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

The Servant of the Lord

49 Listen(A) to me, you islands;(B)
    hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(C) the Lord called(D) me;
    from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(E)
He made my mouth(F) like a sharpened sword,(G)
    in the shadow of his hand(H) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(I)
    and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, “You are my servant,(J)
    Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(K)
But I said, “I have labored in vain;(L)
    I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(M)
    and my reward(N) is with my God.”(O)

And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb(P) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel(Q) to himself,
for I am[a] honored(R) in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength(S)
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(T)
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(U)
I will also make you a light(V) for the Gentiles,(W)
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(X)

This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(Y)
to him who was despised(Z) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(AA) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,(AB)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(AC)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(AD) you.”

Restoration of Israel

This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor(AE) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;(AF)
I will keep(AG) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,(AH)
to restore the land(AI)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(AJ)
to say to the captives,(AK) ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness,(AL) ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
    and find pasture on every barren hill.(AM)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(AN)
    nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(AO)
He who has compassion(AP) on them will guide(AQ) them
    and lead them beside springs(AR) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
    and my highways(AS) will be raised up.(AT)
12 See, they will come from afar(AU)
    some from the north, some from the west,(AV)
    some from the region of Aswan.[b]

13 Shout for joy,(AW) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;(AX)
    burst into song, you mountains!(AY)
For the Lord comforts(AZ) his people
    and will have compassion(BA) on his afflicted ones.(BB)

14 But Zion(BC) said, “The Lord has forsaken(BD) me,
    the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child(BE) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!(BF)
16 See, I have engraved(BG) you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls(BH) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
    and those who laid you waste(BI) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
    all your children gather(BJ) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(BK)” declares the Lord,
    “you will wear(BL) them all as ornaments;
    you will put them on, like a bride.

19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(BM)
    and your land laid waste,(BN)
now you will be too small for your people,(BO)
    and those who devoured(BP) 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.’(BQ)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?(BR)
I was bereaved(BS) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.(BT)
    Who brought these(BU) up?
I was left(BV) all alone,(BW)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(BX) says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner(BY) to the peoples;
they will bring(BZ) your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.(CA)
23 Kings(CB) will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.(CC)
They will bow down(CD) before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust(CE) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(CF)
    those who hope(CG) in me will not be disappointed.(CH)

24 Can plunder be taken from warriors,(CI)
    or captives be rescued from the fierce[c]?

25 But this is what the Lord says:

“Yes, captives(CJ) will be taken from warriors,(CK)
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(CL)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(CM)
    and your children I will save.(CN)
26 I will make your oppressors(CO) eat(CP) their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood,(CQ) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(CR)
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(CS)
    your Redeemer,(CT) the Mighty One of Jacob.(CU)

Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(CV)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell(CW) you?
Because of your sins(CX) you were sold;(CY)
    because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
When I came, why was there no one?
    When I called, why was there no one to answer?(CZ)
Was my arm too short(DA) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength(DB) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(DC) I dry up the sea,(DD)
    I turn rivers into a desert;(DE)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
I clothe the heavens with darkness(DF)
    and make sackcloth(DG) its covering.”

The Sovereign Lord(DH) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(DI)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.(DJ)
He wakens me morning by morning,(DK)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(DL)
The Sovereign Lord(DM) has opened my ears;(DN)
    I have not been rebellious,(DO)
    I have not turned away.
I offered my back to those who beat(DP) me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(DQ)
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.(DR)
Because the Sovereign Lord(DS) helps(DT) me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(DU)
    and I know I will not be put to shame.(DV)
He who vindicates(DW) me is near.(DX)
    Who then will bring charges against me?(DY)
    Let us face each other!(DZ)
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
It is the Sovereign Lord(EA) who helps(EB) me.
    Who will condemn(EC) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths(ED) will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears(EE) the Lord
    and obeys(EF) the word of his servant?(EG)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,(EH)
trust(EI) 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,(EJ)
go, walk in the light of your fires(EK)
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(EL)
    You will lie down in torment.(EM)

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

51 “Listen(EN) to me, you who pursue righteousness(EO)
    and who seek(EP) the Lord:
Look to the rock(EQ) from which you were cut
    and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
look to Abraham,(ER) 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.(ES)
The Lord will surely comfort(ET) Zion(EU)
    and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(EV)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(EW)
    her wastelands(EX) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(EY) will be found in her,
    thanksgiving(EZ) and the sound of singing.

“Listen to me, my people;(FA)
    hear me,(FB) my nation:
Instruction(FC) will go out from me;
    my justice(FD) will become a light to the nations.(FE)
My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation(FF) is on the way,(FG)
    and my arm(FH) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(FI) will look to me
    and wait in hope(FJ) for my arm.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(FK)
    the earth will wear out like a garment(FL)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(FM) will last forever,(FN)
    my righteousness will never fail.(FO)

“Hear me, you who know what is right,(FP)
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(FQ)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.(FR)
For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(FS)
    the worm(FT) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(FU)
    my salvation through all generations.”

Awake, awake,(FV) arm(FW) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!(FX)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.(FY)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(FZ) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster(GA) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(GB)
    the waters of the great deep,(GC)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(GD)
    so that the redeemed(GE) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(GF) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;(GG)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(GH) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(GI)

12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(GJ) you.
    Who are you that you fear(GK) mere mortals,(GL)
    human beings who are but grass,(GM)
13 that you forget(GN) the Lord your Maker,(GO)
    who stretches out the heavens(GP)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(GQ) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(GR)
14     The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(GS)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.(GT)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea(GU) so that its waves roar(GV)
    the Lord Almighty(GW) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(GX)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand(GY)
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,(GZ)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(HA)’”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

17 Awake, awake!(HB)
    Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
    the cup(HC) of his wrath,(HD)
you who have drained to its dregs(HE)
    the goblet that makes people stagger.(HF)
18 Among all the children(HG) she bore
    there was none to guide her;(HH)
among all the children she reared
    there was none to take her by the hand.(HI)
19 These double calamities(HJ) have come upon you—
    who can comfort you?(HK)
ruin and destruction,(HL) famine(HM) and sword(HN)
    who can[d] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
    they lie at every street corner,(HO)
    like antelope caught in a net.(HP)
They are filled with the wrath(HQ) of the Lord,
    with the rebuke(HR) of your God.

21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted(HS) one,
    made drunk,(HT) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends(HU) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup(HV) 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,(HW)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate(HX) that we may walk(HY) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”(HZ)

52 Awake, awake,(IA) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!(IB)
Put on your garments of splendor,(IC)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.(ID)
The uncircumcised(IE) and defiled(IF)
    will not enter you again.(IG)
Shake off your dust;(IH)
    rise up,(II) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(IJ)
    Daughter Zion,(IK) now a captive.

For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,(IL)
    and without money(IM) you will be redeemed.(IN)

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt(IO) to live;
    lately, Assyria(IP) has oppressed them.

“And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,[e]
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.(IQ)
Therefore my people will know(IR) my name;(IS)
    therefore in that day(IT) they will know
that it is I who foretold(IU) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

How beautiful on the mountains(IV)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,(IW)
who proclaim peace,(IX)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”(IY)
Listen! Your watchmen(IZ) lift up their voices;(JA)
    together they shout for joy.(JB)
When the Lord returns(JC) to Zion,(JD)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
Burst into songs of joy(JE) together,
    you ruins(JF) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(JG) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(JH)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(JI)
    in the sight of all the nations,(JJ)
and all the ends of the earth(JK) will see
    the salvation(JL) of our God.

11 Depart,(JM) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!(JN)
Come out from it and be pure,(JO)
    you who carry the articles(JP) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(JQ)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(JR)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(JS)

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant(JT) will act wisely[f];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(JU)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(JV) at him[g]
    his appearance was so disfigured(JW) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness(JX)
15 so he will sprinkle(JY) many nations,[h]
    and kings(JZ) will shut their mouths(KA) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.(KB)

53 Who has believed our message(KC)
    and to whom has the arm(KD) of the Lord been revealed?(KE)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(KF)
    and like a root(KG) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(KH) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(KI) and familiar with pain.(KJ)
Like one from whom people hide(KK) their faces
    he was despised,(KL) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(KM)
yet we considered him punished by God,(KN)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(KO)
But he was pierced(KP) for our transgressions,(KQ)
    he was crushed(KR) for our iniquities;
the punishment(KS) that brought us peace(KT) was on him,
    and by his wounds(KU) we are healed.(KV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(KW)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(KX)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(KY) of us all.

He was oppressed(KZ) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(LA)
he was led like a lamb(LB) to the slaughter,(LC)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[i] and judgment(LD) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(LE)
    for the transgression(LF) of my people he was punished.[j]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(LG)
    and with the rich(LH) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(LI)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(LJ)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(LK) to crush(LL) him and cause him to suffer,(LM)
    and though the Lord makes[k] his life an offering for sin,(LN)
he will see his offspring(LO) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(LP) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(LQ)
    he will see the light(LR) of life[l] and be satisfied[m];
by his knowledge[n] my righteous servant(LS) will justify(LT) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(LU)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[o](LV)
    and he will divide the spoils(LW) with the strong,[p]
because he poured out his life unto death,(LX)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(LY)
For he bore(LZ) the sin of many,(MA)
    and made intercession(MB) for the transgressors.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
  2. Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
  3. Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
  4. Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
  5. Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
  6. Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
  7. Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
  8. Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
  9. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  10. Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
  11. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  12. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  13. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  14. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  15. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  16. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous