Category: Isaiah

Israel Encouraged

1 “Listen to Me in silence, you islandsandcoastlands,

And let the nations gain their strength;

Let them come near, then let them speak;

Let us come together for judgment [and decide the issue between us concerning the enemy from the east].

2 Who has stirred upandput into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great]

Whom He calls in righteousness to His serviceandwhom victory meets at every step?

The Lordturns nations over to him

And subdues kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.

3 He (Cyrus) pursues them and passes along safely,

By a way his feet had not traveled before.

4 Who has performed and done this,

Calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning?

‘I, the Lord—the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.’ ”

5 The islandsandcoastlands have seen and they fear;

The ends of the earth tremble;

They have drawn near and have come.

6 They each help his neighbor

And say to his brother [as he fashions his idols], “Be of good courage!”

7 So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith,

And he who smoothsmetalwith the smith’s hammerencourageshim who beats the anvil,

Saying of the soldering (welding), “That is good”;

And he fastens the idol with nails,

So that it will not totternorbe moved.

8 “But you, Israel, My servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

The offspring of Abraham My friend,

9 You whom I [the Lord] havetaken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its remotest parts

And said to you, ‘You are My servant,

I have chosen you and have not rejected you [even though you are exiled].

10 Do not fear [anything], for I am with you;

Do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;

I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’

11 Indeed, all those who are angry with you will be put to shame and humiliated;

Those who strive against you will be as nothing and will perish.

12 You shall search for those who quarrel with you, but will not find them;

They who war against you will be as nothing, as nothing at all.

13 For I the Lordyour God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord],

Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;

I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 In fact, I have made of you a new, sharpthreshing implement with sharp edges;

You will thresh the mountains and crush them,

And make the hills like chaff.

16 You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,

And a high wind will scatter them;

But you will rejoice in the Lord,

You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 “The poor and needy are seeking water, but there is none;

Their tongues are parched with thirst.

I, the Lord, will answer them Myself;

I, the God of Israel, will not neglect them.

18 I will open rivers on the barren heights

And springs in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a reed-pool of water

And the dry land springs of water.

19 I will put the cedar in the wilderness,

The acacia, the myrtle and the olive tree;

I will place the juniper in the desert

Together with the box tree and the cypress,

20 So that they may see and know,

And consider and understand together,

That the hand of the Lordhas done this,

That the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21 “Present your case [for idols made by men’s hands],” says the Lord.

“Produce your evidence [of divinity],”

Says the king of Jacob.

22 Let them bring forward [their evidence] and tell us what is going to happen.

Regarding the former events, tell what they were,

That we may consider them and know their outcome;

Or announce to us the things that are going to come.

23 Tell us the things that are to come afterward,

That we may know that you are gods;

Indeed, you should dosomethinggood or do evil,that we may be afraid and fear [you] together [as we observe the miracle].

24 Hear this! You [idols] are less than nothing,

And your work is worthless;

The worshiper who chooses you [as a god] is repulsive.

25 “I have stirred upandput into actionone from the north [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great], and he has come;

From the rising of the sun he will call on My Name [in prayer].

And he will trample on [the Babylonian] officials as on mortar,

Even as a potter treads clay.”

26 Who [among the idols] has declared this from the beginning, so that we could know?

Or from earlier times, so that we could say,“He is[unquestionably] right!”?

In fact, there was no one who declared it,

Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it;

There was no one at all who heard you speak [for you pagan gods are speechless].

27 “I was first to say to Zion, ‘Listen carefully, here they are [the Jews who will be restored to their own land].’

And to Jerusalem, ‘I will provide a messenger (Isaiah) to bring the good news [that Cyrus will be stirred upandput into action to save them].’

28 But when I look [on the pagan prophets and priests], there is no one [who could predict these events],

And there is no counseloramong them,

Who, if I ask, can give an answer.

29 In fact, all of these [pagan prophets and priests] are false;

Their works are worthless,

Their cast images are [merely] wind and emptiness.

God’s Promise concerning His Servant

1 “Behold, MyServant, whom Iuphold;

My Chosen Onein whomMy soul delights.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 He will not call out or shout aloud,

Nor make His voice heard in the street.

3 A broken reed He will not break [off]

And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish [He will not harm those who are weak and suffering];

He will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 He will not be disheartened or crushed [in spirit];

[He will persevere] until He has established justice on the earth;

And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

5 This is what God the Lordsays,

He who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who spread out the earth and its produce,

Who gives breath to the people on it

And spirit to those who walk on it,

6 “I am the Lord, I have called You (the Messiah) in righteousness [for a righteous purpose],

I will also take You by the hand and keep watch over You,

And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people [Israel],

As a light to the nations (Gentiles),

7 To open the eyes of the blind,

To bring out prisoners from the dungeon

And those who sit in darkness from the prison.

8 I am the Lord, that is My Name;

My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved idols.

9 Indeed, the former things have come to pass,

Now I declare new things;

Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

10 Sing to the Lorda new song,

SingHis praise from the end of the earth!

You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

You islandsandcoastlands, and those who inhabit them [sing His praise]!

11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift uptheir voices,

The villages where Kedar lives.

Let the inhabitants ofSela shout for joy,

Let them shout joyfully from the tops of the mountains.

12 Let them give glory to the Lord

And declare His praise in the islandsandcoastlands.

13 The Lordwill go forth like a warrior,

He will stir upHiszeal like a man of war;

He will shout out, yes, He will raise a war cry.

He will prevail [mightily] against His enemies.

The Blindness of the People

14 “I [the Lord] have been silent for a long time,

I have been still and restrained Myself.

NowI will moan like a woman in labor,

I will both gasp and pant.

15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills

And wither all their vegetation;

I will turn the rivers into coastlands

And dry up the ponds.

16 I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;

I will guide them in paths that they do not know.

I will make darkness into light before them

And rugged places into plains.

These things I will do [for them],

And I will not leave them abandonedorundone.”

17 Those who trust in carved idols will be turned back,

And utterly put to shame,

Who say to cast images,

“You are our gods.”

18 Hear, you deaf!

And look, you blind, that you may see.

19 Who is blind but My servant [Israel],

Or deaf like My messenger whom I send?

Who is blind like the one who is at peacewith Me[in a covenant relationship],

Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;

Yourears are open, but no one hears.

21 The Lordwas pleased for His righteousness’ sake

To make the law great and prove to be glorious.

22 But this is a people despoiled and plundered;

All of them are trapped in holes,

Or are hidden away in prisons.

They have become a prey with no one to rescue them,

And a spoil, with no one to say, “Give them back!”

23 Who among you will listen to this?

Who will listen and pay attention in the time to come?

24 Who gave up Jacob [the kingdom of Judah] for spoil, and [the kingdom of] Israel to the plunderers?

Was it not the Lord, He against whom we [of Judah] have sinned,

And in whose ways they [of Israel] were unwilling to walk,

And whose lawandteaching they did not obey?

25 Therefore He poured out on Israel the heat of His anger

And the fierceness of battle;

And engulfed him in fire,

Yet he did not recognize [the lesson of repentance which the Assyrian conquest was intended to teach];

It burned him, but he did not take it to heart.

Israel Redeemed

1 But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.

3 For I am the Lordyour God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom,

Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you.

4 Because you are precious in My sight,

You are honored and I love you,

I will giveothermen in return for you andotherpeoples in exchange for your life.

5 Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are scattered],

And gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring My sons from far way

And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

7 Everyone who is called by My Name,

Whom I have created for My glory,

Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Israel Is God’s Witness

8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,

And the deaf, even though they have ears.

9 All the nations have gathered together

So that the peoples may be assembled.

Who among them (the idolaters) canpredict this [that Judah would return from captivity]

And proclaim to us the former events?

Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified,

Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], “It is the truth.”

10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,

“And My servant whom I have chosen,

That you may know and believe Me

And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no God formed,

And there will be none after Me.

11 I, [only] I, am the Lord,

And there is no Savior besides Me.

12 I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God],

And there was no strange (alien)godamong you;

Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans],” declares the Lord,

“That I am God.

13 Even from eternity I am He,

And there is no one who can rescue from My hand;

I act, and who can revokeorreverse it?”

Babylon to Be Destroyed

14 This is what the Lordyour Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,

“For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon,

And I will bring down all of them as fugitives,

Even the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon], into the shipsover which they rejoiced.

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,

The Creator of Israel, your King.”

16 This is what the Lordsays,

He who makes a way through the sea

And a path through the mighty waters,

17 He who brings out the chariot and the horse,

The army and the mightywarrior,

(They will lie down together, they will not rise again;

They have been extinguished, they have been put out like alamp’swick):

18 “Do not remember the former things,

Or ponder the things of the past.

19 Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even put a road in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

20 The beasts of the field will honor Me,

Jackals and ostriches,

Because I have given waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My people, My chosen.

21 The people whom I formed for Myself

Will make known My praise.

The Shortcomings of Israel

22 “Yet you have not called on Me [in prayer and worship], O Jacob;

But you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.

23 You have not brought Me your sheeporgoats for your burnt offerings,

Nor honored Me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you with offerings,

Nor wearied you with [demands for offerings of] incense.

24 You have not bought Me sweet cane with money,

Nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices;

But you have burdened Me with your sins,

You have wearied Me with your wickedness.

25 “I,onlyI, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,

And I will not remember your sins.

26 Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us pleadandargue our case together;

State yourposition,that you may be proved right.

27 Your first father [Jacob] sinned,

And your spokesmen [the priests and the prophets—your mediators] have transgressed against Me.

28 So I willprofane the officials of the sanctuary,

And I will consign Jacob to destruction and [I will subject] Israel to defamationandabuse.

The Blessings of Israel

1 “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,

And Israel, whom I have chosen:

2 This is what the Lordwho made you

And formed you from the womb, who will help you says,

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;

And Jeshurun (Israel, the upright one) whom I have chosen.

3 For I will pour out water on him who is thirsty,

And streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring

And My blessing on your descendants;

4 And they will spring up among the grass

Like willows by the streams of water.’

5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;

And another will name himself after Jacob;

And another will write on his hand, ‘I am the Lord’s,’

And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel.

6 “For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lordof hosts says this,

‘I am the First and I am the Last;

And there is no God besides Me.

7 Who is like Me? Let him proclaim it and declare it;

Yes, let him confront Me,

Since I established the people of antiquity.

And let them [those supposed gods] tell those people [who foolishly follow them] the things to come

And the events that are going to take place.

8 Do not tremble nor be afraid [of the violent upheavals to come];

Have I not long ago proclaimed it to you and declared it?

And you are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

There is nootherRock;

I know of none.’ ”

The Folly of Idolatry

9 All who make carved idols are nothing. Their precious objects are worthless [to them], and their own witnesses (worshipers) fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame.

10 Who has made a god or cast an idol which is profitable for nothing?

11 In fact, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble, let them stand up, let them be terrified, let them together be put to shame.

12 The ironsmith shapes ironanduses a chisel and works it over the coals. He forms the [idol’s] core with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He also becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and grows tired.

13 The carpenter stretches out a measuring line, he marks out the shape [of the idol] with red chalk; he works it with planes and outlines it with the compass; and he makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, that it may sit in a house.

14 He cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain nourishes it.

15 Then it becomesfuelfor a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god [from the same wood] and worships it. He makes it into a carved idol [with his own hands] and falls down and worships it!

16 He burns half of the wood in the fire; over this half he [cooks and] eats meat, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

17 But from what is left of the wood he makes a god, his carved idol. He falls down before it, he worships it and prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”

18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for God has muddied their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts (minds)as wellso that they cannot understand.

19 No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!”

20 That kind of man (the idolater) feeds on ashes [and is satisfied with ashes]! A deceived mind has led him astray, so that he cannot save himself, or ask, “Is this thing [that I am holding] in my right hand not a lie?”

God Forgives and Redeems

21 “Remember [the foolishness of] these things, O Jacob

And Israel, for you are My servant!

I formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

22 I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud

And your sins like a heavy mist.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

23 Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lordhas done it!

Shout in triumph, you depths of the earth;

Break forth into jubilant rejoicing, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!

For the Lordhas redeemed Jacob,

And He shows His glory in Israel.

24 For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says this,

“I am the Lord, Maker of all things,

Who alone stretches out the heavens,

Who spreads out the earthby Myself,

25 Frustrating the signsandconfounding the omens of boasters (false prophets),

Making fools out offortune-tellers,

Counteracting the wise

And making their knowledge ridiculous,

26 Confirming the word of His servant

And carrying out the plan of His messengers.

It is Iwho says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be inhabited!’

And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall [again] be built.’

And I will raise upandrestore her ruins.

27 It is Iwho says to the deep, ‘Be dried up!’

And I will make your rivers dry.

28 It is Iwho says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler),

And he will carry out all that I desire—’

Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,’

And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.’ ”

God Uses Cyrus

1 This is what the Lordsays to His anointed, to Cyrus [king of Persia],

Whose right hand I have held

To subdue nations before him,

And I will ungird the loins of kings [disarming them];

To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

2 “I will go before you and level the mountains;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures]

And the hidden riches of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

4 For the sake of Jacob My servant,

And of Israel My chosen,

I have also called you by your name;

I have given you an honorable name

Though you have not known Me.

5 I am the Lord, and there is no one else;

There is no God except Me.

I will embraceandarm you, though you have not known Me,

6 That people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun [the world over]

That there is no one except Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other,

7 The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing peace and creating disaster;

I am the Lordwho does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

8 “Rain down, O heavens, from above,

Let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God];

Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit,

And righteousness spring up with it;

I, the Lord, have created it.

9 “Woe (judgment is coming) to him who quarrels with his Maker—

A [worthless] piece of broken pottery among other broken pieces [equally worthless]!

Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’

Or does the thing say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 Woe (judgment is coming) to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’

Or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’ ”

11 For the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker says this,

“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,

And give Me orders concerning the work of My hands.

12 I made the earth and created man upon it.

My hands, stretched out the heavens,

And I commanded all their host.

13 I have stirred up Cyrusandput him into action in righteousness [to accomplish My purpose]

And I will make all his ways smooth;

He will build My city and let My exiles go,

Without any payment or reward,” says the Lordof hosts.

14 For this is what the Lordsays,

“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush (ancient Ethiopia)

And the Sabeans, men of stature,

Will come over to you and they will be yours;

They will walk behind you, in chains [of subjection to you] they will come over,

And they will bow down before you;

They will make supplication to you, [humbly and earnestly]saying,

‘Most certainly God is with you, and there is no other,

No other God [besides Him].’ ”

15 Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,

O God of Israel, Savior!

16 They will be put to shame and also humiliated, all of them;

They who make idols will go away together in humiliation.

17 Israel has been saved by the Lord

With an everlasting salvation;

You will not be put to shame or humiliated

for all eternity.

18 For the Lord, who created the heavens(He is God, who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited) says this,

“I am the Lord, and there is no one else.

19 I have not spoken in secret,

In a corner of a land of darkness;

I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,

‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’

I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words],

Declaring things that are upright.

20 “Assemble yourselves and come;

Come together, you survivors of the nations!

They are ignorant,

Who carry around their wooden idols [in religious processions or into battle]

And keep on praying to a god that cannot save them.

21 Declare and presentyour defense of idols;

Indeed, let them consult together.

Who announced this [rise of Cyrus and his conquests] long beforeit happened?

Who declared it long ago?

Was it not I, the Lord?

And there is no other God besides Me,

A [consistently and uncompromisingly] justandrighteous God and a Savior;

There is none except Me.

22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;

For I am God, and there is no other.

23 I have sworn [an oath] by Myself,

The word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness

And shall not return,

That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance].

24 It shall be said of Me, ‘Only in the Lordare righteousness and strength.’

To Him people will come,

And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.

25 In the Lordall the offspring of Israel

Will be justified (declared free of guilt) and will glory [in God].”

Babylon’s Idols and the True God

1 Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;

Their idols are on the beasts [of burden] and on the cattle.

Your burdens [of idols] are loaded [on them],

Burdens on the wearyanimals.

2 They stooped over, they have bowed down together;

They could not rescue the burden [of their own idols],

But have themselves gone into captivity.

3 “Listen to Me,” [says the Lord], “O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

You who have been carriedby Mefrom your birth

And have been carried [in My arms] from the womb,

4 Even toyourold age I am He,

And even toyouradvanced old age I will carry you!

I have madeyou,and I will carryyou;

Be assured I will carryyouand I will saveyou.

5 “To whom would you liken Me

And make Me equal and compare Me,

That we may be alike?

6 Those who lavish gold from the bag

And weigh out silver on the scales

Hire a goldsmith, and he makes itintoa god;

They bow down, indeed they worship it.

7 They lift it on their shoulders [in religious processions or into battle] and carry it;

They set it in its place andthereit remains standing.

It cannot move from its place.

Even if one cries to it [for help], the idol cannot answer;

It cannot save him from his distress.

8 “Remember this, and take courage;

Take it to heart, you rebelliousanddisloyal people.

9 Remember [carefully] the former things [which I did] from ages past;

For I am God, and there is no one else;

I amGod, and there is no one like Me,

10 Declaring the endandthe result from the beginning,

And from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done,

Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,

And I will do all that pleases Meandfulfills My purpose,’

11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,

From a far country, the man (Cyrus) of My purpose.

Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it,be assuredI will do it.

12 “Listen to Me, you stiff-neckedpeople,

You who are far from righteousness (right standing with God).

13 I bring near My righteousness [in the salvation of Israel], it is not far away;

And My salvation will not delay.

And I will grant salvation in Zion,

And My glory for Israel.

Lament for Babylon

1 “Come down and sit in the dust,

O virgin daughter of Babylon;

Sit on the ground [in abject humiliation]; there is no thronefor you,

O daughter of theChaldeans,

For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.

2 Take millstones [as a female slave does] and grind meal;

Remove your veil, strip off the skirt,

Uncover the leg, cross the rivers [at the command of your captors].

3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,

Your shame will also be exposed;

I will take vengeance and will spare no man.”

4 Our Redeemer [will do all this], the Lordof hosts is His name,

The Holy One of Israel.

5 “Sit in silence, and go into darkness,

O daughter of the Chaldeans;

For you will no longer be called

The queen of kingdoms.

6 I was angry with My people,

I profaned [Judah] My inheritance

And gave them into your hand [Babylon].

You showed them no mercy;

You made your yoke very heavy on the aged.

7 And you said, ‘I shall be a queen forevermore.’

You did not consider these things,

Nor did you [seriously] remember the [ultimate] outcome of such conduct.

8 “Now, then, hear this, you who live a luxuriant life,

You who dwell safelyandsecurely,

Who say in your heart (mind),

‘I am [the queen], and there is no one besides me.

I shall not sit as a widow,

Nor know the loss of children.’

9 But these two things shall come to you abruptly, in one day:

Loss of children and widowhood.

They will come on you in full measure

In spite of your many [claims of power through your] sorceries,

In spite of the great power of your enchantments.

10 For you [Babylon] have trustedandfelt confident in your wickedness; you have said,

‘No one sees me.’

Your wisdom and your knowledge have led you astray,

And you have said in your heart (mind),

‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’

11 Therefore disaster will come on you;

You will not know how to make it disappear [with your magic].

And disaster will fall on you

For which you cannot atone [with all your offerings to your gods];

And destruction about which you do not know

Will come on you suddenly.

12 “Persist, then, [Babylon] in your enchantments

And your many sorceries

With which you have labored from your youth;

Perhaps you will be able to profit [from them],

Perhaps you may prevailandcause trembling.

13 Youare wearied by your many counsels.

Just let the astrologers,

The stargazers,

Those who predict by the new moons [each month]

Stand up and save you from the things that will come upon you [Babylon].

14 In fact, they are like stubble;

Fire burns them.

They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame [much less save the nation],

There is no blazing coal for warming

Nor fire before which to sit!

15 This is how they have become to you, those [astrologers and sorcerers] with whom you have labored,

Those who have done business with you from your youth;

Each has wandered in his own way.

There is no one to save you.

Israel’s Obstinacy

1 “Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel

And who come from theseed of Judah,

You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the Lord

And invoke the God of Israel,

Butnot in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].

2 For they call themselves [citizens of Jerusalem] after the holy city

And depend on the God of Israel;

The Lordof hosts is His name.

3 I have declared the former things [which happened to Israel] in times past;

They went forth from My mouth and I proclaimed them;

Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

4 Because I know that you are obstinate,

And your neck is an iron tendon

And your brow is bronze [both unyielding],

5 I have declared them to you long ago;

Before they came to pass I announced them to you,

So that you could not say, ‘My idol has done them,

And my carved image and my cast image have commanded them.’

6 You have heard [these things foretold]; look at all this [that has been fulfilled].

And you, will you not declare it?

I proclaim to you [specific] new things from this time,

Evenhidden things which you have not known.

7 They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word] and not long ago;

And before today you have not heard of them,

So that you will not say, ‘Oh yes! I knew them.’

8 You have not heard, you have not known;

Even from long ago your ear has not been open.

For I [the Lord] knew that you [Israel] would act very treacherously;

You have been called a transgressoranda rebel from birth.

9 For the sake of My Name I refrain from My wrath,

AndforMy praise I restrain Myself from you,

So that I do not cut you off.

10 Indeed, I have refined you, but not assilver;

I have testedandchosen you in the furnace of affliction.

11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it [I refrain and do not completely destroy you];

For how canMy Namebe defiledandprofaned [as it would if My chosen people were completely destroyed]?

And I will not give My glory to another [by permitting the worshipers of idols to triumph over you].

End of Captivity Promised

12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called;

I am He, I am the First, I am the Last.

13 My hand foundedandestablished the earth,

And My right hand spread out the heavens;

When I call to them, they stand together [in obedience to carry out My decrees].

14 Assemble, all of you, and listen!

Who among them [the idols and Chaldean astrologers] has declared these things?

The Lordloves him (Cyrus of Persia); he will do His pleasureandpurpose against Babylon,

And his armwill be againstthe Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon].

15 I, even I, have spoken; indeed, I have called Cyrus;

I have brought him, and will make his way successful.

16 Come near to Me, listen to this:

From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,

From the time that it happened, I was there.

And now the Lord Godhas sent Me, and His [Holy] Spirit.”

17 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,

“I am the Lordyour God, who teaches you to profit (benefit),

Who leads you in the way that you should go.

18 Oh, that you had paid attention to My commandments!

Then your peaceandprosperity would have been like a [flowing] river,

And your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.

19 Your offspring would have been like the sand,

And your descendants [in number] like the grains of sand;

Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”

20 Get out of Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans [who reign there]!

Declare with a voice of jubilation, proclaim this,

Send it out to the end of the earth;

Say, “The Lordhas redeemed His servant Jacob.”

21 They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts.

He made the waters flow out of the rock for them;

He split the rock and the waters flowed.

22 “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.

Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth

1 Listen toMe, O islandsandcoastlands,

And pay attention, you peoples from far away.

The Lordhas called Me from the womb;

From the body of My mother He has named Me.

2 He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,

In the shadow of His hand He has kept Me hidden;

And He has made Me a sharpened arrow,

In His quiver He has hidden Me.

3 And [the Lord] said to Me, “You are MyServant, Israel,

In Whom I will show My glory.”

4 Then I said, “I have labored in vain,

I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity (pride, uselessness);

However My justice is with the Lord,

And My reward is with My God.”

5 And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

To bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him,

—For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,

And My God is My strength—

6 He says, “It is too trivial a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore thesurvivors of Israel;

I will also make You a light to the nations

That My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One says,

To the thoroughly despised One,

To the One hated by the nation

To the Servant of rulers,

“Kings will see and arise,

Princes shall also bow down,

Because of the Lordwho is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

8 This is what the Lordsays,

“In afavorable time I have answered You,

And in a day of salvation I have helped You;

And I will keep watch over You and give You for a covenant of the people,

To restore the land [from its present state of ruin] and to apportionandgive as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands,

9 Saying to those who are boundandcaptured, ‘Go forth,’

And to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, ‘Show yourselves [come into the light of the Savior].’

They will feed along the roads [on which they travel],

And their pastures will be on all the bare heights.

10 They will not hunger or thirst,

Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;

For He who has compassion on them will lead them,

And He will guide them to springs of water.

11 And I will make all My mountains a roadway,

And My highways will be raised.

12 In fact, these will come from far away;

And, lo, theseshall comefrom the north and from the west,

And these from the land ofAswan (southern Egypt).”

13 Shout for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,

And break forth into singing, O mountains!

For the Lordhas comforted His people

And will have compassion on His afflicted.

Promise to Zion

14 But Zion (Jerusalem in captivity) said, “The Lordhas abandoned me,

And my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 [The Lordanswered] “Can a woman forget her nursing child

And have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

16 Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on thepalmsof My hands;

Your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me.

17 Yourbuilders hurry;

Your destroyers and devastators

Will go away from you.

18 Lift up your eyes and look around [at the returning exiles];

All these gather together and they come to you [to rebuild you].

As I live,” declares the Lord,

“You [Zion] will indeed clothe yourself with all of them as jewels and tie them on as a bride.

19 For your ruins and desolate places and your land [once the scene] of destruction—

Certainly now [in the coming years] will be too cramped for the inhabitants,

And those whoonceengulfed you will be far away.

20 The children of your bereavement [those born in captivity] will yet say in your ears,

‘The place is too cramped for me’;

Make room for me that I may livehere.

21 Then [Zion], you will say in your heart,

‘Who has borne me thesechildren,

Since I have been bereaved of my children

And am barren, an exile and a wanderer?

And who has reared these?

Indeed, I was left alone;

From where then did thesechildrencome?’ ”

22 This is what the Lord Godsays,

“Listen carefully, I will lift up My hand to the [Gentile] nations

And set up My banner to the peoples;

And they will bring your sons in the fold of their garments,

And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

23 Kings will be your attendants,

And their princesses your nurses.

They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth

And lick the dust of your feet;

And you shall know [with an understanding based on personal experience] that I am the Lord;

For they shall not be put to shame who waitandhope expectantly for Me.

24 “Can the spoils of war be taken from the mighty man,

Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?”

25 Indeed, this is what the Lordsays,

“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,

And the tyrant’s spoils of war will be rescued;

For I will contend with your opponent,

And I will save your children.

26 I will make those who oppress you consume their own flesh [in mutually destructive wars]

And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;

And allmankind will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the Lord, am your Savior

And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

God Helps His Servant

1 The Lorddeclares this;

“Where is the certificate of divorce

By which I have sent your mother away, [O Israel]?

Or to which one of My creditors did I sell you [as slaves]?

In fact, You were sold for your wickedness [your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing],

And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

2 Why, when I came, was there no man [to greet Me]?

When I called, why was there no one to answer?

Is My hand really so short that it cannot redeem [My servants]?

Or have I no power to rescue?

Listen carefully, with My rebuke I dry up the sea,

I make the rivers into a desert;

Their fish stink because there is no water

And die of thirst.

3 I clothe the heavens with the blackness [of storm clouds]

And make sackcloth [of mourning] their clothing.”

4 The Lord Godhas given Me [HisServant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught],

That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.

He awakensMemorning by morning,

He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple [as One who is taught].

5 The Lord Godhas opened My ear,

And I have not been rebellious

Nor have I turned back.

6 I turned My back to those who strikeMe,

And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;

I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.

7 For the Lord Godhelps Me,

Therefore, I have not been ashamedorhumiliated.

Therefore, I have made My face like flint,

And I know that I shall not be put to shame.

8 He who declares Me in the right is near;

Who will [dare to] contend with Me?

Let us stand up to each other;

Who is My adversary?

Let him approach Me.

9 In fact, the Lord Godhelps Me;

Who is he who condemns Me [as guilty]?

Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment;

The moth will eat them.

10 Who is among you who fears the Lord,

Who obeys the voice of His Servant,

Yet who walks in darkness and has no light?

Let him trustandbe confident in the name of the Lordand let him rely on his God.

11 Listen carefully, all you who kindle your own fire [devising your own man-made plan of salvation],

Who surround yourselves with torches,

Walk by the light of your [self-made] fire

And among the torches that you have set ablaze.

But this you will have from My hand:

You will lie down in [a place of] torment.