Isaiah 51-52
New American Standard Bible 1995
Israel Exhorted
51 “(A)Listen to me, you who (B)pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the (C)rock from which you were hewn
And to the [a]quarry from which you were dug.
2 “Look to (D)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he (E)was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (F)the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (G)waste places.
And her (H)wilderness He will make like (I)Eden,
And her desert like the (J)garden of the Lord;
(K)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.
4 “(L)Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My [b]nation;
For a (M)law will go forth from Me,
And I will [c]set My (N)justice for a (O)light of the peoples.
5 “My (P)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (Q)arms will judge the peoples;
The (R)coastlands will wait for Me,
And for My (S)arm they will wait expectantly.
6 “(T)Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (U)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (V)earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die [d]in like manner;
But My (W)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not [e]wane.
7 “(X)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (Y)heart is My law;
Do not fear the (Z)reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 “For the (AA)moth will eat them like a garment,
And the (AB)grub will eat them like wool.
But My (AC)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (AD)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the (AE)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(AF)Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (AG)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (AH)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (AI)redeemed to cross over?
11 So the (AJ)ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And (AK)everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And (AL)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who (AM)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of (AN)man who dies
And of the son of man who is made (AO)like grass,
13 That you have (AP)forgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who (AQ)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (AR)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 (AS)oppressor?
14 The [f](AT)exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, (AU)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God, who (AV)stirs up the sea and its waves roar (the Lord of hosts is His name). 16 I have (AW)put My words in your mouth and have (AX)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [g](AY)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (AZ)Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have (BA)drunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of His anger;
The [h]chalice of reeling you have [i]drained to the dregs.
18 There is (BB)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 (BC)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They (BD)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (BE)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord,
The (BF)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, please hear this, you (BG)afflicted,
Who are (BH)drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord, even your God
Who (BI)contends for His people,
“Behold, I have taken out of your hand the (BJ)cup of reeling,
The [j]chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 “I will (BK)put it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to [k]you, ‘(BL)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.”
Cheer for Prostrate Zion
52 (BM)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your (BN)beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the (BO)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (BP)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (BQ)from the dust, (BR)rise up,
O captive Jerusalem;
(BS)Loose yourself from the chains around your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus says the Lord, “You were (BT)sold for nothing and you will be (BU)redeemed (BV)without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord [l]God, “My people (BW)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 (BX)name is continually blasphemed all day long. 6 Therefore My people shall (BY)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 (BZ)good news,
Who announces [m]peace
And brings good news of [n]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (CA)God [o]reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their (CB)voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [p]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 (CC)Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You (CD)waste places of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has (CE)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy (CF)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[q]That (CG)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (CH)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(CI)Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (CJ)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in (CK)haste,
Nor will you go [r]as fugitives;
For the (CL)Lord will go before you,
And (CM)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The Exalted Servant
13 Behold, My (CN)servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and [s]greatly (CO)exalted.
14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His (CP)appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will (CQ)sprinkle many nations,
Kings will (CR)shut their mouths on account of Him;
For (CS)what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.
Footnotes
- 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 52:4 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
- Isaiah 52:13 Or very high
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
