first my people went down to Egypt^(ACV) to live;
    lately, Assyria^(ACW) has oppressed them.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,^[p]”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.^(ACX)
6 Therefore my people will know^(ACY) my name;^(ACZ)
    therefore in that day^(ADA) they will know
that it is I who foretold^(ADB) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

⁷ How beautiful on the mountains^(ADC)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,^(ADD)
who proclaim peace,^(ADE)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”^(ADF)
8 Listen! Your watchmen^(ADG) lift up their voices;^(ADH)
    together they shout for joy.^(ADI)
When the Lord returns^(ADJ) to Zion,^(ADK)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy^(ADL) together,
    you ruins^(ADM) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted^(ADN) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.^(ADO)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm^(ADP)
    in the sight of all the nations,^(ADQ)
and all the ends of the earth^(ADR) will see
    the salvation^(ADS) of our God.

¹¹ Depart,^(ADT) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!^(ADU)
Come out from it and be pure,^(ADV)
    you who carry the articles^(ADW) of the Lord’s house.
¹² But you will not leave in haste^(ADX)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,^(ADY)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.^(ADZ)

53 Who has believed our message^(AEJ)
    and to whom has the arm^(AEK) of the Lord been revealed?^(AEL)
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,^(AEM)
    and like a root^(AEN) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance^(AEO) that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,^(AEP) and familiar with pain.^(AEQ)
Like one from whom people hide^(AER) their faces
    he was despised,^(AES) and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,^(AET)
yet we considered him punished by God,^(AEU)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.^(AEV)
5 But he was pierced^(AEW) for our transgressions,^(AEX)
    he was crushed^(AEY) for our iniquities;
the punishment^(AEZ) that brought us peace^(AFA) was on him,
    and by his wounds^(AFB) we are healed.^(AFC)
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,^(AFD)
    each of us has turned to our own way;^(AFE)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity^(AFF) of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed^(AFG) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;^(AFH)
he was led like a lamb^(AFI) to the slaughter,^(AFJ)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression^[t] and judgment^(AFK) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;^(AFL)
    for the transgression^(AFM) of my people he was punished.^[u]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,^(AFN)
    and with the rich^(AFO) in his death,
though he had done no violence,^(AFP)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.^(AFQ)

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will^(AFR) to crush^(AFS) him and cause him to suffer,^(AFT)
    and though the Lord makes^[v] his life an offering for sin,^(AFU)
he will see his offspring^(AFV) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper^(AFW) in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,^(AFX)
    he will see the light^(AFY) of life^[w] and be satisfied^[x];
by his knowledge^[y] my righteous servant^(AFZ) will justify^(AGA) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.^(AGB)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[z](AGC)
    and he will divide the spoils^(AGD) with the strong,^[aa]
because he poured out his life unto death,^(AGE)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.^(AGF)
For he bore^(AGG) the sin of many,^(AGH)
    and made intercession^(AGI) for the transgressors.

⁴ “Do not be afraid;^(AGU) you will not be put to shame.^(AGV)
    Do not fear disgrace;^(AGW) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth^(AGX)
    and remember no more the reproach^(AGY) of your widowhood.^(AGZ)
5 For your Maker^(AHA) is your husband^(AHB)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One^(AHC) of Israel is your Redeemer;^(AHD)
    he is called the God of all the earth.^(AHE)
6 The Lord will call you back^(AHF)
    as if you were a wife deserted^(AHG) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,^(AHH)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
⁷ “For a brief moment^(AHI) I abandoned^(AHJ) you,
    but with deep compassion^(AHK) I will bring you back.^(AHL)