Salvation Reaches to the Ends of the Earth

49 Listen to Me, you (A)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(B)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [a]body of My mother He named Me.
He has made My (C)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (D)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened (E)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
He said to Me, “(F)You are My Servant, Israel,
(G)In whom I will show My glory.”
But I said, “I have (H)labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (I)reward is with My God.”

And now says (J)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (K)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (L)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (M)strength),
He says, “It is too [b]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (N)protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (O)light [c]of the nations
So that My salvation may [d]reach to the (P)end of the earth.”
This is what the Lord, the (Q)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [e](R)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
(S)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (T)bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

This is what the Lord says:
“At a (U)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (V)watch over You and (W)make You a covenant of the people,
To [f](X)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
Saying to those who are (Y)bound, ‘[g]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (Z)bare heights.
10 They will (AA)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (AB)heat or sun strike them down;
For (AC)He who has compassion on them will (AD)lead them,
And He will guide them to (AE)springs of water.
11 I will make all (AF)My mountains a road,
And My (AG)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (AH)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (AI)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (AJ)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (AK)Lord has comforted His people
And will (AL)have compassion on His afflicted.

Promise to Zion

14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (AM)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (AN)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (AO)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [h]builders hurry;
Your (AP)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (AQ)Raise your eyes and look around;
(AR)All of them gather together, (AS)they come to you.
(AT)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (AU)put them all on as [i]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (AV)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (AW)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (AX)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (AY)children [j]you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
21 Then you will (AZ)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (BA)cannot conceive, and I am an (BB)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (BC)left alone;
[k](BD)Where are these from?’”

22 This is what the Lord [l]God says:

“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (BE)flag to the peoples;
And they will (BF)bring your sons [m]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (BG)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (BH)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (BI)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (BJ)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (BK)wait for Me will (BL)not be put to shame.

24 (BM)Can the prey be taken from a mighty man,
Or the captives of [n]a tyrant be rescued?”

25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:

“Even the (BN)captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will (BO)save your sons.
26 I will feed your (BP)oppressors with their (BQ)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [o](BR)humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your (BS)Savior
And your (BT)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

God Helps His Servant

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is the (BU)certificate of divorce
By which I have (BV)sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I (BW)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (BX)wrongdoings,
And for your (BY)wrongful acts your mother (BZ)was sent away.
Why was there (CA)no one when I came?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?
Is My (CB)hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or do I have no power to rescue?
Behold, I (CC)dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I (CD)turn rivers into a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water,
And die of thirst.
I (CE)clothe the heavens with blackness,
And make sackcloth their covering.”

The Lord [p]God has given Me the tongue of (CF)disciples,
So that I may know how to (CG)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (CH)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord God has (CI)opened My ear,
And I was (CJ)not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
I (CK)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard;
I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
For the Lord God (CL)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (CM)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have made My face like (CN)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
He who (CO)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (CP)stand up to each other.
Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me.
Behold, (CQ)the Lord God helps Me;
(CR)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (CS)they will all wear out like a garment;
A moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His (CT)servant,
Who (CU)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (CV)trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (CW)kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with flaming arrows,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the flaming arrows you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (CX)lie down in torment.

Israel Exhorted

51 (CY)Listen to Me, you who (CZ)pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the (DA)rock from which you were cut,
And to the [q]quarry from which you were dug.
Look to (DB)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he (DC)was only one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
Indeed, (DD)the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (DE)ruins.
And He will make her (DF)wilderness like (DG)Eden,
And her desert like the (DH)garden of the Lord.
(DI)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the sound of a melody.

(DJ)Pay attention to Me, My people,
And listen to Me, My [r]nation;
For a (DK)law will go out from Me,
And I will bring My (DL)justice as a (DM)light of the peoples.
My (DN)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (DO)arms will judge the peoples;
The (DP)coastlands will wait for Me,
And they will wait expectantly for My (DQ)arm.
(DR)Raise your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (DS)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (DT)earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die [s]in the same way.
But My (DU)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not fail.
(DV)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (DW)heart is My Law;
Do not fear the (DX)taunting of [t]people,
Nor be terrified of their abuses.
For the (DY)moth will eat them like a garment;
Yes, the (DZ)moth will eat them like wool.
But My (EA)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”

(EB)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the (EC)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(ED)Was it not You who cut [u]Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (EE)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (EF)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (EG)redeemed to cross over?
11 And the (EH)redeemed of the Lord will return
And come to Zion with joyful shouting,
And (EI)everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And (EJ)sorrow and sighing will flee away.

12 “I, I Myself, am He who (EK)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of [v](EL)mortal man,
And of a son of man who is made like (EM)grass,
13 That you have (EN)forgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who (EO)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (EP)fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,
As he makes ready to destroy?
And where is the rage of the (EQ)oppressor?

14 The [w](ER)exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the [x]dungeon, (ES)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God, who (ET)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). 16 And I have (EU)put My words in your mouth and have (EV)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [y](EW)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”

17 (EX)Pull yourself up! Pull yourself up! Arise, Jerusalem!
You who have (EY)drunk from the Lords hand the cup of His anger;
The [z]chalice of staggering you have drunk to the dregs.
18 There is (EZ)no one to guide her among all the sons to whom she has given birth,
Nor is there anyone to take her by the hand among all the sons she has raised.
19 These two things have happened to you;
Who will mourn for you?
The (FA)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They (FB)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (FC)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord,
The (FD)rebuke of your God.

21 Therefore, listen to this, you (FE)afflicted,
Who are (FF)drunk, but not with wine:
22 This is what your Lord, the Lord, your God
Who (FG)contends for His people says:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand the (FH)cup of staggering,
The [aa]chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will (FI)put it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to [ab]you, ‘(FJ)Lie down so that we may walk over you.’
You have also made your back like the ground,
And like the street for those who walk over it.”

Cheer for Prostrate Zion

52 (FK)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, Zion;
Clothe yourself with your (FL)beautiful garments,
Jerusalem, the (FM)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (FN)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
Shake yourself (FO)from the dust, (FP)rise up,
Captive Jerusalem;
(FQ)Release yourself from the chains around your neck,
Captive daughter of Zion.

For this is what the Lord says: “You were (FR)sold for nothing, and you will be (FS)redeemed (FT)without money.” For this is what the Lord [ac]God says: “My people (FU)went down to Egypt first to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without reason. And now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason?” Again the Lord declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (FV)name is continually reviled all day long. Therefore, My people shall (FW)know My name; therefore on that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”

How delightful on the mountains
Are the feet of one who brings (FX)good news,
Who announces [ad]peace
And brings good news of [ae]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (FY)God [af]reigns!”
Listen! Your watchmen raise their (FZ)voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [ag]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
(GA)Be cheerful, shout joyfully together,
You (GB)ruins of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has (GC)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy (GD)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[ah]So that (GE)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.

11 (GF)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(GG)Do not touch what is unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (GH)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in (GI)a hurry,
Nor will you go [ai]as fugitives;
For the (GJ)Lord will go before you,
And (GK)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

The Exalted Servant

13 Behold, My (GL)Servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and [aj]greatly (GM)exalted.
14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people,
So His (GN)appearance was marred beyond that of a man,
And His form beyond the sons of mankind.
15 So [ak]He will (GO)sprinkle many nations,
Kings will (GP)shut their mouths on account of Him;
For (GQ)what they had not been told, they will see,
And what they had not heard, they will understand.

The Suffering Servant

53 (GR)Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a (GS)tender [al]shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has (GT)no stately form or majesty
That we would look at Him,
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
He was (GU)despised and abandoned by men,
A man of [am]great pain and (GV)familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was (GW)despised, and we had no (GX)regard for Him.

However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself (GY)bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by (GZ)God, and humiliated.
But He was [an]pierced for (HA)our offenses,
He was crushed for (HB)our wrongdoings;
The (HC)punishment for our [ao]well-being was laid upon Him,
And by (HD)His wounds we are healed.
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To [ap]fall on Him.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
Yet He did not (HE)open His mouth;
(HF)Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off from the land of the [aq]living
(HG)For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due?
And His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a (HH)rich man in His death,
(HI)Because He had (HJ)done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10 But the Lord desired
To (HK)crush Him, [ar](HL)causing Him grief;
If He renders [as]Himself as a guilt (HM)offering,
He will see (HN)His [at]offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the [au]good (HO)pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the [av]anguish of His soul,
He will [aw](HP)see it and be satisfied;
By His (HQ)knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
For He will (HR)bear their wrongdoings.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a (HS)portion with the great,
And He will divide the plunder with the strong,
Because He poured out His [ax](HT)life unto death,
And was (HU)counted with wrongdoers;
Yet He Himself (HV)bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the wrongdoers.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
  2. Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
  3. Isaiah 49:6 Or to
  4. Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
  5. Isaiah 49:7 Lit despised of soul
  6. Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
  7. Isaiah 49:9 Lit Go out
  8. Isaiah 49:17 Ancient versions and DSS; MT sons
  9. Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
  10. Isaiah 49:20 Lit of your bereavement
  11. Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
  12. Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  13. Isaiah 49:22 Lit on the chest
  14. Isaiah 49:24 Ancient versions and DSS; MT the righteous, cf. v 25
  15. Isaiah 49:26 Lit all flesh
  16. Isaiah 50:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  17. Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
  18. Isaiah 51:4 Or people
  19. Isaiah 51:6 Another reading is like gnats
  20. Isaiah 51:7 Or mankind
  21. Isaiah 51:9 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
  22. Isaiah 51:12 Lit man who dies
  23. Isaiah 51:14 Lit one in chains
  24. Isaiah 51:14 Lit pit
  25. Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
  26. Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of reeling
  27. Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
  28. Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul
  29. Isaiah 52:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  30. Isaiah 52:7 Or well-being
  31. Isaiah 52:7 Lit good
  32. Isaiah 52:7 Or is King
  33. Isaiah 52:8 Lit eye to eye
  34. Isaiah 52:10 Or And all...will see
  35. Isaiah 52:12 Lit in flight
  36. Isaiah 52:13 Or very high
  37. Isaiah 52:15 LXX many nations will wonder at Him
  38. Isaiah 53:2 Lit suckling
  39. Isaiah 53:3 Lit pains
  40. Isaiah 53:5 Or wounded
  41. Isaiah 53:5 Or peace
  42. Isaiah 53:6 Lit encounter Him
  43. Isaiah 53:8 Or life
  44. Isaiah 53:10 Lit He made Him sick
  45. Isaiah 53:10 Lit His soul
  46. Isaiah 53:10 Lit seed
  47. Isaiah 53:10 Or will of
  48. Isaiah 53:11 Or trouble
  49. Isaiah 53:11 DSS see light; LXX also has light
  50. Isaiah 53:12 Lit soul

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