Isaiah 63
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Vengeance on Edom
63 “Who is this coming from Edom,
from Bozrah in garments stained crimson?
Who is this so splendidly robed,
marching in his great might?”
“It is I, announcing vindication,
mighty to save.”(A)
2 “Why are your robes red
and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress?”(B)
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone,
and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath;
their juice spattered on my garments,
and I stained all my robes.(C)
4 For the day of vengeance was in my mind,
and the year for my redeeming work had come.(D)
5 I looked, but there was no helper;
I was abandoned, and there was no one to sustain me,
so my own arm brought me victory,
and my wrath sustained me.(E)
6 I trampled down peoples in my anger;
I crushed them[a] in my wrath,
and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”(F)
God’s Mercy Remembered
7 I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us
and the great favor to the house of Israel
that he has shown them according to his mercy,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.(G)
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not act deceitfully,”
and he became their savior
9 in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
but his presence that saved them;
in his love and pity it was he who redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.(H)
10 But they rebelled
and grieved his holy spirit;
therefore he became their enemy;
he himself fought against them.(I)
11 Then they[b] remembered the days of old,
of Moses his servant.[c]
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who put within them
his holy spirit,(J)
12 who caused his glorious arm
to march at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
to make for himself an everlasting name,(K)
13 who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
they did not stumble.(L)
14 Like cattle that go down into the valley,
the spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
Thus you led your people,
to make for yourself a glorious name.(M)
A Prayer of Penitence
15 Look down from heaven and see,
from your holy and glorious habitation.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your great pity and your compassion are withheld from me.(N)
16 For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our father;
our Redeemer from of old is your name.(O)
17 Why, O Lord, do you let us stray from your ways
and let our heart harden, so that we do not fear you?
Turn back for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your heritage.(P)
18 Your holy people took possession for a little while,
but now our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.(Q)
19 We have long been like those whom you do not rule,
like those not called by your name.(R)
Isaiah 63
Contemporary English Version
The Lord's Victory over the Nations
63 (A) Who is this coming
from Bozrah[a] in Edom
with clothes stained red?
Who is this hero marching
in his glorious uniform?
“It's me, the Lord!
I have won the battle,
and I can save you!”
2 What are those red spots?
Your clothes look stained
from trampling on grapes.[b]
3 (B) “I alone trampled the grapes!
None of the nations helped.
I trampled nations in my anger
and stained my clothes
with their blood.
4 I did this because I wanted
to take revenge—
the time had come
to rescue my people.
5 (C) No one was there to help me
or to give support;
my mighty arm won the battle,
strengthened by my anger.
6 In my fury I trampled on nations
and made them drunk;
their blood poured out
everywhere on earth.”
The Lord's Goodness to His People
7 I will tell about the kind deeds
the Lord has done.
They deserve praise!
The Lord has shown mercy
to the people of Israel;
he has been kind and good.
8 The Lord rescued his people,
and said, “They are mine.
They won't betray me.”
9 It troubled the Lord
to see them in trouble,
and his angel saved them.[c]
The Lord was truly merciful,
so he rescued his people.
He took them in his arms
and carried them all those years.
10 Then the Lord's people
turned against him and made
his Holy Spirit sad.
So he became their enemy
and attacked them.
11 But his people remembered
what had happened
during the time of Moses.[d]
Didn't the Lord[e] bring them
and their leaders
safely through the sea?
Didn't he[f] give them
his Holy Spirit?
12 (D) The glorious power of the Lord
marched beside Moses.
The Lord will be praised forever
for dividing the sea.
13 He led his people across
like horses running wild
without stumbling.
14 His Spirit gave them rest,
just as cattle find rest
when led into a valley.[g]
The name of the Lord was praised
for doing these things.
A Prayer for Mercy and Help
15 Please, Lord, look down
from your holy and glorious
home in the heavens
and see what's going on.
Have you lost interest?
Where is your power?
Show that you care about us[h]
and have mercy!
16 (E) Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob
have both rejected us.
But you are still our Father;
you have been our protector
since ancient times.
17 Why did you make us turn away
from you, our Lord?
Why did you make us want
to disobey you?
Please change your mind!
We are your servants,
your very own people.
18 For a little while,
your temple belonged to us;[i]
and now our enemies
have torn it down.
19 We act as though you
had never ruled us
or called us your people.
Footnotes
- 63.1 Bozrah: The main city of Edom.
- 63.2 trampling on grapes: This is one way that grapes were crushed to make them into juice.
- 63.9 It … them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 63.11 But … Moses: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 63.11 the Lord: Or “Moses.”
- 63.11 he: Or “Moses.”
- 63.14 His … valley: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 63.15 us: Hebrew “me.”
- 63.18 For … us: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
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