Isaiah 42-46
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Servant’s Mission
42 “This(A) is My Servant;(B) I strengthen Him,
this is My Chosen One;(C) I delight in Him.(D)
I have put My Spirit on Him;(E)
He will bring justice[a] to the nations.(F)
2 He will not cry out or shout
or make His voice heard in the streets.
3 He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick;
He will faithfully bring justice.
4 He will not grow weak or be discouraged
until He has established justice on earth.
The islands will wait for His instruction.”(G)
5 This is what God, Yahweh, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out,(H)
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,(I)
who gives breath to the people on it
and life[b] to those who walk on it(J)—
6 “I, Yahweh, have called You
for a righteous purpose,[c](K)
and I will hold You by Your hand.(L)
I will keep You and appoint You
to be a covenant for the people(M)
and a light to the nations,(N)
7 in order to open blind eyes,(O)
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,(P)
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am Yahweh, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another(Q)
or My praise to idols.
9 The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;(R)
I announce them to you before they occur.”
A Song of Praise
10 Sing a new song to the Lord;(S)
sing His praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,(T)
you islands with your[d] inhabitants.
11 Let the desert and its cities shout,
the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.(U)
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;(V)
let them cry out from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare His praise in the islands.
13 The Lord advances like a warrior;
He stirs up His zeal like a soldier.(W)
He shouts, He roars aloud,
He prevails over His enemies.
14 “I have kept silent from ages past;
I have been quiet and restrained Myself.(X)
But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,(Y)
gasping breathlessly.
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up marshes.(Z)
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;(AA)
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them(AB)
and rough places into level ground.(AC)
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not forsake them.(AD)
17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—
those who trust in idols
and say to metal-plated images:
You are our gods!(AE)
Israel’s Blindness and Deafness
18 “Listen, you deaf!
Look, you blind, so that you may see.(AF)
19 Who is blind but My servant,(AG)
or deaf like My messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like My dedicated one,[e]
or blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 Though seeing many things,[f] you do not obey.
Though his ears are open, he does not listen.”(AH)
21 The Lord was pleased, because of His righteousness,
to magnify His instruction and make it glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in holes
or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder(AI)
with no one to rescue them
and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back!”
23 Who among you will pay attention to this?
Let him listen and obey in the future.
24 Who gave Jacob to the robber,[g]
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord?
Have we not sinned against Him?
They were not willing to walk in His ways,
and they would not listen to His instruction.
25 So He poured out on Jacob His furious anger
and the power of war.
It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it;
it burned him, but he paid no attention.[h](AJ)
Restoration of Israel
43 Now this is what the Lord says—
the One who created you, Jacob,
and the One who formed you, Israel(AK)—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;(AL)
I have called you by your name; you are Mine.(AM)
2 I will be with you(AN)
when you pass through the waters,(AO)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
You will not be scorched
when you walk through the fire,(AP)
and the flame will not burn you.
3 For I Yahweh your God,(AQ)
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior,(AR)
give Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in My sight(AS)
and honored, and I love you,(AT)
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,(AU)
and gather you from the west.(AV)
6 I will say to the north: Give them up!
and to the south: Do not hold them back!
Bring My sons from far away,(AW)
and My daughters from the ends of the earth(AX)—
7 everyone called by My name
and created for My glory.
I have formed him; indeed, I have made him.”
8 Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,(AY)
and are deaf, yet have ears.
9 All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.(AZ)
Who among them can declare this,(BA)
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are My witnesses”(BB)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and My servant whom I have chosen,(BC)
so that you may know and believe Me
and understand that I am He.(BD)
No god was formed before Me,
and there will be none after Me.(BE)
11 I, I am Yahweh,
and there is no other Savior but Me.(BF)
12 I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—
and not some foreign god[i] among you.
So you are My witnesses”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and[j] I am God.(BG)
13 Also, from today on I am He alone,
and none can deliver from My hand.(BH)
I act, and who can reverse it?”(BI)
God’s Deliverance of Rebellious Israel
14 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,(BJ) the Holy One of Israel(BK) says:
Because of you, I will send to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,[k]
even the Chaldeans(BL) in the ships in which they rejoice.[l]
15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 This is what the Lord says—
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through surging waters,(BM)
17 who brings out the chariot and horse,(BN)
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick(BO))—
18 “Do not remember the past events,
pay no attention to things of old.(BP)
19 Look, I am about to do something new;(BQ)
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,(BR)
rivers[m] in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will honor Me,
jackals and ostriches,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,(BS)
to give drink to My chosen people.
21 The people I formed for Myself
will declare My praise.(BT)
22 “But Jacob, you have not called on Me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of Me.(BU)
23 You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored Me with your sacrifices.(BV)
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.[n]
24 You have not bought Me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened Me with your sins;
you have wearied Me(BW) with your iniquities.(BX)
25 “It is I who sweep away your transgressions(BY)
for My own sake(BZ)
and remember your sins no more.(CA)
26 Take Me to court; let us argue our case together.(CB)
State your case, so that you may be vindicated.
27 Your first father sinned,(CC)
and your mediators have rebelled against Me.(CD)
28 So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction(CE)
and Israel for abuse.
Spiritual Blessing
44 “And now listen, Jacob My servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.(CF)
2 This is the word of the Lord
your Maker who formed you from the womb;
He[o] will help you:
Do not fear; Jacob is My servant;
I have chosen Jeshurun.[p](CG)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit(CH) on your descendants
and My blessing on your offspring.
4 They will sprout among[q] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and name himself by the name of Israel.”
No God Other Than Yahweh
6 This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer,(CI) the Lord of Hosts, says:
I am the first and I am the last.(CJ)
There is no God but Me.(CK)
7 Who, like Me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before Me,(CL)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare[r] the coming things,
and what will take place.
8 Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!(CM)
Is there any God but Me?(CN)
There is no other Rock;(CO) I do not know any.
9 All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure does not profit.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.(CP)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
for no profit?(CQ)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.
12 The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn’t drink water and is faint.
13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human likeness,(CR)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
14 He cuts down[s] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
15 It serves as fuel for man.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
He prays to it,(CS) “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 Such people[t] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for He has shut their eyes[u] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
19 No one reflects,
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
I will make something detestable(CT) with the rest of it,
and I will bow down to a block of wood.”
20 He feeds on[v] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot deliver himself,
or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”(CU)
21 Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I formed you, you are My servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me.[w](CV)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,(CW)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to Me,(CX)
for I have redeemed you.(CY)
23 Rejoice, heavens,(CZ) for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies Himself through Israel.(DA)
Restoration of Israel through Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer(DB) who formed you from the womb,(DC) says:
I am Yahweh, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by Myself;(DD)
who alone spread out the earth;
25 who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;(DE)
26 who confirms the message of His servant
and fulfills the counsel of His messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”
and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”
and I will restore her ruins;
27 who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”
and I will dry up your rivers;
28 who says to Cyrus,(DF) “My shepherd,
he will fulfill all My pleasure”(DG)
and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,”(DH)
and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”
45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed,(DI)
whose right hand I have grasped(DJ)
to subdue nations before him,
to disarm[x] kings,(DK)
to open the doors before him
and the gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you
and level the uneven places;[y](DL)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.(DM)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,(DN)
so that you may know that I, Yahweh,
the God of Israel call you by your name.(DO)
4 I call you by your name,
because of Jacob My servant(DP)
and Israel My chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know Me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other;(DQ)
there is no God but Me.(DR)
I will strengthen[z] you,
though you do not know Me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but Me.(DS)
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(DT)
I make success and create disaster;(DU)
I, Yahweh, do all these things.
8 “Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.(DV)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.(DW)
I, Yahweh, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.[aa]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’(DX)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?[ab]
10 How absurd is the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel(DY) and its Maker, says:
“Ask Me what is to happen to[ac] My sons,(DZ)
and instruct Me about the work of My hands.(EA)
12 I made the earth,
and created man on it.
It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,(EB)
and I commanded all their host.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness,(EC)
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild My city,(ED)
and set My exiles free,(EE)
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Hosts.
God Alone is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,(EF)
will come over to you(EG)
and will be yours;
they will follow you,
they will come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will confess[ad] to you:
God is indeed with you,(EH) and there is no other;
there is no other God.
15 Yes, You are a God who hides Himself,(EI)
God of Israel, Savior.(EJ)
16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;(EK)
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17 Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.(EL)
18 For this is what the Lord says—
God is the Creator of the heavens.
He formed the earth and made it.
He established it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited(EM)—
“I am Yahweh,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,(EN)
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek Me in a wasteland.(EO)
I, Yahweh, speak truthfully;(EP)
I say what is right.
20 “Come, gather together,
and draw near, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols,
and pray to a god who cannot save,(EQ)
have no knowledge.(ER)
21 Speak up and present your case[ae](ES)—
yes, let them take counsel together.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, Yahweh?
There is no other God but Me,
a righteous God and Savior;(ET)
there is no one except Me.(EU)
22 Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God,
and there is no other.
23 By Myself I have sworn;(EV)
Truth has gone from My mouth,(EW)
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow(EX) to Me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength
is only in the Lord.”
All who are enraged against Him
will come to Him and be put to shame.(EY)
25 All the descendants of Israel
will be justified and find glory through the Lord.
There is No One Like God
46 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers.(EZ)
Their idols are consigned to beasts and cattle.
The images you carry are loaded,
as a burden for the weary animal.
2 The gods cower; they crouch together;
they are not able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go into captivity.(FA)
3 “Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,
carried along since birth.
4 I will be the same until your old age,(FB)
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and save you.
5 “Who will you compare Me or make Me equal to?
Who will you measure Me with,
so that we should be like each other?(FC)
6 Those who pour out their bags of gold
and weigh out silver on scales—
they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god.
Then they kneel and bow down to it.(FD)
7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along;(FE)
they set it in its place, and there it stands;
it does not budge from its place.(FF)
They cry out to it but it doesn’t answer;
it saves no one from his trouble.
8 “Remember this and be brave;[af]
take it to heart, you transgressors!
9 Remember what happened long ago,(FG)
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and no one is like Me.
10 I declare the end from the beginning,
and from long ago what is not yet done,
saying: My plan will take place,
and I will do all My will.(FH)
11 I call a bird of prey[ag] from the east,(FI)
a man for My purpose from a far country.
Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about.(FJ)
I have planned it; I will also do it.
12 Listen to me, you hardhearted,
far removed from justice:
13 I am bringing My justice near;(FK)
it is not far away,
and My salvation will not delay.
I will put salvation in Zion,
My splendor in Israel.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 42:1 DSS read His justice
- Isaiah 42:5 Lit spirit
- Isaiah 42:6 Or you by [My] righteousness; lit you in righteousness
- Isaiah 42:10 Lit their
- Isaiah 42:19 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 42:20 Alt Hb tradition reads You see many things;
- Isaiah 42:24 Lit to loot
- Isaiah 42:25 Lit he did not put on heart
- Isaiah 43:12 Lit not a foreigner
- Isaiah 43:12 Or that
- Isaiah 43:14 Or will break down all their bars
- Isaiah 43:14 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 43:19 DSS read paths
- Isaiah 43:23 With demands for offerings and incense
- Isaiah 44:2 Lit from the womb, and He
- Isaiah 44:2 = Upright One, referring to Israel
- Isaiah 44:4 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX read as among
- Isaiah 44:7 Lit declare them—
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit To cut down for himself
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit They
- Isaiah 44:18 Or for their eyes are shut
- Isaiah 44:20 Or He shepherds
- Isaiah 44:21 DSS, LXX, Tg read Israel, do not forget Me
- Isaiah 45:1 Lit unloosen the loins
- Isaiah 45:2 DSS, LXX read the mountains
- Isaiah 45:5 Lit gird
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit a clay pot with clay pots of the ground
- Isaiah 45:9 Or making? Your work has no hands.
- Isaiah 45:11 Or Me the coming things about
- Isaiah 45:14 Lit pray
- Isaiah 45:21 Lit and approach
- Isaiah 46:8 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 46:11 = Cyrus
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