Isaiah 47-51
Contemporary English Version
Babylon Will Fall
The Lord said:
47 (A) City of Babylon,
You are delicate
and untouched,
but that will change.
Surrender your royal power
and sit in the dirt.
2 Start grinding grain!
Take off your veil.
Strip off your fancy clothes
and wade across rivers.[a]
3 You will suffer the shame
of going naked,
because I will take revenge,
and no one can escape.[b]
4 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the holy God of Israel.
I am their Savior.
5 Babylon, be silent!
Sit in the dark.
No longer will nations
accept you as their queen.
6 I was angry with my people.
So I let you take their land
and bring disgrace on them.
You showed them no mercy,
but were especially cruel
to those who were old.
7 You thought that you
would be queen forever.
You didn't care what you did;
it never entered your mind
that you might get caught.
8 (B) You think that you alone
are all-powerful,
that you won't be a widow
or lose your children.
All you care about is pleasure,
but listen to what I say.
9 Your magic powers and charms
will suddenly fail,
then you will be a widow
and lose your children.
10 You hid behind evil
like a shield and said,
“No one can see me!”
You were fooled by your wisdom
and your knowledge;
you felt sure that you alone
were in full control.
11 But without warning,
disaster will strike—
and your magic charms
won't help at all.
12 Keep using your magic powers
and your charms
as you have always done.
Maybe—just maybe—
you will frighten somebody!
13 You have worn yourself out,
asking for advice
from those who study the stars
and tell the future
month after month.
Go ask them how to be saved
from what will happen.
14 People who trust the stars
are as helpless as straw
in a flaming fire.
No one can even keep warm,[c]
sitting by a fire
that feeds only on straw.
15 These are the fortunetellers
you have done business with
all of your life.
But they don't know
where they are going,
and they can't save you.
The Lord Corrects His People
48 People of Israel,
you come from Jacob's family
and the tribe[d] of Judah.
You claim to worship me,
the Lord God of Israel,
but you are lying.
2 You call Jerusalem your home
and say you depend on me,
the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.
3 Long ago I announced
what was going to be,
then without warning,
I made it happen.
4 I knew you were stubborn
and hardheaded.
5 And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
you would not say,
“The idols we worship did this.”
6 You heard what I said,
and you have seen it happen.
Now admit it's true!
I will show you secrets
you have never known.
7 Today I am doing something new,
something you cannot say
you have heard before.
8 You have never been willing
to listen to what I say;
from the moment of your birth,
I knew you would rebel.
The Lord Warns Israel
9 I, the Lord, am true to myself;
I will be praised for not punishing
and destroying you.
10 I tested you in hard times
just as silver is refined
in a heated furnace.[e]
11 I did this because of who I am.
I refuse to be dishonored[f]
or share my praise
with any other god.
12 (C) Israel, my chosen people,
listen to me.
I alone am the Lord,
the first and the last.
13 With my own hand
I created the earth
and stretched out the sky.
They obey my every command.
The Lord Speaks to the Nations
14 Gather around me, all of you!
Listen to what I say.
Did any of your idols
predict this would happen?
Did they say that my friend[g]
would do what I want done
to Babylonia?[h]
15 I was the one who chose him.
I have brought him this far,
and he will be successful.
16 Come closer and listen!
I have never kept secret
the things I have said,
and I was here
before time began.
It Is Best To Obey the Lord
By the power of his Spirit
the Lord God has sent me
17 with this message:
People of Israel,
I am the holy Lord God,
the one who rescues you.
For your own good,
I teach you, and I lead you
along the right path.
18 How I wish that you
had obeyed my commands!
Your success and good fortune
would then have overflowed
like a flooding river.
19 Your nation would be blessed
with more people
than there are grains of sand
along the seashore.
And I would never have let
your country be destroyed.
20 (D) Now leave Babylon!
Celebrate as you go.
Be happy and shout
for everyone to hear,
“The Lord has rescued
his servant Israel!
21 He led us through the desert
and made water flow from a rock
to satisfy our thirst.
22 (E) But the Lord has promised
that none who are evil
will live in peace.”
The Work of the Lord's Servant
49 (F) Everyone, listen,
even you foreign nations
across the sea.
The Lord chose me
and gave me a name
before I was born.
2 (G) He made my words pierce
like a sharp sword
or a pointed arrow;
he kept me safely hidden
in the palm of his hand.
3 The Lord said to me,
“Israel, you are my servant;
and because of you
I will be highly honored.”
4 I said to myself,
“I'm completely worn out;
my time has been wasted.
But I did it for the Lord God,
and he will reward me.”
5 Even before I was born,
the Lord God chose me
to serve him and to lead back
the people of Israel.
So the Lord has honored me
and made me strong.
6 (H) Now the Lord says to me,
“It isn't enough for you
to be merely my servant.
You must do more than lead back
survivors from the tribes
of Israel.
I have placed you here as a light
for other nations;
you must take my saving power
to everyone on earth.”
The Lord Will Rescue His People
7 Israel, I am the holy Lord God,
the one who rescues you.
You are slaves of rulers
and of a nation
who despises you.[i]
Now this is what I promise:
Kings and rulers will honor you
by kneeling at your feet.
You can trust me! I am your Lord,
the holy God of Israel,
and you are my chosen ones.
The Lord Will Lead His People Home
8 (I) This is what the Lord says:
I will answer your prayers
because I have set a time
when I will help
by coming to save you.
I have chosen you
to take my promise of hope
to other nations.[j]
You will rebuild the country
from its ruins,
then people will come
and settle there.
9 You will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons
to see the light of day.
On their way home,
they will find plenty to eat,
even on barren hills.
10 (J) They won't go hungry
or get thirsty;
they won't be bothered
by the scorching sun
or hot desert winds.
I will be merciful
while leading them along
to streams of water.
11 I will level the mountains
and make roads.
12 Then my people will return
from distant lands
in the north and the west
and from the city of Syene.[k]
The Lord's Mercy
13 Tell the heavens and the earth
to celebrate and sing;
command every mountain
to join in the song.
The Lord's people have suffered,
but he has shown mercy
and given them comfort.
14 The people of Zion said,
“The Lord has turned away
and forgotten us.”
15 The Lord answered,
“Could a mother forget a child
who nurses at her breast?
Could she fail to love an infant
who came from her own body?
Even if a mother could forget,
I will never forget you.
16 A picture of your city
is drawn on my hand.
You are always in my thoughts!
17 “Your city will be built faster
than it was destroyed[l]—
those who attacked it
will retreat and leave.
18 Look around! You will see
your people coming home.
As surely as I live,
I, the Lord, promise
that your city with its people
will be as lovely as a bride
wearing her jewelry.”
Jerusalem's Bright Future
19 Jerusalem is now in ruins!
Nothing is left of the city.
But it will be rebuilt
and soon overcrowded;
its cruel enemies
will be gone far away.
20 Jerusalem is a woman
whose children were born
while she was in deep sorrow[m]
over the loss of her husband.
Now those children
will come and seek room
in the crowded city,
21 and Jerusalem will ask,
“Am I really their mother?
How could I have given birth
when I was still mourning
in a foreign land?
Who raised these children?
Where have they come from?”
22 (K) The Lord God says:
“I will soon give a signal
for the nations
to return your sons
and your daughters
to the arms of Jerusalem.
23 The kings and queens
of those nations
where they were raised
will come and bow down.
They will take care of you
just like a slave
taking care of a child.
Then you will know
that I am the Lord.
You won't be disappointed
if you trust me.”
The Lord Is on Our Side
24 Is it possible to rescue victims
from someone strong
and cruel?[n]
25 But the Lord has promised
to fight on our side
and to rescue our children
from those strong
and violent enemies.
26 He will make those cruel people
dine on their own flesh
and get drunk from drinking
their own blood.
Then everyone will know
that the Lord is our Savior;
the powerful God of Israel
has rescued his people.
The Lord's Power To Punish
50 (L) The Lord says, “Children,
I didn't divorce your mother
or sell you to pay debts;
I divorced her and sold you
because of your sins.
2 I came and called out,
but you didn't answer.
Have I lost my power
to rescue and save?
At my command oceans and rivers
turn into deserts;
fish rot and stink
for lack of water.
3 I make the sky turn dark
like the sackcloth
you wear at funerals.”
God's Servant Must Suffer
4 The Lord God gives me
the right words
to encourage the weary.
Each morning he awakens me
eager to learn his teaching;
5 he made me willing to listen
and not rebel or run away.
6 (M) I let them beat my back
and pull out my beard.
I didn't turn aside
when they insulted me
and spit in my face.
7 But the Lord God keeps me
from being disgraced.
So I refuse to give up,
because I know
God will never let me down.
8 (N) My protector is nearby;
no one can stand here
to accuse me of wrong.
9 The Lord God will help me
and prove I am innocent.
My accusers will wear out
like moth-eaten clothes.
10 None of you respect the Lord
or obey his servant.
You walk in the dark
instead of the light;
you don't trust the name
of the Lord your God.[o]
11 Go ahead and walk in the light
of the fires you have set.[p]
But with his own hand,
the Lord will punish you
and make you suffer.
The Lord Will Bring Comfort
51 (O) If you want to do right
and obey the Lord,
follow Abraham's example.
He was the rock from which
you were chipped.
2 God chose Abraham and Sarah
to be your ancestors.
The Lord blessed Abraham,
and from that one man
came many descendants.
3 Though Zion is in ruins,
the Lord will bring comfort,
and the city will be as lovely
as the garden of Eden
that he provided.
Then Zion will celebrate;
it will be thankful
and sing joyful songs.
The Lord's Victory Will Last
4 The Lord says:
You are my people and nation!
So pay attention to me.
My teaching will cause justice
to shine like a light
for every nation.
5 Those who live across the sea
are eagerly waiting
for me to rescue them.
I am strong and ready;
soon I will come to save
and to rule all nations.
6 Look closely at the sky!
Stare at the earth.
The sky will vanish like smoke;
the earth will wear out
like clothes.
Everyone on this earth
will die like flies.
But my victory will last;
my saving power never ends.
7 If you want to do right
and obey my teaching
with all your heart,
then pay close attention.
Don't be discouraged
when others insult you
and say hurtful things.
8 They will be eaten away
like a moth-eaten coat.
But my victory will last;
my saving power
will never end.
A Prayer for the Lord's Help
9 Wake up! Do something, Lord.
Be strong and ready.
Wake up! Do what you did
for our people long ago.
Didn't you chop up
Rahab[q] the monster?
10 Didn't you dry up the deep sea
and make a road for your people
to follow safely across?
11 Now those you have rescued
will return to Jerusalem,
singing on their way.
They will be crowned
with great happiness,
never again to be burdened
with sadness and sorrow.
The Lord Gives Hope
12 I am the Lord, the one
who encourages you.
Why are you afraid
of mere humans?
They dry up and die like grass.
13 I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
for the earth.
But you have forgotten me,
your Lord and Creator.
All day long you were afraid
of those who were angry
and hoped to oppress you.
Where are they now?
14 Everyone crying out in pain
will be quickly set free;
they will be rescued
from the power of death
and never go hungry.
15 I will help them
because I am your God,
the Lord All-Powerful,
who makes the ocean roar.
16 I have told you what to say,
and I will keep you safe
in the palm of my hand.
I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
for the earth.
Now I say, “Jerusalem,
your people are mine.”
A Warning to Jerusalem
17 (P) Jerusalem, wake up! Stand up!
You've drunk too much
from the cup filled
with the Lord's anger.
You have swallowed every drop,
and you can't walk straight.
18 Not one of your many children
is there to guide you
or to offer a helping hand.
19 You have been destroyed
by war and by famine;
I cannot comfort you.[r]
20 The Lord your God is angry,
and on every street corner
your children lie helpless,
like deer trapped in nets.
21 You are in trouble and drunk,
but not from wine.
So pay close attention
22 to the Lord your God,
who defends you and says,
“I have taken from your hands
the cup filled with my anger
that made you drunk.
You will never be forced
to drink it again.
23 Instead I will give it
to your brutal enemies,
who treated you like dirt
and walked all over you.”
Footnotes
- 47.2 Strip … rivers: This may be a command to get ready for work that requires wading in the river, or it may be a warning that they are going to be taken away as slaves.
- 47.3 escape: Or “oppose me.”
- 47.14 keep warm: Or “cook food.”
- 48.1 tribe: Hebrew “waters.”
- 48.10 furnace: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
- 48.11 I refuse to be dishonored: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 48.14 my friend: Probably Cyrus (see 44.28; 45.1).
- 48.14 Babylonia: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.
- 49.7 You … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 49.8 my … nations: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 49.12 Syene: The Dead Sea Scrolls; the Standard Hebrew Text “Sinim.” This city was located at the first cataract of the Nile near the site of modern-day Aswan.
- 49.17 Your city … destroyed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 49.20 whose children … sorrow: These “children” are Jews who were born in foreign countries during the time that Jerusalem was in ruins. Jerusalem probably stands for all the cities in Judah that were destroyed by the Babylonians.
- 49.24 cruel: The Dead Sea Scrolls and two ancient translations; the Standard Hebrew Text “good.”
- 50.10 God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
- 50.11 Go … set: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 51.9 Rahab: This may refer to Egypt at the time of the exodus.
- 51.19 I … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Isaiah 47-51
New International Version
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(A)
Virgin Daughter(B) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
queen city of the Babylonians.[a](C)
No more will you be called
tender or delicate.(D)
2 Take millstones(E) and grind(F) flour;
take off your veil.(G)
Lift up your skirts,(H) bare your legs,
and wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness(I) will be exposed
and your shame(J) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(K)
I will spare no one.(L)”
5 “Sit in silence,(Q) go into darkness,(R)
queen city of the Babylonians;(S)
no more will you be called
queen(T) of kingdoms.(U)
6 I was angry(V) with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;(W)
I gave them into your hand,(X)
and you showed them no mercy.(Y)
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
7 You said, ‘I am forever(Z)—
the eternal queen!’(AA)
But you did not consider these things
or reflect(AB) on what might happen.(AC)
8 “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
lounging in your security(AD)
and saying to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.(AE)
I will never be a widow(AF)
or suffer the loss of children.’
9 Both of these will overtake you
in a moment,(AG) on a single day:
loss of children(AH) and widowhood.(AI)
They will come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries(AJ)
and all your potent spells.(AK)
10 You have trusted(AL) in your wickedness
and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(AM)
Your wisdom(AN) and knowledge mislead(AO) you
when you say to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(AP) will come upon you,
and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
will suddenly(AQ) come upon you.
12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,(AR)
which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(AS)
Let your astrologers(AT) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
let them save(AU) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(AV)
the fire(AW) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
from the power of the flame.(AX)
These are not coals for warmth;
this is not a fire to sit by.
15 That is all they are to you—
these you have dealt with
and labored(AY) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
there is not one that can save(AZ) you.
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(BA)
and come from the line of Judah,(BB)
you who take oaths(BC) in the name of the Lord(BD)
and invoke(BE) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(BF) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(BG)
and claim to rely(BH) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(BI)
3 I foretold the former things(BJ) long ago,
my mouth announced(BK) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(BL) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(BM) you were;
your neck muscles(BN) were iron,
your forehead(BO) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(BP) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(BQ)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(BR)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(BS) now, and not long ago;(BT)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(BU) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(BV)
from of old your ears(BW) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(BX) you are;
you were called a rebel(BY) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(BZ) I delay my wrath;(CA)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(CB)
10 See, I have refined(CC) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(CD) you in the furnace(CE) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(CF) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(CG)
I will not yield my glory to another.(CH)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(CI) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(CJ)
I am he;(CK)
I am the first and I am the last.(CL)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(CM)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(CN)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(CO)
14 “Come together,(CP) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(CQ) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(CR)
will carry out his purpose(CS) against Babylon;(CT)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[b]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(CU) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(CV) in his mission.
16 “Come near(CW) me and listen(CX) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(CY)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(DC) the Holy One(DD) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(DE) you what is best for you,
who directs(DF) you in the way(DG) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(DH) to my commands,
your peace(DI) would have been like a river,(DJ)
your well-being(DK) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(DL) would have been like the sand,(DM)
your children like its numberless grains;(DN)
their name would never be blotted out(DO)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(DP) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(DQ)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(DR)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(DS) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(DT) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(DU) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(DV)
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(DY) to me, you islands;(DZ)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(EA) the Lord called(EB) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(EC)
2 He made my mouth(ED) like a sharpened sword,(EE)
in the shadow of his hand(EF) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(EG)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(EH)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(EI)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(EJ)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(EK)
and my reward(EL) is with my God.”(EM)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(EN) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(EO) to himself,
for I am[c] honored(EP) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(EQ)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(ER)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(ES)
I will also make you a light(ET) for the Gentiles,(EU)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(EV)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(EW)—
to him who was despised(EX) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(EY) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(EZ)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(FA)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(FB) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(FC) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(FD)
I will keep(FE) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(FF)
to restore the land(FG)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(FH)
9 to say to the captives,(FI) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(FJ) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(FK)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(FL)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(FM)
He who has compassion(FN) on them will guide(FO) them
and lead them beside springs(FP) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(FQ) will be raised up.(FR)
12 See, they will come from afar(FS)—
some from the north, some from the west,(FT)
some from the region of Aswan.[d]”
13 Shout for joy,(FU) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;(FV)
burst into song, you mountains!(FW)
For the Lord comforts(FX) his people
and will have compassion(FY) on his afflicted ones.(FZ)
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child(GC) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!(GD)
16 See, I have engraved(GE) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls(GF) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste(GG) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather(GH) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(GI)” declares the Lord,
“you will wear(GJ) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(GK)
and your land laid waste,(GL)
now you will be too small for your people,(GM)
and those who devoured(GN) you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;
give us more space to live in.’(GO)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these?(GP)
I was bereaved(GQ) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.(GR)
Who brought these(GS) up?
I was left(GT) all alone,(GU)
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(GV) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner(GW) to the peoples;
they will bring(GX) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.(GY)
23 Kings(GZ) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.(HA)
They will bow down(HB) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust(HC) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(HD)
those who hope(HE) in me will not be disappointed.(HF)”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives(HH) will be taken from warriors,(HI)
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(HJ)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(HK)
and your children I will save.(HL)
26 I will make your oppressors(HM) eat(HN) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood,(HO) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(HP)
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(HQ)
your Redeemer,(HR) the Mighty One of Jacob.(HS)”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(HT)
with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
did I sell(HU) you?
Because of your sins(HV) you were sold;(HW)
because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 When I came, why was there no one?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?(HX)
Was my arm too short(HY) to deliver you?
Do I lack the strength(HZ) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(IA) I dry up the sea,(IB)
I turn rivers into a desert;(IC)
their fish rot for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness(ID)
and make sackcloth(IE) its covering.”
4 The Sovereign Lord(IF) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(IG)
to know the word that sustains the weary.(IH)
He wakens me morning by morning,(II)
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(IJ)
5 The Sovereign Lord(IK) has opened my ears;(IL)
I have not been rebellious,(IM)
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat(IN) me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(IO)
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.(IP)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord(IQ) helps(IR) me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(IS)
and I know I will not be put to shame.(IT)
8 He who vindicates(IU) me is near.(IV)
Who then will bring charges against me?(IW)
Let us face each other!(IX)
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord(IY) who helps(IZ) me.
Who will condemn(JA) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths(JB) will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears(JC) the Lord
and obeys(JD) the word of his servant?(JE)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,(JF)
trust(JG) in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.
11 But now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves with flaming torches,(JH)
go, walk in the light of your fires(JI)
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(JJ)
You will lie down in torment.(JK)
Everlasting Salvation for Zion
51 “Listen(JL) to me, you who pursue righteousness(JM)
and who seek(JN) the Lord:
Look to the rock(JO) from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham,(JP) your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
and I blessed him and made him many.(JQ)
3 The Lord will surely comfort(JR) Zion(JS)
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(JT)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(JU)
her wastelands(JV) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(JW) will be found in her,
thanksgiving(JX) and the sound of singing.
4 “Listen to me, my people;(JY)
hear me,(JZ) my nation:
Instruction(KA) will go out from me;
my justice(KB) will become a light to the nations.(KC)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation(KD) is on the way,(KE)
and my arm(KF) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(KG) will look to me
and wait in hope(KH) for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(KI)
the earth will wear out like a garment(KJ)
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(KK) will last forever,(KL)
my righteousness will never fail.(KM)
7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,(KN)
you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(KO)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
or be terrified by their insults.(KP)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(KQ)
the worm(KR) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(KS)
my salvation through all generations.”
9 Awake, awake,(KT) arm(KU) of the Lord,
clothe yourself with strength!(KV)
Awake, as in days gone by,
as in generations of old.(KW)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(KX) to pieces,
who pierced that monster(KY) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(KZ)
the waters of the great deep,(LA)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(LB)
so that the redeemed(LC) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(LD) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(LE)
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(LF) will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(LG)
12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(LH) you.
Who are you that you fear(LI) mere mortals,(LJ)
human beings who are but grass,(LK)
13 that you forget(LL) the Lord your Maker,(LM)
who stretches out the heavens(LN)
and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(LO) every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(LP)
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(LQ)
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread.(LR)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea(LS) so that its waves roar(LT)—
the Lord Almighty(LU) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(LV)
and covered you with the shadow of my hand(LW)—
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,(LX)
and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(LY)’”
The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath
17 Awake, awake!(LZ)
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup(MA) of his wrath,(MB)
you who have drained to its dregs(MC)
the goblet that makes people stagger.(MD)
18 Among all the children(ME) she bore
there was none to guide her;(MF)
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand.(MG)
19 These double calamities(MH) have come upon you—
who can comfort you?(MI)—
ruin and destruction,(MJ) famine(MK) and sword(ML)—
who can[f] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,(MM)
like antelope caught in a net.(MN)
They are filled with the wrath(MO) of the Lord,
with the rebuke(MP) of your God.
21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted(MQ) one,
made drunk,(MR) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends(MS) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup(MT) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,(MU)
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate(MV) that we may walk(MW) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.”(MX)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
- Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.