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Isaiah 42-46
Common English Bible
Isaiah 42-46
Common English Bible
God’s servant described
42 But here is my servant, the one I uphold;
my chosen, who brings me delight.
I’ve put my spirit upon him;
he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He won’t cry out or shout aloud
or make his voice heard in public.
3 He won’t break a bruised reed;
he won’t extinguish a faint wick,
but he will surely bring justice.
4 He won’t be extinguished or broken
until he has established justice in the land.
The coastlands await his teaching.
5 God the Lord says—
the one who created the heavens,
the one who stretched them out,
the one who spread out the earth and its offspring,
the one who gave breath to its people
and life to those who walk on it—
6 I, the Lord, have called you for a good reason.
I will grasp your hand and guard you,
and give you as a covenant to the people,
as a light to the nations,
7 to open blind eyes, to lead the prisoners from prison,
and those who sit in darkness from the dungeon.
8 I am the Lord;
that is my name;
I don’t hand out my glory to others
or my praise to idols.
9 The things announced in the past—look—they’ve already happened,
but I’m declaring new things.
Before they even appear,
I tell you about them.
Warrior and mother
10 Sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing his praise from the ends of the earth!
You who sail the sea and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their residents.
11 Let the desert and its towns shout aloud,
the villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the cliff dwellers sing;
from the top of the mountains let them shout.
12 Let them give the Lord glory
and declare God’s praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord will go out like a soldier;
like a warrior God will stir up rage.
God will shout, will roar;
over enemies he will prevail.
14 I’ve kept still for a very long time.
I’ve been silent and restrained myself.
Like a woman in labor I will moan;
I will pant, I will gasp.
15 I will wither mountains and valleys,
and I will dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into deserts,[a]
and I will dry up pools.
16 I will make the blind walk a road they don’t know,
and I will guide them in paths they don’t know.
But I will make darkness before them into light
and rough places into level ground.
These things I will do;
I won’t abandon them.
Blindness and deafness
17 Turned backward, utterly shamed
are those who trust in idols,
who say to a cast image,
“You are our god!”
18 Hear, deaf ones,
and blind ones, look and see!
19 Who is blind if not my servant
and deaf like my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind like the restored one,[b]
blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but don’t keep watch.
With ears open, you don’t hear.[c]
21 The Lord desired for the sake of his righteousness
to expand and glorify the Instruction.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
everyone trapped in holes and hidden in dungeons.
They have become plunder with no one to rescue,
loot with no one to say, “Give it back.”
23 Which of you will listen to this,
will pay attention and respond from now on?
24 Who gave Jacob to the looter,
and Israel to the plunderers?
Wasn’t it the Lord,
the one we sinned against?
They were not willing to walk in God’s ways,
and wouldn’t listen to his teaching.
25 So God poured out on Jacob the heat of his anger
and the fury of battle.
It scorched him, and he didn’t know it;
it burned him, but he didn’t give it much thought.
Don’t fear
43 But now, says the Lord—
the one who created you, Jacob,
the one who formed you, Israel:
Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched
and flame won’t burn you.
3 I am the Lord your God,
the holy one of Israel, your savior.
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
you are honored, and I love you.
I give people in your place,
and nations in exchange for your life.
5 Don’t fear,
I am with you.
From the east I’ll bring your children;
from the west I’ll gather you.
6 I’ll say to the north, “Give them back!”
and to the south, “Don’t detain them.”
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name
and whom I created for my glory,
whom I have formed and made.
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes,
the deaf ones who have ears.
9 All the nations are gathered together;
the peoples are assembled.
Which of them announced this?
Who predicted to us the past events?
Let them bring their witnesses as a defense;
let them hear and say, “It’s true!”
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
my servant, whom I chose,
so that you would know and believe me
and understand that I am the one.
Before me no god was formed;
after me there has been no other.
11 I, I am the Lord,
and there is no savior besides me.
12 I announced, I saved, I proclaimed,
not some stranger among you.
You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
and I am God.
13 From the dawn of time, I am the one.
No one can escape my power.
I act, and who can undo it?
Don’t remember
14 The Lord your redeemer,
the holy one of Israel, says,
For your sake, I have sent an army[d] to Babylon,
and brought down all the bars,
turning the Chaldeans’ singing into a lament.[e]
15 I am the Lord, your holy one,
Israel’s creator, your king!
16 The Lord says—who makes a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
army and battalion;
they will lie down together and will not rise;
they will be extinguished, extinguished like a wick.
18 Don’t remember the prior things;
don’t ponder ancient history.
19 Look! I’m doing a new thing;
now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
paths[f] in the wilderness.
20 The beasts of the field,
the jackals and ostriches, will honor me,
because I have put water in the desert
and streams in the wilderness
to give water to my people,
my chosen ones,
21 this people whom I formed for myself,
who will recount my praise.
22 But you didn’t call out to me, Jacob;
you were tired of me, Israel.
23 You didn’t bring me lambs for your entirely burned offering;
you didn’t honor me with your sacrifices.
I didn’t make you worship with offerings;
I didn’t weary you with frankincense.
24 You didn’t buy spices for me with your money,
or satisfy me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your evil actions.
25 I, I am the one who wipes out your rebellious behavior for my sake. I won’t remember your sin.
26 Summon me, and let’s go to trial together;
you tell your story so that you may be vindicated!
27 Your first ancestor sinned,
and your officials rebelled against me.
28 So I made the holy officials impure,
handed over Jacob to destruction and Israel to abuse.
You are my witnesses
44 But now hear this, Jacob my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 The Lord your maker,
who formed you in the womb and will help you, says:
Don’t fear, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 I will pour out water upon thirsty ground
and streams upon dry land.
I will pour out my spirit upon your descendants
and my blessing upon your offspring.
4 They will spring up from among the reeds
like willows by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, “I am the Lord’s,”
and that one will be named after Jacob.
Another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s”
and will take the name Israel.
6 The Lord, Israel’s king and redeemer,
the Lord of heavenly forces, says:
I am the first, and I am the last,
and besides me there are no gods.
7 Who is like me?
Let them speak up, explain it, and lay it out for me.
Who announced long ago what is to be?[g]
Let them tell us[h] what is to come.
8 Don’t tremble; have no fear!
Didn’t I proclaim it?
Didn’t I inform you long ago?
You are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no other rock; I know of none.
Idol-makers mocked
9 Idol-makers are all as nothing;
their playthings do no good.
Their promoters neither see nor know anything,
so they ought to be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god or cast an idol
that does no good?
11 All its worshippers will be ashamed,
and its artisans, who are only human.
They will all gather and stand,
tremble and be ashamed together.
12 A blacksmith with his tools
works it over coals,
and shapes it with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
He even becomes hungry and weak.
If he didn’t drink water, he’d pass out.
13 A carpenter stretches out a string,
marks it out with a stylus,
fashions it with carving tools,
and marks it with a compass.
He makes it into a human form,
like a splendid human,
to live in a temple.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself,
or chooses a cypress[i] or oak,
selecting from all the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine,[j] and the rain makes it grow.
15 It becomes suitable to burn for humans,
so he takes some of the wood and warms himself.
He kindles fire and bakes bread.
He fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of it he burns in the fire;
on that half he roasts and eats meat, and he is satisfied.
He warms himself and says,
“Ah, I’m warm, watching the fire!”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
into his idol,
and he bows down, worships, and prays to it, saying, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18 They don’t know or comprehend,
for their eyes can’t see
and their minds can’t comprehend.
19 He doesn’t think,
and has no knowledge or understanding to think:
Half of it I burned in the fire,
and I baked bread on its coals,
and roasted meat and ate.
Should I make the rest into something detestable?
Should I bow down to a block of wood?
20 He’s feeding on ashes;
his deluded mind has led him astray.
He can’t save himself and say,
“Isn’t this thing in my hand a lie?”
Promises to Jacob and Jerusalem
21 Remember these things, Jacob;
Israel, for you are my servant.
I formed you; you are my servant!
I won’t forget you, Israel.
22 I swept away your rebellions like a cloud,
and your sins like fog.
Return to me,
because I have redeemed you.
23 Sing, heavens, for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth!
Burst out with a ringing cry,
you mountains, forest, and every tree in it.
The Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and will glorify himself through Israel.
24 The Lord your redeemer
who formed you in the womb says:
I am the Lord, the maker of all,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the omens of diviners
and makes a mockery of magicians,
who turns back the wise
and turns their knowledge into folly.
26 But who confirms the word of my[k] servant,
and fulfills the predictions of my messengers;
who says about Jerusalem, “It will be resettled”;
and who says about the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,
and I will restore their ruins”;
27 who says to the ocean depths,
“Dry up; I will dry your streams”;
28 who says about Cyrus, “My shepherd—
he will do all that I want”;
who says about Jerusalem,
“She will be rebuilt”;
and who says about the temple,
“You will be founded once again.”
Cyrus as God’s anointed
45 The Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whom I have grasped by the strong hand,
to conquer nations before him,
disarming kings,
and opening doors before him,
so no gates will be shut:
2 I myself will go before you,
and I will level mountains.
I will shatter bronze doors;
I will cut through iron bars.
3 I will give you hidden treasures of secret riches,
so you will know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen,
I called you by name.
I gave you an honored title,
though you didn’t know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no God.
I strengthen you—
though you don’t know me—
6 so all will know, from the rising of the sun to its setting,
that there is nothing apart from me.
I am the Lord; there’s no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,
make prosperity and create doom;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 Pour down, you heavens above,
and let the clouds flow with righteousness.
Let the earth open for salvation to bear fruit;
let righteousness sprout as well.
I, the Lord, have created these things.
Potter and clay
9 Doom to the one who argues with the potter,[l]
as if he were just another clay pot!
Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?”
or “Your work has no handles”?
10 Doom to one who says to a father,
“What have you fathered?”
and to a woman,
“With what are you in labor?”
11 The Lord, the holy one of Israel and its maker,[m] says:
Are you questioning me[n] about my own children?
Are you telling me what to do with the work of my hands?
12 I myself made the earth,
and created humans upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens.
I commanded all their forces.
13 I have a right to awaken Cyrus;
I will smooth all his paths.
He will build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for a price and not for a bribe,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
14 The Lord says:
Egypt will grow weary, Cush will be sold,[o]
and the tall Sabeans will cross over to you.
They will be yours, and after you they will go.
In chains they will come;
to you they will bow down.
They will plead with you:
“Truly God is with you;
there’s no other, no other God.”
15 Surely you are a god who hides himself,
Israel’s God and savior.
Idols contrasted with God
16 They will all be shamed and disgraced;
the makers of idols will end up disgraced together.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord of everlasting salvation.
You won’t be shamed,
and you won’t be disgraced forever and always.
18 For this is what the Lord said, who created the heavens,
who is God,
who formed the earth and made it,
who established it,
who didn’t create it a wasteland but formed it as a habitation:
I, the Lord, and none other!
19 I didn’t speak in secret
or in some land of darkness;
I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob,
“Seek me in chaos.”
I am the Lord, the one who speaks truth,
who announces what is correct.
20 Gather and come,
draw near together,
fugitives of the nations!
Those who carry their wooden idols don’t know;
those who pray to a god who won’t save.
21 Announce! Approach! Confer together!
Who proclaimed this from the beginning, announced it from long ago?
Wasn’t it I, the Lord?
There’s no other God except me,
a righteous God and a savior;
there’s none besides me!
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God, and there’s no other.
23 I have sworn a solemn pledge;
a word has left my mouth;
it is reliable and won’t fail.
Surely every knee will bow
and every tongue will confess;
24 they will say, “Righteousness and strength come only from the Lord.
All who are angry with him will come to shame.
25 All the Israelites
will be victorious and rejoice.”
Babylon’s idols can’t compare
46 Bel crouches down; Nebo cowers.
Their idols sit on animals, on beasts.
The objects you once carried about
are now borne as burdens by the weary animals.
2 They crouch down and cower together.
They aren’t able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go into captivity.
3 Listen to me, house of Jacob,
all that remains from the house of Israel
who have been borne by me since pregnancy,
whom I carried from the womb
4 until you grow old. I am the one,
and until you turn gray I will support you.
I have done it, and I will continue to bear it;
I will support and I will rescue.
5 To whom will you liken me and count me equal
and compare me so that we are alike?
6 Those who pour out gold from a bag
and weigh silver with a balance
hire a metalworker; then he makes a god.
They bow down; they worship;
7 they carry the idol[p] on their shoulders and support it;
they set it down, and it stands still,
unable to move from its place.
If one cries out to it, it doesn’t answer.
It can’t save people from their distress.
Remember past events
8 Remember this and take courage;
take it to heart, you rebels.
9 Remember the prior things—from long ago;
I am God, and there’s no other.
I am God! There’s none like me,
10 who tells the end at the beginning,
from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, “My plan will stand;
all that I decide I will do,”
11 I call a bird of prey from the east,
a man from a distant land for my plan.
As surely as I have spoken, I’ll make it happen;
I have planned, and yes, I’ll do it.
12 Listen to me, you bullheaded people
who are far from victory:
13 I’m bringing my victory near—it isn’t far,
and my salvation—it won’t delay.
I will establish salvation in Zion
and grant my splendor to Israel.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 42:15 Or islands
- Isaiah 42:19 Heb Meshullam, possibly a proper name
- Isaiah 42:20 Or he does not hear
- Isaiah 43:14 Heb lacks an army.
- Isaiah 43:14 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 43:19 DSS (1QIsaa); MT streams
- Isaiah 44:7 Or Since I placed an ancient people and coming things
- Isaiah 44:7 Or them
- Isaiah 44:14 Species uncertain
- Isaiah 44:14 Species uncertain
- Isaiah 44:26 Or his; also in next line
- Isaiah 45:9 Or maker
- Isaiah 45:11 Or potter
- Isaiah 45:11 Or about future things ask me
- Isaiah 45:14 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 46:7 Or it
Isaiah 42-46
New International Version
Isaiah 42-46
New International Version
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant,(A) whom I uphold,
my chosen one(B) in whom I delight;(C)
I will put my Spirit(D) on him,
and he will bring justice(E) to the nations.(F)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(G)
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(H) he will not break,(I)
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(J)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(K)
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(L) on earth.
In his teaching(M) the islands(N) will put their hope.”(O)
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(P) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(Q) with all that springs from it,(R)
who gives breath(S) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(T) you in righteousness;(U)
I will take hold of your hand.(V)
I will keep(W) you and will make you
to be a covenant(X) for the people
and a light(Y) for the Gentiles,(Z)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(AA)
to free(AB) captives from prison(AC)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(AD)
8 “I am the Lord;(AE) that is my name!(AF)
I will not yield my glory to another(AG)
or my praise to idols.(AH)
9 See, the former things(AI) have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce(AJ) them to you.”
Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing(AK) to the Lord a new song,(AL)
his praise(AM) from the ends of the earth,(AN)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(AO)
you islands,(AP) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(AQ) and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar(AR) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(AS) sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.(AT)
12 Let them give glory(AU) to the Lord
and proclaim his praise(AV) in the islands.(AW)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(AX)
like a warrior(AY) he will stir up his zeal;(AZ)
with a shout(BA) he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.(BB)
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(BC)
I have been quiet and held myself back.(BD)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.(BE)
15 I will lay waste(BF) the mountains(BG) and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up(BH) the pools.
16 I will lead(BI) the blind(BJ) by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(BK) before them
and make the rough places smooth.(BL)
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake(BM) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(BN)
will be turned back in utter shame.(BO)
Israel Blind and Deaf
18 “Hear, you deaf;(BP)
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(BQ) but my servant,(BR)
and deaf like the messenger(BS) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(BT) 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.”(BU)
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake(BV) of his righteousness
to make his law(BW) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(BX) and looted,
all of them trapped in pits(BY)
or hidden away in prisons.(BZ)
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;(CA)
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(CB) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?(CC)
Was it not the Lord,(CD)
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(CE) his ways;
they did not obey his law.(CF)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(CG)
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(CH) yet they did not understand;(CI)
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(CJ)
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created(CK) you, Jacob,
he who formed(CL) you, Israel:(CM)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(CN) you;
I have summoned you by name;(CO) you are mine.(CP)
2 When you pass through the waters,(CQ)
I will be with you;(CR)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(CS)
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.(CT)
3 For I am the Lord your God,(CU)
the Holy One(CV) of Israel, your Savior;(CW)
I give Egypt(CX) for your ransom,
Cush[a](CY) and Seba(CZ) in your stead.(DA)
4 Since you are precious and honored(DB) in my sight,
and because I love(DC) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid,(DD) for I am with you;(DE)
I will bring your children(DF) from the east
and gather(DG) you from the west.(DH)
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,(DI) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters(DJ) from the ends of the earth(DK)—
7 everyone who is called by my name,(DL)
whom I created(DM) for my glory,(DN)
whom I formed and made.(DO)”
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(DP)
who have ears but are deaf.(DQ)
9 All the nations gather together(DR)
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(DS) 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,(DT)” declares the Lord,
“and my servant(DU) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(DV) and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(DW) was formed,
nor will there be one after me.(DX)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(DY)
and apart from me there is no savior.(DZ)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god(EA) among you.
You are my witnesses,(EB)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Yes, and from ancient days(EC) I am he.(ED)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?”(EE)
God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(EF) the Holy One(EG) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives(EH) all the Babylonians,[b](EI)
in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(EJ) your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator,(EK) your King.(EL)”
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,(EM)
17 who drew out(EN) the chariots and horses,(EO)
the army and reinforcements together,(EP)
and they lay(EQ) there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(ER)
18 “Forget the former things;(ES)
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(ET)
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(EU)
and streams in the wasteland.(EV)
20 The wild animals(EW) honor me,
the jackals(EX) and the owls,
because I provide water(EY) in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed(EZ) for myself(FA)
that they may proclaim my praise.(FB)
22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearied(FC) yourselves for[c] me, Israel.(FD)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(FE)
nor honored(FF) me with your sacrifices.(FG)
I have not burdened(FH) you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands(FI) for incense.(FJ)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(FK) for me,
or lavished on me the fat(FL) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied(FM) me with your offenses.(FN)
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions,(FO) for my own sake,(FP)
and remembers your sins(FQ) no more.(FR)
26 Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;(FS)
state the case(FT) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(FU) sinned;
those I sent to teach(FV) you rebelled(FW) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction[d](FX)
and Israel to scorn.(FY)
Israel the Chosen
44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,(FZ)
Israel, whom I have chosen.(GA)
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made(GB) you, who formed you in the womb,(GC)
and who will help(GD) you:
Do not be afraid,(GE) Jacob, my servant,(GF)
Jeshurun,[e](GG) whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water(GH) on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;(GI)
I will pour out my Spirit(GJ) on your offspring,
and my blessing(GK) on your descendants.(GL)
4 They will spring up like grass(GM) in a meadow,
like poplar trees(GN) by flowing streams.(GO)
5 Some will say, ‘I belong(GP) to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,(GQ) ‘The Lord’s,’(GR)
and will take the name Israel.
The Lord, Not Idols
6 “This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King(GS) and Redeemer,(GT) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;(GU)
apart from me there is no God.(GV)
7 Who then is like me?(GW) 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(GX) what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim(GY) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God(GZ) besides me?
No, there is no other Rock;(HA) I know not one.”
9 All who make idols(HB) are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.(HC)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;(HD)
they are ignorant, to their own shame.(HE)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,(HF)
which can profit nothing?(HG)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(HH)
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.(HI)
12 The blacksmith(HJ) 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.(HK)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.(HL)
13 The carpenter(HM) 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,(HN)
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.(HO)
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,(HP) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(HQ) 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(HR) it;
he makes an idol and bows(HS) 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.(HT)”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.(HU)
He prays(HV) to it and says,
“Save(HW) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(HX) nothing;
their eyes(HY) 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(HZ) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(IA)
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(IB) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(IC)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(ID) a deluded(IE) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(IF)”
21 “Remember(IG) these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.(IH)
I have made you, you are my servant;(II)
Israel, I will not forget you.(IJ)
22 I have swept away(IK) your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return(IL) to me,
for I have redeemed(IM) you.”
23 Sing for joy,(IN) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth(IO) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,(IP)
you forests and all your trees,(IQ)
for the Lord has redeemed(IR) Jacob,
he displays his glory(IS) in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,(IW)
who spreads out the earth(IX) by myself,
25 who foils(IY) the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,(IZ)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(JA)
and turns it into nonsense,(JB)
26 who carries out the words(JC) of his servants
and fulfills(JD) the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,(JE) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins,(JF) ‘I will restore them,’(JG)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up(JH) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus,(JI) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,(JJ) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple,(JK) “Let its foundations(JL) be laid.”’
45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(JM)
to Cyrus,(JN) whose right hand I take hold(JO) of
to subdue nations(JP) 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(JQ)
and will level(JR) the mountains[f];
I will break down gates(JS) of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.(JT)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,(JU)
riches stored in secret places,(JV)
so that you may know(JW) that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(JX)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,(JY)
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge(JZ) me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(KA)
apart from me there is no God.(KB)
I will strengthen you,(KC)
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting(KD)
people may know(KE) there is none besides me.(KF)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,(KG)
I bring prosperity and create disaster;(KH)
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “You heavens above, rain(KI) down my righteousness;(KJ)
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation(KK) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to those who quarrel(KL) with their Maker,(KM)
those who are nothing but potsherds(KN)
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(KO)
‘What are you making?’(KP)
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?(KQ)
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(KR) of Israel, and its Maker:(KS)
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?(KT)
12 It is I who made the earth(KU)
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(KV)
I marshaled their starry hosts.(KW)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[g](KX) in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.(KY)
He will rebuild my city(KZ)
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(LA)
says the Lord Almighty.”
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products(LB) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[h]
and those tall Sabeans(LC)—
they will come over to you(LD)
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(LE)
coming over to you in chains.(LF)
They will bow down before you
and plead(LG) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(LH) and there is no other;
there is no other god.(LI)’”
15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(LJ) himself,
the God and Savior(LK) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(LL)
they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(LM) by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;(LN)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(LO)
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,(LP)
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,(LQ)
but formed it to be inhabited(LR)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.(LS)
19 I have not spoken in secret,(LT)
from somewhere in a land of darkness;(LU)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,(LV)
‘Seek(LW) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(LX)
20 “Gather together(LY) and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(LZ) are those who carry(MA) about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.(MB)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold(MC) this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?(MD)
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me,(ME)
a righteous God(MF) and a Savior;(MG)
there is none but me.
22 “Turn(MH) to me and be saved,(MI)
all you ends of the earth;(MJ)
for I am God, and there is no other.(MK)
23 By myself I have sworn,(ML)
my mouth has uttered in all integrity(MM)
a word that will not be revoked:(MN)
Before me every knee will bow;(MO)
by me every tongue will swear.(MP)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
are deliverance(MQ) and strength.(MR)’”
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(MS)
25 But all the descendants(MT) of Israel
will find deliverance(MU) in the Lord
and will make their boast in him.(MV)
Gods of Babylon
46 Bel(MW) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols(MX) are borne by beasts of burden.[i]
The images that are carried(MY) 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.(MZ)
3 “Listen(NA) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant(NB) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(NC)
and have carried(ND) since you were born.(NE)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs(NF)
I am he,(NG) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain(NH) 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?(NI)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(NJ) to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.(NK)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry(NL) it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.(NM)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(NN)
it cannot save(NO) them from their troubles.
8 “Remember(NP) this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.(NQ)
9 Remember the former things,(NR) those of long ago;(NS)
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.(NT)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(NU)
from ancient times,(NV) what is still to come.(NW)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(NX)
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(NY) a bird of prey;(NZ)
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned,(OA) that I will do.(OB)
12 Listen(OC) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(OD)
you who are now far from my righteousness.(OE)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(OF) near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation(OG) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(OH)
my splendor(OI) to Israel.
Footnotes
- 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
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.