Isaiah 43:1-7

Contemporary English Version

The Lord Has Rescued His People

43 Descendants of Jacob,
I, the Lord, created you
    and formed your nation.
Israel, don't be afraid.
    I have rescued you.
I have called you by name;
    now you belong to me.
²When you cross deep rivers,
I will be with you,
    and you won't drown.
When you walk through fire,
you won't be burned
    or scorched by the flames.

³I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
    the God who saves you.
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia,^[a]
and the region of Seba^[b]
    in exchange for you.
⁴To me, you are very dear,
    and I love you.
That's why I gave up nations
    and people to rescue you.

⁵Don't be afraid! I am with you.
From both east and west
    I will bring you together.
⁶I will say to the north
    and to the south,
“Free my sons and daughters!
Let them return
    from distant lands.
⁷They are my people—
I created each of them
    to bring honor to me.”

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Footnotes

43.3 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
43.3 Seba: A region in southwest Arabia. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba probably stood for all that was known of Africa in biblical times.