Bible in 90 Days
19 I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees
in the wilderness.(A)
I will put juniper, elm, and cypress trees together
in the desert,
20 so that all may see and know,
consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,(B)
the Holy One of Israel has created(C) it.
21 “Submit your case,” says the Lord.
“Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22 “Let them come and tell us
what will happen.(D)
Tell us the past events,
so that we may reflect on them
and know the outcome,
or tell us the future.
23 Tell us the coming events,(E)
then we will know that you are gods.
Indeed, do something good or bad,
then we will be in awe[a] when we see it.
24 Look, you are nothing(F)
and your work is worthless.
Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
25 “I have stirred up one from the north,(G) and he has come,
one from the east(H) who invokes my[b] name.(I)
He will march over rulers as if they were mud,
like a potter who treads the clay.
26 Who told about this from the beginning,
so that we might know,
and from times past,
so that we might say, ‘He is right’?
No one announced it,
no one told it,
no one heard your words.
27 I was the first to say to Zion,[c]
‘Look! Here they are!’
And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news.(J)
28 When I look, there is no one;
there is no counselor among them;
when I ask them, they have nothing to say.(K)
29 Look, all of them are a delusion;[d]
their works are nonexistent;
their images are wind and emptiness.
The Servant’s Mission
42 “This(L) is my servant;(M) I strengthen him,
this is my chosen one;(N) I delight in him.(O)
I have put my Spirit on him;(P)
he will bring justice[e] to the nations.(Q)
2 He will not cry out or shout
or make his voice heard in the streets.
3 He will not break a bruised reed,
and he will not put out a smoldering wick;
he will faithfully bring justice.
4 He will not grow weak or be discouraged
until he has established justice on earth.
The coasts and islands will wait for his instruction.”(R)
5 This is what God, the Lord, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out,(S)
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,(T)
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk on it(U)—
6 “I am the Lord. I have called you
for a righteous purpose,[f](V)
and I will hold you by your hand.(W)
I will watch over you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people(X)
and a light to the nations,(Y)
7 in order to open blind eyes,(Z)
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,(AA)
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord. That is my name,
and I will not give my glory to another(AB)
or my praise to idols.
9 The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;(AC)
I announce them to you before they occur.”
A Song of Praise
10 Sing a new song to the Lord;(AD)
sing his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,(AE)
you coasts and islands with your[g] inhabitants.
11 Let the desert and its cities shout,
the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.(AF)
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;(AG)
let them cry out from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare his praise in the coasts and islands.
13 The Lord advances like a warrior;
he stirs up his zeal like a soldier.(AH)
He shouts, he roars aloud,
he prevails over his enemies.
14 “I have kept silent from ages past;
I have been quiet and restrained myself.(AI)
But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,(AJ)
gasping breathlessly.
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up marshes.(AK)
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;(AL)
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them(AM)
and rough places into level ground.(AN)
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not abandon them.(AO)
17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—
those who trust in an idol
and say to a cast image,
‘You are our gods!’ (AP)
Israel’s Blindness and Deafness
18 “Listen, you deaf!
Look, you blind, so that you may see.(AQ)
19 Who is blind but my servant,(AR)
or deaf like my messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like my dedicated one,[h]
or blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 Though seeing many things,[i] you pay no attention.
Though his ears are open, he does not listen.”(AS)
21 Because of his righteousness, the Lord was pleased
to magnify his instruction and make it glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in holes
or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder(AT)
with no one to rescue them
and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back!”
23 Who among you will hear this?
Let him listen and obey in the future.
24 Who gave Jacob to the robber,[j]
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord?
Have we not sinned against him?
They were not willing to walk in his ways,
and they would not listen to his instruction.
25 So he poured out his furious anger
and the power of war on Jacob.
It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it;
it burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.(AU)
Restoration of Israel
43 Now this is what the Lord says—
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel(AV)—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;(AW)
I have called you by your name; you are mine.(AX)
2 When you pass through the waters,(AY)
I will be with you,(AZ)
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,(BA)
you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,(BB)
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.(BC)
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in my sight(BD)
and honored, and I love you,(BE)
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,(BF)
and gather you from the west.(BG)
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,(BH)
and my daughters from the ends of the earth(BI)—
7 everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”
8 Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,(BJ)
and are deaf, yet have ears.
9 All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.(BK)
Who among them can declare this,(BL)
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are my witnesses”(BM)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and my servant whom I have chosen,(BN)
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.(BO)
No god was formed before me,
and there will be none after me.(BP)
11 I—I am the Lord.
Besides me, there is no Savior.(BQ)
12 I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—
and not some foreign god[k] among you.
So you are my witnesses”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and[l] I am God.(BR)
13 Also, from today on I am he alone,
and none can rescue from my power.(BS)
I act, and who can reverse it?” (BT)
God’s Deliverance of Rebellious Israel
14 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,(BU) the Holy One of Israel(BV) says:
Because of you, I will send an army[m] to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,[n]
even the Chaldeans(BW) in the ships in which they rejoice.[o]
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 This is what the Lord says—
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through raging water,(BX)
17 who brings out the chariot and horse,(BY)
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, put out like a wick(BZ))—
18 “Do not remember the past events;
pay no attention to things of old.(CA)
19 Look, I am about to do something new;(CB)
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,(CC)
rivers[p] in the desert.
20 Wild animals—
jackals and ostriches—will honor me,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,(CD)
to give drink to my chosen people.
21 The people I formed for myself
will declare my praise.(CE)
22 “But, Jacob, you have not called on me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of me.(CF)
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.(CG)
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.[q]
24 You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me(CH) with your iniquities.(CI)
25 “I am the one,I sweep away your transgressions(CJ)
for my own sake(CK)
and remember your sins no more.(CL)
26 Remind me. Let’s argue the case together.(CM)
Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated.
27 Your first father sinned,(CN)
and your mediators have rebelled against me.(CO)
28 So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction(CP)
and Israel for scorn.
Spiritual Blessing
44 “And now listen, Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.(CQ)
2 This is the word of the Lord
your Maker, the one who formed you from the womb:
He will help you.
Do not fear, Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun[r] whom I have chosen.(CR)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit(CS) on your descendants
and my blessing on your offspring.
4 They will sprout among[s] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
another will use the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and take on the name of Israel.”
No God Other Than the Lord
6 This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer,(CT) the Lord of Armies, says:
I am the first and I am the last.(CU)
There is no God but me.(CV)
7 Who, like me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before me,(CW)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare[t] the coming things,
and what will take place.
8 Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!(CX)
Is there any God but me?(CY)
There is no other Rock;(CZ) I do not know any.
9 All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure benefits no one.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.(DA)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
that benefits no one?(DB)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.
12 The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn’t drink water and is faint.
13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human form,(DC)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
14 He cuts down[u] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
15 A person can use it for fuel.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
he prays to it,(DD) “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 Such people[v] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for he has shut their eyes[w] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
19 No one comes to his senses;[x]
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
Should I make something detestable(DE) with the rest of it?
Should I bow down to a block of wood?”
20 He feeds on[y] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot rescue himself,
or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?” (DF)
21 Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.[z](DG)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,(DH)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to me,(DI)
for I have redeemed you.(DJ)
23 Rejoice, heavens,(DK) for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies himself through Israel.(DL)
Restoration of Israel through Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer(DM) who formed you from the womb,(DN) says:
I am the Lord, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by myself;(DO)
who alone spread out the earth;
25 who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;(DP)
26 who confirms the message of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”
and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”
and I will restore her ruins;
27 who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”
and I will dry up your rivers;
28 who says to Cyrus,(DQ) “My shepherd,
he will fulfill all my pleasure”(DR)
and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,”(DS)
and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”
45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed,(DT)
whose right hand I have grasped(DU)
to subdue nations before him
and disarm[aa] kings,(DV)
to open doors before him,
and even city gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you
and level the uneven places;[ab](DW)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.(DX)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,(DY)
so that you may know that I am the Lord.
I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.(DZ)
4 I call you by your name,
for the sake of my servant Jacob(EA)
and Israel my chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(EB)
there is no God but me.(EC)
I will strengthen[ac] you,
though you do not know me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but me.(ED)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(EE)
I make success and create disaster;(EF)
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 “Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.(EG)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.(EH)
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.[ad]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’ (EI)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?[ae]
10 Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,[af]
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel(EJ) and its Maker, says:
“Ask me what is to happen to[ag] my sons,(EK)
and instruct me about the work of my hands.(EL)
12 I made the earth,
and created humans on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,(EM)
and I commanded everything in them.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,(EN)
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild my city,(EO)
and set my exiles free,(EP)
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Armies.
God Alone Is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,(EQ)
will come over to you(ER)
and will be yours;
they will follow you,
they will come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will confess[ah] to you,
‘God is indeed with you,(ES) and there is no other;
there is no other God.’”
15 Yes, you are a God who hides,(ET)
God of Israel, Savior.(EU)
16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;(EV)
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17 Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.(EW)
18 For this is what the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,
the God who formed the earth and made it,
the one who established it
(he did not create it to be a wasteland,
but formed it to be inhabited)(EX)—
he says, “I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,(EY)
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek me in a wasteland.(EZ)
I am the Lord, who speaks righteously,(FA)
who declares what is right.
20 “Come, gather together,
and approach, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols
and pray to a god who cannot save(FB)
have no knowledge.(FC)
21 Speak up and present your case[ai](FD)—
yes, let them consult each other.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other God but me,
a righteous God and Savior;(FE)
there is no one except me.(FF)
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God,
and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;(FG)
truth has gone from my mouth,(FH)
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow(FI) to me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 It will be said about me, ‘Righteousness and strength
are found only in the Lord.’”
All who are enraged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(FJ)
25 All the descendants of Israel
will be justified and boast in the Lord.
There Is No One Like God
46 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers.(FK)
Idols depicting them are consigned to beasts and cattle.
The images you carry are loaded,
as a burden for the weary animal.
2 The gods cower; they crouch together;
they are not able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go into captivity.(FL)
3 “Listen to me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,
carried along since birth.
4 I will be the same until your old age,(FM)
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and rescue you.
5 “To whom will you compare me or make me equal?
Who will you measure me with,
so that we should be like each other?(FN)
6 Those who pour out their bags of gold
and weigh out silver on scales—
they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god.
Then they kneel and bow down to it.(FO)
7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along;(FP)
they set it in its place, and there it stands;
it does not budge from its place.(FQ)
They cry out to it but it doesn’t answer;
it saves no one from his trouble.
8 “Remember this and be brave;[aj]
take it to heart, you transgressors!
9 Remember what happened long ago,(FR)
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and no one is like me.
10 I declare the end from the beginning,
and from long ago what is not yet done,
saying: my plan will take place,
and I will do all my will.(FS)
11 I call a bird of prey[ak] from the east,(FT)
a man for my purpose from a far country.
Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about.(FU)
I have planned it; I will also do it.
12 Listen to me, you hardhearted,
far removed from justice:
13 I am bringing my justice near;(FV)
it is not far away,
and my salvation will not delay.
I will put salvation in Zion,
my splendor in Israel.
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down and sit in the dust,(FW)
Virgin Daughter Babylon.(FX)
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter Chaldea!
For you will no longer be called pampered and spoiled.
2 Take millstones and grind flour;(FY)
remove your veil,
strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,
wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
and your disgrace will be exposed.(FZ)
I will take vengeance;
I will spare no one.”[al]
4 The Holy One of Israel is our Redeemer;(GA)
The Lord of Armies is his name.
5 “Daughter Chaldea,
sit in silence(GB) and go into darkness.
For you will no longer be called mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my possession,
and I handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy;
you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly.
7 You said, ‘I will be the queen forever.’
You did not take these things to heart
or think about their outcome.
8 “So now hear this, lover of luxury,
who sits securely,(GC)
who says to herself,
‘I am, and there is no one else.
I will never be a widow
or know the loss of children.’(GD)
9 These two things will happen to you
suddenly, in one day:
loss of children and widowhood.
They will happen to you in their entirety,
in spite of your many sorceries(GE)
and the potency of your spells.
10 You were secure in your wickedness;
you said, ‘No one sees me.’(GF)
Your wisdom and knowledge
led you astray.
You said to yourself,
‘I am, and there is no one else.’
11 But disaster will happen to you;
you will not know how to avert it.
And it will fall on you,
but you will be unable to ward it off.[am]
Devastation will happen to you suddenly
and unexpectedly.(GG)
12 So take your stand with your spells
and your many sorceries,
which you have wearied yourself with from your youth.
Perhaps you will be able to succeed;
perhaps you will inspire terror!
13 You are worn out with your many consultations.
So let the astrologers stand and save you—
those who observe the stars,(GH)
those who predict monthly
what will happen to you.
14 Look, they are like stubble;(GI)
fire burns them.(GJ)
They cannot rescue themselves
from the power of the flame.
This is not a coal for warming themselves,
or a fire to sit beside!
15 This is what they are to you—
those who have wearied you
and have traded with you from your youth—
each wanders on his own way;
no one can save you.
Israel Must Leave Babylon
48 “Listen to this, house of Jacob—
those who are called by the name Israel
and have descended from[an] Judah,(GK)
who swear by the name of the Lord(GL)
and declare the God of Israel,
but not in truth or righteousness.
2 For they are named after the holy city,
and lean on the God of Israel;(GM)
his name is the Lord of Armies.
3 I declared the past events long ago;
they came out of my mouth; I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they occurred.
4 Because I know that you are stubborn,
and your neck is iron[ao]
and your forehead bronze,(GN)
5 therefore I declared to you long ago.
I announced it to you before it occurred,
so you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them;
my carved image and cast idol control them.’(GO)
6 You have heard it. Observe it all.
Will you not acknowledge it?
From now on I will announce new things to you,
hidden things that you have not known.(GP)
7 They have been created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today,
so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them!’
8 You have never heard; you have never known;
for a long time your ears have not been open.
For I knew that you were very treacherous,
and were known as a rebel from birth.(GQ)
9 I will delay my anger for the sake of my name,
and I will restrain myself for your benefit and for my praise,
so that you will not be destroyed.
10 Look, I have refined you,(GR) but not as silver;
I have tested[ap] you in the furnace of affliction.
11 I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own,(GS)
for how can I[aq] be defiled?
I will not give my glory to another.(GT)
12 “Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, the one called by me:
I am he; I am the first,
I am also the last.(GU)
13 My own hand founded the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(GV)
when I summoned them,
they stood up together.
14 All of you, assemble and listen!
Who among the idols[ar] has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;[as]
he will accomplish his will against Babylon,(GW)
and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I—I have spoken;
yes, I have called him;(GX)
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission.(GY)
16 Approach me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;(GZ)
from the time anything existed, I was there.”
And now the Lord God
has sent me and his Spirit.(HA)
17 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,(HB) the Holy One of Israel(HC) says:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention to my commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river,(HD)
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.(HE)
19 Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,(HF)
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off
or eliminated from my presence.
20 Leave Babylon,
flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with a shout of joy,
proclaim this,
let it go out to the end of the earth;
announce,
“The Lord has redeemed his servant(HG) Jacob!”
21 They did not thirst
when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow from the rock for them;(HH)
he split the rock, and water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.(HI)
The Servant Brings Salvation
49 Coasts and islands,[at] listen to me;
distant peoples, pay attention.
The Lord called(HJ) me before I was born.
He named me while I was in my mother’s womb.(HK)
2 He made my words like a sharp sword;(HL)
he hid me in the shadow of his hand.(HM)
He made me like a sharpened arrow;
he hid me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(HN)
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I myself said: I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and futility;
yet my vindication is with the Lord,
and my reward is with my God.
5 And now, says the Lord,
who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God is my strength—
6 he says,
“It is not enough for you to be my servant
raising up the tribes of Jacob
and restoring the protected ones of Israel.
I will also make you a light for the nations,(HO)
to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”(HP)
7 This is what the Lord,
the Redeemer(HQ) of Israel, his Holy One, says
to one who is despised,
to one abhorred by people,[au](HR)
to a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see, princes will stand up,
and they[av] will all bow down
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel(HS)—and he has chosen you.”(HT)
8 This is what the Lord says:
I will answer you in a time of favor,
and I will help you in the day of salvation.(HU)
I will keep you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people,(HV)
to restore the land,
to make them possess the desolate inheritances,
9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”(HW)
and to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They will feed along the pathways,
and their pastures will be on all the barren heights.(HX)
10 They will not hunger or thirst,
the scorching heat or sun will not strike them;
for their compassionate one will guide them,
and lead them to springs.(HY)
11 I will make all my mountains into a road,
and my highways will be raised up.(HZ)
12 See, these will come from far away,
from the north and from the west,[aw](IA)
and from the land of Sinim.[ax][ay]
13 Shout for joy, you heavens!(IB)
Earth, rejoice!
Mountains break into joyful shouts!
For the Lord has comforted his people,(IC)
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.(ID)
Zion Remembered
14 Zion says, “The Lord has abandoned me;
the Lord has forgotten me!”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?
Even if these forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;(IE)
your walls are continually before me.
17 Your builders[az] hurry;
those who destroy and devastate you will leave you.
18 Look up, and look around.
They all gather together; they come to you.(IF)
As I live”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“you will wear all your children[ba] as jewelry,
and put them on as a bride does.
19 For your waste and desolate places
and your land marked by ruins
will now be indeed too small for the inhabitants,(IG)
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 Yet as you listen, the children
that you have been deprived of will say,
‘This place is too small for me;
make room for me so that I may settle.’(IH)
21 Then you will say within yourself,
‘Who fathered these for me?
I was deprived of my children and unable to conceive,
exiled and wandering—
but who brought them up?
See, I was left by myself—
but these, where did they come from?’” [bb]
22 This is what the Lord God says:
Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my banner to the peoples.(II)
They will bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.(IJ)
23 Kings will be your guardians
and their queens[bc] your nursing mothers.(IK)
They will bow down to you
with their faces to the ground
and lick the dust at your feet.(IL)
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(IM)
those who put their hope in me
will not be put to shame.(IN)
24 Can the prey be taken from a mighty man,
or the captives of a tyrant[bd] be delivered?
25 For this is what the Lord says:
“Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken,
and the prey of a tyrant will be delivered;
I will contend with the one who contends with you,
and I will save your children.
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,(IO)
and they will be drunk with their own blood
as with sweet wine.
Then all humanity will know
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(IP)
and your Redeemer,(IQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.”(IR)
50 This is what the Lord says:
Where is your mother’s divorce certificate
that I used to send her away?(IS)
Or to which of my creditors did I sell you?(IT)
Look, you were sold for your iniquities,(IU)
and your mother was sent away
because of your transgressions.
2 Why was no one there when I came?
Why was there no one to answer when I called?
Is my arm too weak to redeem?(IV)
Or do I have no power to rescue?
Look, I dry up the sea by my rebuke;(IW)
I turn the rivers into a wilderness;
their fish rot because of lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I dress the heavens in black
and make sackcloth their covering.(IX)
The Obedient Servant
4 The Lord God has given me
the tongue of those who are instructed(IY)
to know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens me each morning;
he awakens my ear to listen like those being instructed.(IZ)
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I did not turn back.(JA)
6 I gave my back to those who beat me,
and my cheeks to those who tore out my beard.
I did not hide my face from scorn and spitting.(JB)
7 The Lord God will help me;
therefore I have not been humiliated;
therefore I have set my face like flint,(JC)
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8 The one who vindicates me is near;(JD)
who will contend with me?
Let us confront each other.[be]
Who has a case against me?[bf]
Let him come near me!
9 In truth, the Lord God will help me;
who will condemn me?(JE)
Indeed, all of them will wear out like a garment;
a moth will devour them.(JF)
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and listens to his servant?(JG)
Who among you walks in darkness,
and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord;
let him lean on his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
who encircle yourselves with[bg] torches;
walk in the light of your fire
and of the torches you have lit!
This is what you’ll get from my hand:
you will lie down in a place of torment.
Salvation for Zion
51 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave birth to you.
When I called him, he was only one;
I blessed him and made him many.(JH)
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;(JI)
he will comfort all her waste places,
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,(JJ)
and her desert like the garden of the Lord.(JK)
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.
4 Pay attention to me, my people,
and listen to me, my nation;
for instruction will come from me,
and my justice for a light to the nations.(JL)
I will bring it about quickly.
5 My righteousness is near,(JM)
my salvation appears,
and my arms will bring justice to the nations.(JN)
The coasts and islands will put their hope in me,
and they will look to my strength.[bh]
6 Look up to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.[bi](JO)
But my salvation will last forever,(JP)
and my righteousness will never be shattered.
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my instruction:(JQ)
do not fear disgrace by men,
and do not be shattered by their taunts.
8 For moths will devour them like a garment,(JR)
and worms will eat them like wool.(JS)
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
9 Wake up, wake up!
Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations long ago.
Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces,(JT)
who pierced the sea monster?(JU)
10 Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea,(JV)
the waters of the great deep,
who made the sea-bed into a road
for the redeemed to pass over?(JW)
11 And the ransomed of the Lord will return(JX)
and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy.
Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.
12 I—I am the one who comforts you.
Who are you that you should fear humans who die,(JY)
or a son of man who is given up like grass?(JZ)
13 But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.(KA)
You are in constant dread all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who has set himself to destroy.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?(KB)
14 The prisoner[bj] is soon to be set free;
he will not die and go to the Pit,
and his food will not be lacking.
15 For I am the Lord your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar(KC)—
his name is the Lord of Armies.
16 I have put my words in your mouth,(KD)
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,(KE)
in order to plant[bk] the heavens,
to found the earth,
and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
17 Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of his fury(KF)
from the Lord’s hand;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs—
the cup that causes people to stagger.
18 There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has raised;
there is no one to take hold of her hand
among all the offspring she has brought up.
19 These two things have happened to you:(KG)
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I[bl] comfort you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net.
They are full of the Lord’s fury,
the rebuke of your God.
21 So listen to this, suffering
and drunken one—but not with wine.(KH)
22 This is what your Lord says—
the Lord, even your God,
who defends his people(KI)—
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
that goblet, the cup of my fury.
You will never drink it again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,(KJ)
‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like a street for those who walk on it.
52 “Wake up, wake up;
put on your strength, Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments,(KK)
Jerusalem, the holy city!(KL)
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
will no longer enter you.(KM)
2 Stand up, shake the dust off yourself!
Take your seat, Jerusalem.
Remove the bonds[bm] from your neck,
captive Daughter Zion.”
3 For this is what the Lord says:
“You were sold for nothing,
and you will be redeemed without silver.”(KN)
4 For this is what the Lord God says:
“At first my people went down to Egypt to reside there,(KO)
then Assyria oppressed them without cause.[bn]
5 So now what have I here”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“that my people are taken away for nothing?
Its rulers wail”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and my name is continually blasphemed all day long.(KP)
6 Therefore my people will know my name;(KQ)
therefore they will know on that day
that I am he who says,
‘Here I am.’”
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace,
who brings news of good things,(KR)
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (KS)
8 The voices of your watchmen(KT)—
they lift up their voices,
shouting for joy together;
for every eye will see
when the Lord returns to Zion.
9 Be joyful, rejoice together,
you ruins of Jerusalem!(KU)
For the Lord has comforted his people;(KV)
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has displayed his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;(KW)
all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.(KX)
11 Leave, leave, go out from there!(KY)
Do not touch anything unclean;
go out from her, purify yourselves,(KZ)
you who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 For you will not leave in a hurry,(LA)
and you will not have to take flight;
because the Lord is going before you,(LB)
and the God of Israel is your rear guard.(LC)
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