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Isaiah 40-55
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Isaiah 40-55
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God’s People Are Comforted
40 Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.(A)
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.(B)
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.(C)
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.(D)
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said,[a] “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass;
their constancy is like the flower of the field.(E)
7 The grass withers; the flower fades,
[[when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.(F)
8 The grass withers; the flower fades,]][b]
but the word of our God will stand forever.(G)
9 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;[c]
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;[d]
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(H)
10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him
and his recompense before him.(I)
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms
and carry them in his bosom
and gently lead the mother sheep.(J)
12 Who has measured the waters of the sea[e] in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?(K)
13 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
or as his counselor has instructed him?(L)
14 Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
[[Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.(M)
16 Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.]][f]
17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.(N)
18 To whom, then, will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?(O)
19 An idol? A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.(P)
20 As a gift one chooses mulberry wood[g]
—wood that will not rot—
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will not topple.(Q)
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?(R)
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
and spreads them like a tent to live in,(S)
23 who brings princes to naught
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.(T)
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.(U)
25 To whom, then, will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.(V)
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.(W)
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?(X)
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.(Y)
29 He gives power to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.(Z)
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted,
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.(AA)
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;
let the peoples renew their strength;
let them approach, then let them speak;
let us together draw near for judgment.(AB)
2 Who has roused a victor from the east,
summoned him to his service?
He delivers up nations to him
and tramples kings under foot;
he makes them like dust with his sword,
like driven stubble with his bow.(AC)
3 He pursues them and passes on safely,
scarcely touching the path with his feet.
4 Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am first
and will be with the last.(AD)
5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
the ends of the earth tremble;
they have drawn near and come.(AE)
6 Each one helps the other,
saying to one another, “Take courage!”(AF)
7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith,
and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good,”
and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.(AG)
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;(AH)
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant;
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;(AI)
10 do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.(AJ)
11 All who are incensed against you
shall be ashamed and disgraced;
those who strive against you
shall be as nothing and shall perish.(AK)
12 You shall seek those who contend with you,
but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all.(AL)
13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
I will help you.”(AM)
14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot[h] Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.(AN)
15 I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff.(AO)
16 You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.(AP)
17 When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.(AQ)
18 I will open rivers on the bare heights
and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water
and the dry land springs of water.(AR)
19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
20 so that all may see and know,
all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.(AS)
The Futility of Idols
21 Set forth your case, says the Lord;
bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.(AT)
22 Let them bring them and tell us
what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they were,
so that we may consider them
and that we may know their outcome
or declare to us the things to come.(AU)
23 Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you are gods;
do good, or do harm,
that we may be afraid and terrified.(AV)
24 You, indeed, are nothing,
and your work is nothing at all;
whoever chooses you is an abomination.(AW)
25 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name.[i]
He shall trample[j] on rulers as on mortar,
as the potter treads clay.(AX)
26 Who declared it from the beginning, so that we might know,
and beforehand, so that we might say, “He is right”?
There was no one who declared it, none who proclaimed,
none who heard your words.(AY)
27 I first have declared it to Zion,[k]
and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.(AZ)
28 But when I look there is no one;
among these there is no counselor
who, when I ask, gives an answer.(BA)
29 No, they are all a delusion;
their works are nothing;
their images are empty wind.(BB)
The Servant, a Light to the Nations
42 Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.(BC)
2 He will not cry out or lift up his voice
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.(BD)
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.(BE)
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:(BF)
6 I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,[l]
a light to the nations,(BG)
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.(BH)
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.(BI)
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.(BJ)
A Hymn of Praise
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar[m] and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.(BK)
11 Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela shout for joy;
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare his praise in the coastlands.(BL)
13 The Lord goes forth like a soldier;
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out; he shouts aloud;
he shows himself mighty against his foes.(BM)
14 For a long time I have held my peace;
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
I will gasp and pant.(BN)
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands
and dry up the pools.(BO)
16 I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know;
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.(BP)
17 They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
“You are our gods.”(BQ)
18 Listen, you who are deaf,
and you who are blind, look up and see!
19 Who is blind but my servant
or deaf like my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind like my dedicated one
or blind like the servant of the Lord?(BR)
20 He sees many things, but he does[n] not observe them;
his ears are open, but he does not hear.(BS)
Israel’s Disobedience
21 The Lord was pleased, for the sake of his righteousness,
to magnify his teaching and make it glorious.(BT)
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
all of them are trapped in holes
and hidden in prisons;
they have become a prey with no one to rescue,
a spoil with no one to say, “Restore!”(BU)
23 Who among you will give heed to this;
who will attend and listen for the time to come?
24 Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler
and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom they sinned,[o]
in whose ways they would not walk,
and whose law they would not obey?(BV)
25 So he poured upon him the heat of his anger
and the fury of war;
it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand;
it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.(BW)
Restoration and Protection Promised
43 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.(BX)
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.(BY)
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.(BZ)
4 Because you are precious in my sight
and honored and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.(CA)
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;(CB)
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—(CC)
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”(CD)
8 Bring forth the people who are blind yet have eyes,
who are deaf yet have ears!(CE)
9 Let all the nations gather together,
and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them declared this
and foretold to us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to justify them,
and let them hear and say, “It is true.”(CF)
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.(CG)
11 I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.(CH)
12 I am the one who declared and saved and proclaimed,
not some strange god among you;
you are my witnesses, says the Lord, and I am God.(CI)
13 Indeed, since that day I am he;
there is no one who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can hinder it?(CJ)
14 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
For your sake I will send to Babylon
and break down all the bars,
and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation.[p](CK)
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,(CL)
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down; they cannot rise;
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:(CM)
18 Do not remember the former things
or consider the things of old.(CN)
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.(CO)
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,(CP)
21 the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.(CQ)
22 Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!(CR)
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with frankincense.(CS)
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Rather, you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.(CT)
25 I alone am the one
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.(CU)
26 Accuse me; let us go to trial;
set forth your case, so that you may be proved right.(CV)
27 Your first ancestor sinned,
and your mediators rebelled against me.
28 Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary;
I delivered Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.(CW)
God’s Blessing on Israel
44 But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!(CX)
2 Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you in the womb and will help you:
Do not fear, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.(CY)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my spirit upon your descendants
and my blessing on your offspring.(CZ)
4 They shall spring up like a green tamarisk,[q]
like willows by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, “I am the Lord’s”;
another will be called by the name of Jacob;
yet another will write on the hand, “The Lord’s,”
and adopt the name of Israel.(DA)
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.(DB)
7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it;
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?[r]
Let them tell us[s] what is yet to be.(DC)
8 Do not fear or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.(DD)
The Absurdity of Idol Worship
9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit; their witnesses neither see nor know, and so they will be put to shame.(DE) 10 Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do no good?(DF) 11 All its devotees shall be put to shame; the artisans, too, are merely human. Let them all assemble; let them stand up; they shall be terrified; they shall all be put to shame.(DG)
12 The blacksmith works it with a tool over the coals, shaping it with hammers and forging it with his strong arm; he becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.(DH) 13 The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine.(DI) 14 He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it can be used as fuel. Part of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down before it.(DJ) 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he roasts meat, eats it,[t] and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Ah, I am warm[u] by the fire!” 17 The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, bows down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god!”(DK)
18 They do not know, nor do they comprehend, for their eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds as well, so that they cannot understand.(DL) 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. Now shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”(DM) 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?”(DN)
Israel Is Not Forgotten
21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
O Israel, do not forget me.[v](DO)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.(DP)
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and will be glorified in Israel.(DQ)
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who by myself spread out the earth;(DR)
25 who frustrates the omens of soothsayers
and makes fools of diviners;
who turns back the wise
and makes their knowledge foolish;(DS)
26 who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the prediction of his messengers;
who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”
and of the cities of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt,
and I will raise up their ruins”;(DT)
27 who says to the deep, “Be dry—
I will dry up your rivers”;(DU)
28 who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,
and he shall carry out all my purpose”;
and who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”(DV)
Cyrus, God’s Instrument
45 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
and the gates shall not be closed:(DW)
2 I will go before you
and level the mountains;[w]
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron;(DX)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.(DY)
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name;
I give you a title, though you do not know me.(DZ)
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,(EA)
6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.(EB)
7 I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.(EC)
8 Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,[x]
and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
I the Lord have created it.(ED)
9 Woe to those who strive with their Maker,
earthen vessels with the potter![y]
Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, “What are you making”?
or “Your work has no handles”?(EE)
10 Woe to anyone who says to a father, “What are you fathering?”
or to a woman, “With what are you in labor?”
11 Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker:
Will you question me[z] about my children
or command me concerning the work of my hands?(EF)
12 I made the earth
and created humankind upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.(EG)
13 I have aroused Cyrus[aa] in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths straight;
he shall build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,
says the Lord of hosts.(EH)
14 Thus says the Lord:
The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, tall of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying,
“God is with you alone, and there is no other;
there is no god besides him.”(EI)
15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.(EJ)
16 All of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in disgrace together.(EK)
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded
ever again.(EL)
18 For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it a chaos;
he formed it to be inhabited!):
I am the Lord, and there is no other.(EM)
19 I did not speak in secret
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
“Seek me in chaos.”
I the Lord speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(EN)
Idols Cannot Save Babylon
20 Assemble yourselves and come together;
draw near, you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge—
those who carry about their wooden idols
and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.(EO)
21 Declare and present your case;
take counsel together![ab]
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.(EP)
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.(EQ)
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
“To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear.”(ER)
24 Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
shall come to him and be ashamed.(ES)
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
shall triumph and glory.(ET)
46 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and cattle;
these things you carry are loaded
as burdens on weary animals.(EU)
2 They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden
but themselves go into captivity.(EV)
3 Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from your birth,
carried from the womb;(EW)
4 even to your old age I am he;
even when you turn gray I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.(EX)
5 To whom will you liken me and make me equal
and compare me, as though we were alike?(EY)
6 Those who lavish gold from the purse
and weigh out silver in the scales—
they hire a goldsmith, who makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!(EZ)
7 They lift it to their shoulders; they carry it;
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries out to it, it does not answer
or save anyone from trouble.(FA)
8 Remember this and consider;[ac]
recall it to mind, you transgressors;(FB)
9 remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like me,(FC)
10 declaring the outcome from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, “My purpose shall stand,
and I will fulfill my intention,”(FD)
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man for my purpose from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have planned, and I will do it.(FE)
12 Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
you who are far from deliverance:(FF)
13 I bring near my deliverance; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not tarry;
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.(FG)
The Humiliation of Babylon
47 Come down and sit in the dust,
virgin daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground without a throne,
daughter Chaldea!
For you shall no more be called
tender and delicate.(FH)
2 Take the millstones and grind meal;
remove your veil;
strip off your robe; uncover your legs;
pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
and your shame shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
and I will spare no one.[ad](FI)
4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
is the Holy One of Israel.(FJ)
5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
daughter Chaldea!
For you shall no more be called
the mistress of kingdoms.(FK)
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke
exceedingly heavy.(FL)
7 You said, “I shall be mistress forever,”
so that you did not lay these things to heart
or remember their end.(FM)
8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow
or know the loss of children”—(FN)
9 both these things shall come upon you
in a moment, in one day:
the loss of children and widowhood
shall come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries
and the great power of your enchantments.(FO)
10 You felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”(FP)
11 But evil shall come upon you,
which you cannot charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
which you will not be able to ward off,
and ruin shall come on you suddenly,
of which you know nothing.(FQ)
12 Stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries,
with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
perhaps you may inspire terror.(FR)
13 You are wearied with your many consultations;
let those who study[ae] the heavens
stand up and save you,
those who gaze at the stars
and at each new moon predict
what[af] shall befall you.(FS)
14 See, they are like stubble;
the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!(FT)
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
who have trafficked with you from your youth;
they all wander about in their own paths;
there is no one to save you.(FU)
God the Creator and Redeemer
48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel
and who came forth from the loins[ag] of Judah,
who swear by the name of the Lord
and invoke the God of Israel
but not in truth or right.(FV)
2 For they call themselves after the holy city
and lean on the God of Israel;
the Lord of hosts is his name.(FW)
3 The former things I declared long ago;
they went out from my mouth, and I made them known;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.(FX)
4 Because I know that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,(FY)
5 I declared them to you from long ago,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
so that you would not say, “My idol did them;
my carved image and my cast image commanded them.”(FZ)
6 You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forward I tell you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.(GA)
7 They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
so that you could not say, “I already knew them.”
8 You have never heard; you have never known;
from of old your ear has not been opened.
For I knew that you would act very treacherously
and that from birth you were called a rebel.(GB)
9 For my name’s sake I defer my anger;
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
so that I may not cut you off.(GC)
10 See, I have refined you but not like[ah] silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of adversity.(GD)
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for why should my name[ai] be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.(GE)
12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:
I am he; I am the first,
and I am the last.(GF)
13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they stand at attention.(GG)
14 Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them has declared these things?
The one the Lord loves shall perform his purpose against Babylon,
and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.(GH)
15 I, even I, have spoken and called him;
I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.(GI)
16 Draw near to me; hear this!
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit.(GJ)
17 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.(GK)
18 O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your prosperity would have been like a river
and your success like the waves of the sea;(GL)
19 your offspring would have been like the sand
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.(GM)
20 Go out from Babylon; flee from Chaldea;
declare this with a shout of joy; proclaim it;
send it forth to the end of the earth;
say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”(GN)
21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split open the rock, and the water gushed out.(GO)
22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”(GP)
The Servant’s Mission
49 Listen to me, O coastlands;
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born;
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.(GQ)
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.(GR)
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”(GS)
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord
and my reward with my God.”(GT)
5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—(GU)
6 he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”(GV)
7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”(GW)
Zion’s Children to Be Brought Home
8 Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you;
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,[aj]
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,(GX)
9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways;
on all the bare heights[ak] shall be their pasture;(GY)
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them
and by springs of water will guide them.(GZ)
11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.(HA)
12 Look, some shall come from far away,
some from the north and from the west,
and some from the land of Syene.[al](HB)
13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.(HC)
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”(HD)
15 Can a woman forget her nursing child
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these might forget,
yet I will not forget you.(HE)
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.(HF)
17 Your builders outdo your destroyers,[am]
and those who laid you waste go away from you.(HG)
18 Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather; they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.(HH)
19 For your wastelands, your desolate places,
and your devastated land—
now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.(HI)
20 The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
“The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.”(HJ)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
“Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where, then, have these come from?”(HK)
22 Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations
and raise my signal to the peoples,
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.(HL)
23 Kings shall be your foster fathers
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.(HM)
24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty
or the captives of a tyrant[an] be rescued?
25 But thus says the Lord:
Even the captives of the mighty will be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant will be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.(HN)
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
that I am the Lord your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.(HO)
50 Thus says the Lord:
Where is your mother’s bill of divorce
with which I dismissed her?
Or which of my creditors is it
to whom I have sold you?
No, because of your sins you were sold,
and for your transgressions your mother was dismissed.(HP)
2 Why was no one there when I came?
Why did no one answer when I called?
Is my arm powerless to redeem?
Or have I no strength to deliver?
By my rebuke I dry up the sea;
I make the rivers a desert,
so that their fish stink for lack of water
and die of thirst.[ao](HQ)
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness
and make sackcloth their covering.(HR)
The Servant’s Humiliation and Vindication
4 The Lord God has given me
a trained tongue,[ap]
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens,
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.(HS)
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I did not turn backward.(HT)
6 I gave my back to those who struck me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.(HU)
7 The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;(HV)
8 he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand in court together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.(HW)
9 It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
All of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.(HX)
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the voice of his servant,
who walks in darkness
and has no light,
yet trusts in the name of the Lord
and relies upon his God?(HY)
11 But all of you are kindlers of fire,
lighters of firebrands.[aq]
Walk in the flame of your fire
and among the brands that you have kindled!
This is what you shall have from my hand:
you shall lie down in torment.(HZ)
Blessings in Store for God’s People
51 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.(IA)
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who bore you,
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.(IB)
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.(IC)
4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.(ID)
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.(IE)
6 Lift up your eyes 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 those who live on it will die like gnats,[ar]
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.(IF)
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.(IG)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my deliverance will be forever
and my salvation to all generations.(IH)
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago!
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the dragon?(II)
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep;
who made the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to cross over?(IJ)
11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with rejoicing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.(IK)
12 I, I am he who comforts you;
why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die,
a human being who fades like grass?(IL)
13 You have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.
You fear continually all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?(IM)
14 The oppressed shall speedily be released;
they shall not die and go down to the Pit,
nor shall they lack bread.(IN)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name.(IO)
16 I have put my words in your mouth
and hidden you in the shadow of my hand,
stretching out[as] the heavens
and laying the foundations of the earth
and saying to Zion, “You are my people.”(IP)
17 Rouse yourself, rouse yourself!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the cup of staggering.(IQ)
18 There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has borne;
there is no one to take her by the hand
among all the children she has brought up.(IR)
19 These two things have befallen you
—who will grieve with you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword.
Who will comfort you?[at](IS)
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net;
they are full of the wrath of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.(IT)
21 Therefore hear this, you who are wounded,[au]
who are drunk but not with wine:(IU)
22 Thus says your Sovereign, the Lord,
your God who pleads the cause of his people:
See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;
you shall drink no more
from the cup of my wrath.(IV)
23 And I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
who have said to you,
“Bow down, that we may walk on you,”
and you have made your back like the ground
and like the street for them to walk on.(IW)
Let Zion Rejoice
52 Awake; awake;
put on your strength, O Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city,
for the uncircumcised and the unclean
shall enter you no more.(IX)
2 Shake yourself from the dust; rise up,
O captive[av] Jerusalem;
loose the bonds from your neck,
O captive daughter Zion!(IY)
3 For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.(IZ) 4 For thus says the Lord God: Long ago, my people went down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause.(JA) 5 Now therefore what am I doing here, says the Lord, seeing that my people are taken away without cause? Their rulers howl, says the Lord, and continually, all day long, my name is despised.(JB) 6 Therefore my people shall know my name; on[aw] that day they shall know that it is I who speak—it is I!(JC)
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”(JD)
8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy,
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.(JE)
9 Break forth; shout together for joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.(JF)
10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.(JG)
11 Depart, depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of it; purify yourselves,
you who carry the vessels of the Lord.(JH)
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(JI)
The Suffering Servant
13 See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up
and shall be very high.(JJ)
14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him[ax]
—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals—(JK)
15 so he shall startle[ay] many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.(JL)
53 Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?(JM)
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.(JN)
3 He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering[az] and acquainted with infirmity,
and as one from whom others hide their faces[ba]
he was despised, and we held him of no account.(JO)
4 Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases,
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.(JP)
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.(JQ)
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.(JR)
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.(JS)
8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.(JT)
9 They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb[bb] with the rich,[bc]
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.(JU)
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with affliction.
When you make his life an offering for sin,[bd]
he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.(JV)
11 Out of his anguish he shall see;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one,[be] my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.(JW)
12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out himself to death
and was numbered with the transgressors,
yet he bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.(JX)
The Eternal Covenant of Peace
54 Shout for joy, O barren one who has borne no children;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of the one who is married, says the Lord.(JY)
2 Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.(JZ)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess nations
and will settle desolate towns.(KA)
4 Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace,
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.(KB)
5 For your Maker is your husband;
the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
the God of the whole earth he is called.(KC)
6 For the Lord has called you
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,
says your God.(KD)
7 For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.(KE)
8 In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.(KF)
9 This is like the days of Noah to me:
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.(KG)
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.(KH)
11 O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
I am about to set your stones in antimony
and lay your foundations with sapphires.[bf](KI)
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of jewels,
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the prosperity of your children.(KJ)
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression; indeed, you shall not fear;
and from terror; indeed, it shall not come near you.(KK)
15 If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.(KL)
16 See, it is I who have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon fit for its purpose;
I have also created the ravager to destroy.
17 No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper,
and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication from me, says the Lord.(KM)
An Invitation to Abundant Life
55 Hear, everyone who thirsts;
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.(KN)
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread
and your earnings for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.(KO)
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.(KP)
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.(KQ)
5 Now you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.(KR)
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;(KS)
7 let the wicked forsake their way
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.(KT)
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(KU)
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,(KV)
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.(KW)
12 For you shall go out in joy
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.(KX)
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle,
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.(KY)
Footnotes
- 40.6 Q ms Gk Vg: MT and he said
- 40.7–8 Q ms Gk lack when the breath . . . flower fades
- 40.9 Or O herald of good news to Zion
- 40.9 Or O herald of good news to Jerusalem
- 40.12 Q ms: MT lacks of the sea
- 40.14–16 Q ms lacks Who taught him . . . burnt offering
- 40.20 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 41.14 Cn: Heb men of
- 41.25 Compare Q ms Gk: MT he shall call on my name
- 41.25 Cn: Heb come
- 41.27 Cn Compare Q ms: Heb First to Zion—Behold, behold them
- 42.6 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 42.10 Cn: Heb Those who go down to the sea
- 42.20 Heb mss: MT You see many things but do
- 42.24 Gk Tg: Heb we sinned
- 43.14 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 44.4 Q ms: MT in the midst of grass
- 44.7 Cn: Heb from my placing an eternal people and things to come
- 44.7 Tg: Heb them
- 44.16 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb he eats, he roasts a roast
- 44.16 Q ms: MT I see
- 44.21 Q ms Compare Gk Syr Tg: MT you will not be forgotten by me
- 45.2 Q ms Gk: MT the swellings
- 45.8 Q ms: MT that they may bring forth salvation
- 45.9 Cn: Heb with the potsherds or with the potters
- 45.11 Cn: Heb Ask me of things to come
- 45.13 Heb him
- 45.21 Syr Vg: Heb let them take counsel
- 46.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 47.3 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 47.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 47.13 Gk Syr Compare Vg: Heb from what
- 48.1 Cn: Heb waters
- 48.10 Cn: Heb with
- 48.11 Gk OL: Heb for why should it
- 49.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 49.9 Or the trails
- 49.12 Q ms: MT Sinim
- 49.17 Or Your children come swiftly; your destroyers
- 49.24 Q ms Syr Vg: MT of a righteous person
- 50.2 Or die on the thirsty ground
- 50.4 Cn: Heb of those who are taught
- 50.11 Syr: Heb you gird yourselves with firebrands
- 51.6 Or in like manner
- 51.16 Syr: Heb planting
- 51.19 Q ms Gk Syr Vg: MT how may I comfort you?
- 51.21 Or humbled
- 52.2 Cn: Heb rise up, sit
- 52.6 Q ms Syr Vg Tg: MT therefore on
- 52.14 Syr Tg: Heb you
- 52.15 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 53.3 Or a man of sorrows
- 53.3 Or as one who hides his face from us
- 53.9 Q ms: MT and in his death
- 53.9 Cn: Heb with a rich person
- 53.10 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 53.11 Or and he shall find satisfaction. Through his knowledge, the righteous one
- 54.11 Or lapis lazuli
Isaiah 40-50
New International Version
Isaiah 40-50
New International Version
Comfort for God’s People
40 Comfort, comfort(A) my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly(B) to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service(C) has been completed,(D)
that her sin has been paid for,(E)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double(F) for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way(G) for the Lord[a];
make straight(H) in the desert
a highway for our God.[b](I)
4 Every valley shall be raised up,(J)
every mountain and hill(K) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,(L)
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory(M) of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.(N)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”(O)
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,(P)
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers(Q) and the flowers fall,
because the breath(R) of the Lord blows(S) on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers(T) fall,
but the word(U) of our God endures(V) forever.(W)”
9 You who bring good news(X) to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,[c](Y)
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(Z)
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes(AA) with power,(AB)
and he rules(AC) with a mighty arm.(AD)
See, his reward(AE) is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:(AF)
He gathers the lambs in his arms(AG)
and carries them close to his heart;(AH)
he gently leads(AI) those that have young.(AJ)
12 Who has measured the waters(AK) in the hollow of his hand,(AL)
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?(AM)
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?(AN)
13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d](AO) of the Lord,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor?(AP)
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,(AQ)
or showed him the path of understanding?(AR)
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;(AS)
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.(AT)
16 Lebanon(AU) is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals(AV) enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations(AW) are as nothing;(AX)
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.(AY)
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?(AZ)
To what image(BA) will you liken him?
19 As for an idol,(BB) a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith(BC) overlays it with gold(BD)
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood(BE) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol(BF) that will not topple.(BG)
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(BH)
Has it not been told(BI) you from the beginning?(BJ)
Have you not understood(BK) since the earth was founded?(BL)
22 He sits enthroned(BM) above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.(BN)
He stretches out the heavens(BO) like a canopy,(BP)
and spreads them out like a tent(BQ) to live in.(BR)
23 He brings princes(BS) to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.(BT)
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root(BU) in the ground,
than he blows(BV) on them and they wither,(BW)
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.(BX)
25 “To whom will you compare me?(BY)
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(BZ)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(CA)
Who created(CB) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(CC) one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(CD)
not one of them is missing.(CE)
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?(CF)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(CG)
The Lord is the everlasting(CH) God,
the Creator(CI) of the ends of the earth.(CJ)
He will not grow tired or weary,(CK)
and his understanding no one can fathom.(CL)
29 He gives strength(CM) to the weary(CN)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men(CO) stumble and fall;(CP)
31 but those who hope(CQ) in the Lord
will renew their strength.(CR)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(CS)
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.(CT)
The Helper of Israel
41 “Be silent(CU) before me, you islands!(CV)
Let the nations renew their strength!(CW)
Let them come forward(CX) and speak;
let us meet together(CY) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred(CZ) up one from the east,(DA)
calling him in righteousness(DB) to his service[e]?(DC)
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(DD) with his sword,
to windblown chaff(DE) with his bow.(DF)
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(DG)
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling(DH) forth the generations from the beginning?(DI)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last(DJ)—I am he.(DK)”
5 The islands(DL) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth(DM) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!(DN)”
7 The metalworker(DO) encourages the goldsmith,(DP)
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.(DQ)
8 “But you, Israel, my servant,(DR)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(DS)
you descendants of Abraham(DT) my friend,(DU)
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,(DV)
from its farthest corners I called(DW) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(DX)
I have chosen(DY) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(DZ) for I am with you;(EA)
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(EB) you and help(EC) you;
I will uphold you(ED) with my righteous right hand.(EE)
11 “All who rage(EF) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(EG)
those who oppose(EH) you
will be as nothing and perish.(EI)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.(EJ)
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing(EK) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand(EL)
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help(EM) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(EN) you worm(EO) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(EP) you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer,(EQ) the Holy One(ER) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(ES)
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(ET) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.(EU)
16 You will winnow(EV) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale(EW) will blow them away.(EX)
But you will rejoice(EY) in the Lord
and glory(EZ) in the Holy One(FA) of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy search for water,(FB)
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.(FC)
But I the Lord will answer(FD) them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake(FE) them.
18 I will make rivers flow(FF) on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert(FG) into pools of water,(FH)
and the parched ground into springs.(FI)
19 I will put in the desert(FJ)
the cedar and the acacia,(FK) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers(FL) in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress(FM) together,(FN)
20 so that people may see and know,(FO)
may consider and understand,(FP)
that the hand(FQ) of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One(FR) of Israel has created(FS) it.
21 “Present your case,(FT)” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.(FU)
22 “Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.(FV)
Tell us what the former things(FW) were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,(FX)
23 tell us what the future holds,
so we may know(FY) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,(FZ)
so that we will be dismayed(GA) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing(GB)
and your works are utterly worthless;(GC)
whoever chooses you is detestable.(GD)
25 “I have stirred(GE) up one from the north,(GF) and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads(GG) on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,(GH) so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold(GI) it,
no one heard any words(GJ) from you.
27 I was the first to tell(GK) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.(GL)
28 I look but there is no one(GM)—
no one among the gods to give counsel,(GN)
no one to give answer(GO) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;(GP)
their images(GQ) are but wind(GR) and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant,(GS) whom I uphold,
my chosen one(GT) in whom I delight;(GU)
I will put my Spirit(GV) on him,
and he will bring justice(GW) to the nations.(GX)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(GY)
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(GZ) he will not break,(HA)
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(HB)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(HC)
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(HD) on earth.
In his teaching(HE) the islands(HF) will put their hope.”(HG)
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(HH) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(HI) with all that springs from it,(HJ)
who gives breath(HK) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(HL) you in righteousness;(HM)
I will take hold of your hand.(HN)
I will keep(HO) you and will make you
to be a covenant(HP) for the people
and a light(HQ) for the Gentiles,(HR)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(HS)
to free(HT) captives from prison(HU)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(HV)
8 “I am the Lord;(HW) that is my name!(HX)
I will not yield my glory to another(HY)
or my praise to idols.(HZ)
9 See, the former things(IA) have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce(IB) them to you.”
Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing(IC) to the Lord a new song,(ID)
his praise(IE) from the ends of the earth,(IF)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(IG)
you islands,(IH) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(II) and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar(IJ) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(IK) sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.(IL)
12 Let them give glory(IM) to the Lord
and proclaim his praise(IN) in the islands.(IO)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(IP)
like a warrior(IQ) he will stir up his zeal;(IR)
with a shout(IS) he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.(IT)
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(IU)
I have been quiet and held myself back.(IV)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.(IW)
15 I will lay waste(IX) the mountains(IY) and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up(IZ) the pools.
16 I will lead(JA) the blind(JB) by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(JC) before them
and make the rough places smooth.(JD)
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake(JE) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(JF)
will be turned back in utter shame.(JG)
Israel Blind and Deaf
18 “Hear, you deaf;(JH)
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(JI) but my servant,(JJ)
and deaf like the messenger(JK) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(JL) with me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(JM)
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake(JN) of his righteousness
to make his law(JO) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(JP) and looted,
all of them trapped in pits(JQ)
or hidden away in prisons.(JR)
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;(JS)
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”
23 Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention(JT) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?(JU)
Was it not the Lord,(JV)
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(JW) his ways;
they did not obey his law.(JX)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(JY)
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(JZ) yet they did not understand;(KA)
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(KB)
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created(KC) you, Jacob,
he who formed(KD) you, Israel:(KE)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(KF) you;
I have summoned you by name;(KG) you are mine.(KH)
2 When you pass through the waters,(KI)
I will be with you;(KJ)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(KK)
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.(KL)
3 For I am the Lord your God,(KM)
the Holy One(KN) of Israel, your Savior;(KO)
I give Egypt(KP) for your ransom,
Cush[f](KQ) and Seba(KR) in your stead.(KS)
4 Since you are precious and honored(KT) in my sight,
and because I love(KU) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid,(KV) for I am with you;(KW)
I will bring your children(KX) from the east
and gather(KY) you from the west.(KZ)
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,(LA) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters(LB) from the ends of the earth(LC)—
7 everyone who is called by my name,(LD)
whom I created(LE) for my glory,(LF)
whom I formed and made.(LG)”
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(LH)
who have ears but are deaf.(LI)
9 All the nations gather together(LJ)
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(LK) 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,(LL)” declares the Lord,
“and my servant(LM) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(LN) and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(LO) was formed,
nor will there be one after me.(LP)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(LQ)
and apart from me there is no savior.(LR)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god(LS) among you.
You are my witnesses,(LT)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Yes, and from ancient days(LU) I am he.(LV)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?”(LW)
God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(LX) the Holy One(LY) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives(LZ) all the Babylonians,[g](MA)
in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(MB) your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator,(MC) your King.(MD)”
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,(ME)
17 who drew out(MF) the chariots and horses,(MG)
the army and reinforcements together,(MH)
and they lay(MI) there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(MJ)
18 “Forget the former things;(MK)
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(ML)
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(MM)
and streams in the wasteland.(MN)
20 The wild animals(MO) honor me,
the jackals(MP) and the owls,
because I provide water(MQ) in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed(MR) for myself(MS)
that they may proclaim my praise.(MT)
22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearied(MU) yourselves for[h] me, Israel.(MV)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(MW)
nor honored(MX) me with your sacrifices.(MY)
I have not burdened(MZ) you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands(NA) for incense.(NB)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(NC) for me,
or lavished on me the fat(ND) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied(NE) me with your offenses.(NF)
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions,(NG) for my own sake,(NH)
and remembers your sins(NI) no more.(NJ)
26 Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;(NK)
state the case(NL) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(NM) sinned;
those I sent to teach(NN) you rebelled(NO) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction[i](NP)
and Israel to scorn.(NQ)
Israel the Chosen
44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,(NR)
Israel, whom I have chosen.(NS)
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made(NT) you, who formed you in the womb,(NU)
and who will help(NV) you:
Do not be afraid,(NW) Jacob, my servant,(NX)
Jeshurun,[j](NY) whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water(NZ) on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;(OA)
I will pour out my Spirit(OB) on your offspring,
and my blessing(OC) on your descendants.(OD)
4 They will spring up like grass(OE) in a meadow,
like poplar trees(OF) by flowing streams.(OG)
5 Some will say, ‘I belong(OH) to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,(OI) ‘The Lord’s,’(OJ)
and will take the name Israel.
The Lord, Not Idols
6 “This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King(OK) and Redeemer,(OL) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;(OM)
apart from me there is no God.(ON)
7 Who then is like me?(OO) Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretell(OP) what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim(OQ) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God(OR) besides me?
No, there is no other Rock;(OS) I know not one.”
9 All who make idols(OT) are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.(OU)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;(OV)
they are ignorant, to their own shame.(OW)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,(OX)
which can profit nothing?(OY)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(OZ)
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.(PA)
12 The blacksmith(PB) 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.(PC)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.(PD)
13 The carpenter(PE) 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,(PF)
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.(PG)
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,(PH) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(PI) 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(PJ) it;
he makes an idol and bows(PK) 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.(PL)”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.(PM)
He prays(PN) to it and says,
“Save(PO) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(PP) nothing;
their eyes(PQ) 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(PR) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(PS)
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(PT) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(PU)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(PV) a deluded(PW) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(PX)”
21 “Remember(PY) these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.(PZ)
I have made you, you are my servant;(QA)
Israel, I will not forget you.(QB)
22 I have swept away(QC) your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return(QD) to me,
for I have redeemed(QE) you.”
23 Sing for joy,(QF) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth(QG) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,(QH)
you forests and all your trees,(QI)
for the Lord has redeemed(QJ) Jacob,
he displays his glory(QK) in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,(QO)
who spreads out the earth(QP) by myself,
25 who foils(QQ) the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,(QR)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(QS)
and turns it into nonsense,(QT)
26 who carries out the words(QU) of his servants
and fulfills(QV) the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,(QW) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins,(QX) ‘I will restore them,’(QY)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up(QZ) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus,(RA) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,(RB) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple,(RC) “Let its foundations(RD) be laid.”’
45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(RE)
to Cyrus,(RF) whose right hand I take hold(RG) of
to subdue nations(RH) 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(RI)
and will level(RJ) the mountains[k];
I will break down gates(RK) of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.(RL)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,(RM)
riches stored in secret places,(RN)
so that you may know(RO) that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(RP)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,(RQ)
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge(RR) me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(RS)
apart from me there is no God.(RT)
I will strengthen you,(RU)
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting(RV)
people may know(RW) there is none besides me.(RX)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,(RY)
I bring prosperity and create disaster;(RZ)
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “You heavens above, rain(SA) down my righteousness;(SB)
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation(SC) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to those who quarrel(SD) with their Maker,(SE)
those who are nothing but potsherds(SF)
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(SG)
‘What are you making?’(SH)
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?(SI)
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(SJ) of Israel, and its Maker:(SK)
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?(SL)
12 It is I who made the earth(SM)
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(SN)
I marshaled their starry hosts.(SO)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[l](SP) in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.(SQ)
He will rebuild my city(SR)
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(SS)
says the Lord Almighty.”
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products(ST) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[m]
and those tall Sabeans(SU)—
they will come over to you(SV)
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(SW)
coming over to you in chains.(SX)
They will bow down before you
and plead(SY) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(SZ) and there is no other;
there is no other god.(TA)’”
15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(TB) himself,
the God and Savior(TC) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(TD)
they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(TE) by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;(TF)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(TG)
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,(TH)
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,(TI)
but formed it to be inhabited(TJ)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.(TK)
19 I have not spoken in secret,(TL)
from somewhere in a land of darkness;(TM)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,(TN)
‘Seek(TO) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(TP)
20 “Gather together(TQ) and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(TR) are those who carry(TS) about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.(TT)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold(TU) this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?(TV)
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me,(TW)
a righteous God(TX) and a Savior;(TY)
there is none but me.
22 “Turn(TZ) to me and be saved,(UA)
all you ends of the earth;(UB)
for I am God, and there is no other.(UC)
23 By myself I have sworn,(UD)
my mouth has uttered in all integrity(UE)
a word that will not be revoked:(UF)
Before me every knee will bow;(UG)
by me every tongue will swear.(UH)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
are deliverance(UI) and strength.(UJ)’”
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(UK)
25 But all the descendants(UL) of Israel
will find deliverance(UM) in the Lord
and will make their boast in him.(UN)
Gods of Babylon
46 Bel(UO) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols(UP) are borne by beasts of burden.[n]
The images that are carried(UQ) about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2 They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.(UR)
3 “Listen(US) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant(UT) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(UU)
and have carried(UV) since you were born.(UW)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs(UX)
I am he,(UY) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain(UZ) 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?(VA)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(VB) to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.(VC)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry(VD) it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.(VE)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(VF)
it cannot save(VG) them from their troubles.
8 “Remember(VH) this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.(VI)
9 Remember the former things,(VJ) those of long ago;(VK)
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.(VL)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(VM)
from ancient times,(VN) what is still to come.(VO)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(VP)
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(VQ) a bird of prey;(VR)
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned,(VS) that I will do.(VT)
12 Listen(VU) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(VV)
you who are now far from my righteousness.(VW)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(VX) near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation(VY) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(VZ)
my splendor(WA) to Israel.
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(WB)
Virgin Daughter(WC) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
queen city of the Babylonians.[o](WD)
No more will you be called
tender or delicate.(WE)
2 Take millstones(WF) and grind(WG) flour;
take off your veil.(WH)
Lift up your skirts,(WI) bare your legs,
and wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness(WJ) will be exposed
and your shame(WK) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(WL)
I will spare no one.(WM)”
5 “Sit in silence,(WR) go into darkness,(WS)
queen city of the Babylonians;(WT)
no more will you be called
queen(WU) of kingdoms.(WV)
6 I was angry(WW) with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;(WX)
I gave them into your hand,(WY)
and you showed them no mercy.(WZ)
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
7 You said, ‘I am forever(XA)—
the eternal queen!’(XB)
But you did not consider these things
or reflect(XC) on what might happen.(XD)
8 “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
lounging in your security(XE)
and saying to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.(XF)
I will never be a widow(XG)
or suffer the loss of children.’
9 Both of these will overtake you
in a moment,(XH) on a single day:
loss of children(XI) and widowhood.(XJ)
They will come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries(XK)
and all your potent spells.(XL)
10 You have trusted(XM) in your wickedness
and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(XN)
Your wisdom(XO) and knowledge mislead(XP) you
when you say to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(XQ) 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(XR) come upon you.
12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,(XS)
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!(XT)
Let your astrologers(XU) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
let them save(XV) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(XW)
the fire(XX) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
from the power of the flame.(XY)
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(XZ) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
there is not one that can save(YA) you.
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(YB)
and come from the line of Judah,(YC)
you who take oaths(YD) in the name of the Lord(YE)
and invoke(YF) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(YG) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(YH)
and claim to rely(YI) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(YJ)
3 I foretold the former things(YK) long ago,
my mouth announced(YL) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(YM) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(YN) you were;
your neck muscles(YO) were iron,
your forehead(YP) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(YQ) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(YR)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(YS)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(YT) now, and not long ago;(YU)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(YV) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(YW)
from of old your ears(YX) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(YY) you are;
you were called a rebel(YZ) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(ZA) I delay my wrath;(ZB)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(ZC)
10 See, I have refined(ZD) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(ZE) you in the furnace(ZF) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(ZG) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(ZH)
I will not yield my glory to another.(ZI)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(ZJ) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(ZK)
I am he;(ZL)
I am the first and I am the last.(ZM)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(ZN)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(ZO)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(ZP)
14 “Come together,(ZQ) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(ZR) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(ZS)
will carry out his purpose(ZT) against Babylon;(ZU)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[p]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(ZV) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(ZW) in his mission.
16 “Come near(ZX) me and listen(ZY) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(ZZ)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(AAD) the Holy One(AAE) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(AAF) you what is best for you,
who directs(AAG) you in the way(AAH) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(AAI) to my commands,
your peace(AAJ) would have been like a river,(AAK)
your well-being(AAL) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(AAM) would have been like the sand,(AAN)
your children like its numberless grains;(AAO)
their name would never be blotted out(AAP)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(AAQ) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(AAR)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(AAS)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(AAT) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(AAU) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(AAV) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(AAW)
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(AAZ) to me, you islands;(ABA)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(ABB) the Lord called(ABC) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(ABD)
2 He made my mouth(ABE) like a sharpened sword,(ABF)
in the shadow of his hand(ABG) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(ABH)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(ABI)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(ABJ)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(ABK)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(ABL)
and my reward(ABM) is with my God.”(ABN)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(ABO) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(ABP) to himself,
for I am[q] honored(ABQ) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(ABR)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(ABS)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(ABT)
I will also make you a light(ABU) for the Gentiles,(ABV)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(ABW)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(ABX)—
to him who was despised(ABY) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(ABZ) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(ACA)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(ACB)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(ACC) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(ACD) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(ACE)
I will keep(ACF) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(ACG)
to restore the land(ACH)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(ACI)
9 to say to the captives,(ACJ) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(ACK) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(ACL)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(ACM)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(ACN)
He who has compassion(ACO) on them will guide(ACP) them
and lead them beside springs(ACQ) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(ACR) will be raised up.(ACS)
12 See, they will come from afar(ACT)—
some from the north, some from the west,(ACU)
some from the region of Aswan.[r]”
13 Shout for joy,(ACV) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;(ACW)
burst into song, you mountains!(ACX)
For the Lord comforts(ACY) his people
and will have compassion(ACZ) on his afflicted ones.(ADA)
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child(ADD) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!(ADE)
16 See, I have engraved(ADF) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls(ADG) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste(ADH) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather(ADI) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(ADJ)” declares the Lord,
“you will wear(ADK) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(ADL)
and your land laid waste,(ADM)
now you will be too small for your people,(ADN)
and those who devoured(ADO) 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.’(ADP)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these?(ADQ)
I was bereaved(ADR) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.(ADS)
Who brought these(ADT) up?
I was left(ADU) all alone,(ADV)
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(ADW) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner(ADX) to the peoples;
they will bring(ADY) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.(ADZ)
23 Kings(AEA) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.(AEB)
They will bow down(AEC) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust(AED) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(AEE)
those who hope(AEF) in me will not be disappointed.(AEG)”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives(AEI) will be taken from warriors,(AEJ)
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(AEK)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(AEL)
and your children I will save.(AEM)
26 I will make your oppressors(AEN) eat(AEO) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood,(AEP) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(AEQ)
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(AER)
your Redeemer,(AES) the Mighty One of Jacob.(AET)”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(AEU)
with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
did I sell(AEV) you?
Because of your sins(AEW) you were sold;(AEX)
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?(AEY)
Was my arm too short(AEZ) to deliver you?
Do I lack the strength(AFA) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(AFB) I dry up the sea,(AFC)
I turn rivers into a desert;(AFD)
their fish rot for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness(AFE)
and make sackcloth(AFF) its covering.”
4 The Sovereign Lord(AFG) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(AFH)
to know the word that sustains the weary.(AFI)
He wakens me morning by morning,(AFJ)
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(AFK)
5 The Sovereign Lord(AFL) has opened my ears;(AFM)
I have not been rebellious,(AFN)
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat(AFO) me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(AFP)
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.(AFQ)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord(AFR) helps(AFS) me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(AFT)
and I know I will not be put to shame.(AFU)
8 He who vindicates(AFV) me is near.(AFW)
Who then will bring charges against me?(AFX)
Let us face each other!(AFY)
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
- Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
- Isaiah 40:9 Or Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. / Jerusalem, bringer of good news
- Isaiah 40:13 Or mind
- Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
- Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 43:14 Or Chaldeans
- Isaiah 43:22 Or Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of
- Isaiah 43:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Isaiah 44:2 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
- Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
- Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle
- Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
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