Isaiah 48
New American Standard Bible 1995
Israel’s Obstinacy
48 “(A)Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came forth from the [a](B)loins of Judah,
Who (C)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (D)righteousness.
2 “For they call themselves after the (E)holy city
And (F)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of hosts is His name.
3 “I (G)declared the former things long ago
And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(H)Suddenly I acted, and they (I)came to pass.
4 “Because I know that you are [b](J)obstinate,
And your (K)neck is an iron sinew
And your (L)forehead bronze,
5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [c]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (M)idol has done them,
And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’
6 “You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (N)new things from this time,
Even 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 (O)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 [d](P)rebel from [e]birth.
9 “(Q)For the sake of My name I (R)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 (S)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (T)furnace of affliction.
11 “(U)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And My (V)glory I will not give to another.
Deliverance Promised
12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel [f]whom I called;
(W)I am He, (X)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 “Surely My hand (Y)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (Z)call to them, they stand together.
14 “(AA)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(AB)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (AC)carry out His good pleasure on (AD)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 “I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have (AE)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 “(AF)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the first I have (AG)not spoken in secret,
(AH)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (AI)the Lord [g]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 Thus says the Lord, your (AJ)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who (AK)leads you in the way you should go.
18 “If only you had (AL)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [h](AM)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (AN)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 “Your [i](AO)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [j]your offspring like its grains;
(AP)Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (AQ)Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (AR)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(AS)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(AT)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (AU)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (AV)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (AW)the water gushed forth.
22 “(AX)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:1 Lit waters
- 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 49-51
New American Standard Bible 1995
Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth
49 Listen to Me, O (A)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(B)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [a]body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My (C)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (D)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a [b]select (E)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “(F)You are My Servant, Israel,
(G)In Whom I will [c]show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have (H)toiled in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;
Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (I)reward with My God.”
5 And now says (J)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (K)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (L)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (M)strength),
6 He says, “It is too [d]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (N)preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (O)light [e]of the nations
So that My salvation may [f]reach to the (P)end of the earth.”
7 Thus says the Lord, the (Q)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
To the (R)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers,
“(S)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (T)bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8 Thus says the Lord,
“In a (U)favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You;
And I will (V)keep You and (W)give You for a covenant of the people,
To [g](X)restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;
9 Saying to those who are (Y)bound, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
Along the roads they will feed,
And their pasture will be on all (Z)bare heights.
10 “They will (AA)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (AB)heat or sun strike them down;
For (AC)He who has compassion on them will (AD)lead them
And will guide them to (AE)springs of water.
11 “I will make all (AF)My mountains a road,
And My (AG)highways will be raised up.
12 “Behold, these will come (AH)from afar;
And lo, these will come from the (AI)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”
13 (AJ)Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains!
For the (AK)Lord has comforted His people
And will (AL)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken 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 (AM)I will not forget you.
16 “Behold, I have (AN)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (AO)walls are continually before Me.
17 “Your [h]builders hurry;
Your (AP)destroyers and devastators
Will depart from you.
18 “(AQ)Lift up your eyes and look around;
(AR)All of them gather together, (AS)they come to you.
(AT)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will surely (AU)put on all of them as [i]jewels and bind them on as a bride.
19 “For (AV)your waste and desolate places and your destroyed land—
Surely now you will be (AW)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (AX)swallowed you will be far away.
20 “The (AY)children of [j]whom you were bereaved 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 (AZ)say in your heart,
‘Who has begotten these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And am (BA)barren, an (BB)exile and a wanderer?
And who has reared these?
Behold, I was (BC)left alone;
[k](BD)From where did these come?’”
22 Thus says the Lord [l]God,
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (BE)standard to the peoples;
And they will (BF)bring your sons in their bosom,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 “(BG)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (BH)bow down to you with their faces to the earth
And (BI)lick the dust of your feet;
And you will (BJ)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (BK)wait for Me will (BL)not be put to shame.
25 Surely, thus says the Lord,
“Even the (BN)captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will (BO)save your sons.
26 “I will feed your (BP)oppressors with their (BQ)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And (BR)all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your (BS)Savior
And your (BT)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
God Helps His Servant
50 Thus says the Lord,
“Where is the (BU)certificate of divorce
By which I have (BV)sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I (BW)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (BX)iniquities,
And for your (BY)transgressions your mother (BZ)was sent away.
2 “Why was there (CA)no man when I came?
When I called, why was there none to answer?
Is My (CB)hand so short that it cannot ransom?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I (CC)dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I (CD)make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water
And die of thirst.
3 “I (CE)clothe the heavens with blackness
And make sackcloth their covering.”
4 The Lord [n]God has given Me the tongue of (CF)disciples,
That I may know how to (CG)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (CH)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has (CI)opened My ear;
And I was (CJ)not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (CK)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
7 For the Lord God (CL)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (CM)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like (CN)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who (CO)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (CP)stand up to each other;
Who has a case against Me?
Let him draw near to Me.
9 Behold, (CQ)the Lord God helps Me;
(CR)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (CS)they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you that fears the Lord,
That obeys the voice of His (CT)servant,
That (CU)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (CV)trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (CW)kindle a fire,
Who [o]encircle yourselves with firebrands,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the brands you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (CX)lie down in torment.
Israel Exhorted
51 “(CY)Listen to me, you who (CZ)pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the (DA)rock from which you were hewn
And to the [p]quarry from which you were dug.
2 “Look to (DB)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he (DC)was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (DD)the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (DE)waste places.
And her (DF)wilderness He will make like (DG)Eden,
And her desert like the (DH)garden of the Lord;
(DI)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.
4 “(DJ)Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My [q]nation;
For a (DK)law will go forth from Me,
And I will [r]set My (DL)justice for a (DM)light of the peoples.
5 “My (DN)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (DO)arms will judge the peoples;
The (DP)coastlands will wait for Me,
And for My (DQ)arm they will wait expectantly.
6 “(DR)Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (DS)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (DT)earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die [s]in like manner;
But My (DU)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not [t]wane.
7 “(DV)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (DW)heart is My law;
Do not fear the (DX)reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 “For the (DY)moth will eat them like a garment,
And the (DZ)grub will eat them like wool.
But My (EA)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (EB)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the (EC)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(ED)Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (EE)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (EF)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (EG)redeemed to cross over?
11 So the (EH)ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And (EI)everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And (EJ)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who (EK)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of (EL)man who dies
And of the son of man who is made (EM)like grass,
13 That you have (EN)forgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who (EO)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (EP)fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,
As he makes ready to destroy?
But where is the fury of the (EQ)oppressor?
14 The [u](ER)exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, (ES)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God, who (ET)stirs up the sea and its waves roar (the Lord of hosts is His name). 16 I have (EU)put My words in your mouth and have (EV)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [v](EW)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (EX)Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have (EY)drunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of His anger;
The [w]chalice of reeling you have [x]drained to the dregs.
18 There is (EZ)none to guide her among all the sons she has borne,
Nor is there one to take her by the hand among all the sons she has reared.
19 These two things have befallen you;
Who will mourn for you?
The (FA)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They (FB)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (FC)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord,
The (FD)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, please hear this, you (FE)afflicted,
Who are (FF)drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord, even your God
Who (FG)contends for His people,
“Behold, I have taken out of your hand the (FH)cup of reeling,
The [y]chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 “I will (FI)put it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to [z]you, ‘(FJ)Lie down that we may walk over you.’
You have even made your back like the ground
And like the street for those who walk over it.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
- Isaiah 49:2 Or sharpened
- Isaiah 49:3 Or glorify Myself
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
- Isaiah 49:6 Or to
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
- Isaiah 49:17 So ancient versions and DSS; M.T. reads sons
- Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
- Isaiah 49:20 Lit your bereavement
- Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
- Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 49:24 So ancient versions and DSS; M.T. reads the righteous, cf v 25
- Isaiah 50:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Isaiah 50:11 Lit gird
- Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
- Isaiah 51:4 Or people
- Isaiah 51:4 Lit cause to rest
- Isaiah 51:6 Or like gnats
- Isaiah 51:6 Lit be broken
- Isaiah 51:14 Lit one in chains
- Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of reeling
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit drunk
- Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul
Isaiah 52:1-12
New American Standard Bible 1995
Cheer for Prostrate Zion
52 (A)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your (B)beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the (C)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (D)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (E)from the dust, (F)rise up,
O captive Jerusalem;
(G)Loose yourself from the chains around your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus says the Lord, “You were (H)sold for nothing and you will be (I)redeemed (J)without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord [a]God, “My people (K)went down at the first into Egypt to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 Now therefore, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without cause?” Again the Lord declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (L)name is continually blasphemed all day long. 6 Therefore My people shall (M)know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings (N)good news,
Who announces [b]peace
And brings good news of [c]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (O)God [d]reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their (P)voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [e]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 (Q)Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You (R)waste places of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has (S)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy (T)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[f]That (U)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (V)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(W)Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (X)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in (Y)haste,
Nor will you go [g]as fugitives;
For the (Z)Lord will go before you,
And (AA)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Footnotes
- 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 Lit And...earth will see
- Isaiah 52:12 Lit in flight
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
