Isaiah 43
New American Standard Bible
Israel Redeemed
43 But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your (A)Creator, Jacob,
And He who (B)formed you, Israel:
“Do not (C)fear, for I have (D)redeemed you;
I have (E)called you by name; you are (F)Mine!
2 When you (G)pass through the waters, (H)I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you (I)walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 For (J)I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your (K)Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
[a](L)Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Since you are (M)precious in My sight,
Since you are (N)honored and I (O)love you,
I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for (P)I am with you;
I will bring (Q)your offspring from the east,
And (R)gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the (S)north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My (T)sons from afar
And My daughters from the (U)ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is (V)called by My name,
And whom I have (W)created for My (X)glory,
(Y)Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is God’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are (Z)blind, even though they have eyes,
And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have (AA)gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can (AB)declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present (AC)their witnesses so (AD)that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are (AE)My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And (AF)My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that (AG)I am He.
(AH)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 (AI)savior (AJ)besides Me.
12 It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no (AK)strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God.
13 Even [b](AL)from eternity (AM)I am He,
And there is (AN)no one who can rescue from My hand;
(AO)I act, and who can reverse it?”
Babylon to Be Destroyed
14 This is what the Lord your (AP)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says:
“For your sake I have sent to Babylon,
And will bring them all down as fugitives,
[c]Even the (AQ)Chaldeans, into the (AR)ships [d]over which they rejoice.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
(AS)The Creator of Israel, your (AT)King.”
16 This is what the Lord says,
He who (AU)makes a way through the sea
And a path through the mighty waters,
17 Who brings out the (AV)chariot and the horse,
The army and the mighty man
(They will lie down together and not rise again;
They have been (AW)extinguished, and have gone out like a wick):
18 “(AX)Do not call to mind the former things,
Or consider things of the past.
19 Behold, I am going to do something (AY)new,
Now it will spring up;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even (AZ)make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will glorify Me,
The (BA)jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have (BB)given waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My chosen people.
21 The people whom (BC)I formed for Myself
(BD)Will declare My praise.
The Shortcomings of Israel
22 “Yet you have not called on Me, Jacob;
But you have become (BE)weary of Me, Israel.
23 You have (BF)not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings,
Nor have you (BG)honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not (BH)burdened you with [e]offerings,
Nor wearied you with (BI)incense.
24 You have not bought Me [f](BJ)sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
Rather, you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have (BK)wearied Me with your wrongdoings.
25 “I, I alone, am the one who (BL)wipes out your wrongdoings (BM)for My own sake,
And I will (BN)not remember your sins.
26 [g]Meet Me in court, (BO)let’s argue our case together;
State your cause, (BP)so that you may be proved right.
27 Your (BQ)first [h]forefather sinned,
And your [i](BR)spokesmen have rebelled against Me.
28 So I will profane the [j]officials of the sanctuary,
And I will turn Jacob over to (BS)destruction and Israel to (BT)abuse.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 43:3 Or Ethiopia
- Isaiah 43:13 As in LXX; MT from the day
- Isaiah 43:14 Another reading is As for the Chaldeans, their rejoicing is turned into mourning
- Isaiah 43:14 Lit of their rejoicing
- Isaiah 43:23 Or a meal offering
- Isaiah 43:24 Or calamus
- Isaiah 43:26 Or Report to Me
- Isaiah 43:27 Lit father
- Isaiah 43:27 Or interpreters
- Isaiah 43:28 Or holy princes
Isaiah 43
New Living Translation
The Savior of Israel
43 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia[a] and Seba in your place.
4 Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
5 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.
6 I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
7 Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
8 Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.
9 Gather the nations together!
Assemble the peoples of the world!
Which of their idols has ever foretold such things?
Which can predict what will happen tomorrow?
Where are the witnesses of such predictions?
Who can verify that they spoke the truth?
10 “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
there never has been, and there never will be.
11 I, yes I, am the Lord,
and there is no other Savior.
12 First I predicted your rescue,
then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.
No foreign god has ever done this.
You are witnesses that I am the only God,”
says the Lord.
13 “From eternity to eternity I am God.
No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
No one can undo what I have done.”
The Lord’s Promise of Victory
14 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon,
forcing the Babylonians[b] to flee in those ships they are so proud of.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator and King.
16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
making a dry path through the sea.
17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
18 “But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
19 For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
the jackals and owls, too,
for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed.
21 I have made Israel for myself,
and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
22 “But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.
You have grown tired of me, O Israel!
23 You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings.
You have not honored me with sacrifices,
though I have not burdened and wearied you
with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.
24 You have not brought me fragrant calamus
or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your faults.
25 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.
26 Let us review the situation together,
and you can present your case to prove your innocence.
27 From the very beginning, your first ancestor sinned against me;
all your leaders broke my laws.
28 That is why I have disgraced your priests;
I have decreed complete destruction[c] for Jacob
and shame for Israel.
Isaiah 43
The Voice
43 Eternal One: Remember who created you, O Jacob?
Who shaped you, O Israel?
See, you have nothing to fear. I, who made you, will take you back.
I have chosen you, named you as My own.
2 When you face stormy seas I will be there with you with endurance and calm;
you will not be engulfed in raging rivers.
If it seems like you’re walking through fire with flames licking at your limbs,
keep going; you won’t be burned.
3 Because I, the Eternal One, am your God.
I am the Holy One of Israel, and I will save you.
I have traded in nations to win you back,
Egypt, Cush, and Seba, in exchange for your freedom.
4 Because you are special to Me and I love you,
I gladly give up other peoples in exchange for you;
They are trivial by comparison to your weighty significance.
5-6 So don’t be afraid. I am here.
I will reunite you with your children,
bringing them back from wherever in the world they are—East, West, North, or South.
No place will be able to hold you when I demand your release, when I order them,
“Bring My children—My sons and daughters—from far away.
7 Bring the ones who are called by My name;
the ones I made, shaped, and created for My profound glory.”
8 Even though they fail and seem blind and deaf (and not for lack of eyes or ears),
bring them out.
9 All the nations gather together; peoples from all over the world assemble.
Who among them could have forseen this?
Let them call their witnesses to make their case, prove they are in the right—
that it is the truth.
10 Eternal One: You are My witnesses; You are My proof.
You whom I chose for special purpose, My servant,
in order that you would know Me, trust Me, be faithful to Me,
Understand that I alone am God; no god was formed before Me,
and there will be no god after Me.
11 I, I am the Eternal;
there is no Savior except for Me,
12 I alone told that this victory would happen. Then I saved you and made it known.
No other god worked among you—You know the truth.
You can testify that it is so; as I declare, I alone am God.
13 Indeed, from day one, I am He. No one can wrest another from My hand.
I make things happen; who can turn them around?
14 The Holy One of Israel, the Eternal One who redeemed you, says,
Eternal One: For your good, I will send another against Babylon
and make all of them outcasts from their own land;
The Chaldeans will set sail and try to escape on their celebrated ships.
15 For I am the Eternal, your Holy One. I am your King,
Creator of Israel, My people.
16 This is what the Eternal One says, the One who does the impossible,
the One who makes a path through the sea, a smooth road through tumultuous waters,
17 The One who drags out chariots and horses,
armies and warriors, and drowns them in the sea—
They will go down, never to rise again;
their lives are snuffed out like a candle wick:
The prophet appeals to a powerful memory: the exodus. He reminds God’s people—all descendants of slaves in Egypt—how God liberated them from oppression, how God devastated the powerful army that pursued them in order to take them back to the whip and lash, back to servitude in Egypt. Stories of the exodus have been told time after time for many generations; they are permanent fixtures in their minds. The prophet evokes these amazing memories to comfort them and assure them that what God is about to do is like what God did do for their ancestors centuries ago.
18 Eternal One: Don’t revel only in the past,
or spend all your time recounting the victories of days gone by.
19 Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak,
and you’re about to see it. I am preparing a way through the desert;
Waters will flow where there had been none.
20 Wild animals in the fields will honor Me;
the wild dogs and surly birds will join in.
There will be water enough for My chosen people,
trickling springs and clear streams running through the desert.
21 My people, the ones whom I chose and created for My own,
will sing My praise.
22 In truth, you never really called upon me, did you, Jacob, My people?
So how then could you be tired of Me, Israel, My own?
23 You didn’t present Me with sheep for burnt offerings
or acknowledge Me in sacrifices.
I didn’t tire you by demanding so many gifts of offerings and incense.
24 No sweet cane, no money or glorious excess have you given to Me.
You didn’t even try to satisfy Me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Instead, you tired Me with your sins—bloodshed and lies, crimes and offenses;
you wore Me down with all your belligerence and faults.
25 So let’s get this clear: it’s for My own sake that I save you.
I am He who wipes the slate clean and erases your wrongdoing.
I will not call to mind your sins anymore.
26 Now help Me remember. Let’s get this settled.
State your case, and prove to Me that you are in the right.
27 From the very beginning your founding father sinned,
then your leaders defied My laws and instructions.
28 So I brought disgrace on the princes of your sanctuary, your priests.
I turned them over to barbarian assault,
Leaving Jacob to the batterers, Israel to humiliation.
Isaías 43
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Dios, único libertador de Israel
43 Mas ahora, así dice el Señor tu Creador(A), oh Jacob,
Y el que te formó(B), oh Israel:
«No temas(C), porque Yo te he redimido(D),
Te he llamado por tu nombre(E); Mío eres tú(F).
2 Cuando pases por las aguas, Yo estaré contigo(G),
Y si por los ríos, no te cubrirán(H).
Cuando pases por el fuego, no te quemarás,
Ni la llama te abrasará[a](I).
3 Porque Yo soy el Señor tu Dios(J),
El Santo de Israel, tu Salvador(K);
He dado a Egipto por tu rescate,
A Cus[b](L) y a Seba en lugar tuyo.
4 Ya que eres precioso a Mis ojos(M),
Digno de honra(N), y Yo te amo(O),
Entregaré a otros hombres en lugar tuyo,
Y a otros pueblos por tu vida.
5 No temas, porque Yo estoy contigo(P);
Del oriente traeré tu descendencia[c](Q),
Y del occidente te reuniré(R).
6 Diré al norte: “Entrégalos”;
Y al sur(S): “No los retengas”.
Trae a Mis hijos desde lejos
Y a Mis hijas(T) desde los confines de la tierra(U),
7 A todo el que es llamado por Mi nombre(V)
Y a quien he creado para Mi gloria(W),
A quien he formado y[d] a quien he hecho(X)».
8 Saquen[e] al pueblo ciego, aunque tiene ojos,
Y a los sordos, aunque tienen oídos(Y).
9 Todas las naciones a una se han reunido
Y se han congregado los pueblos(Z).
¿Quién de ellos declarará esto
Y nos proclamará las cosas anteriores(AA)?
Que presenten sus testigos(AB) y que se justifiquen,
Que oigan y digan: «Es verdad(AC)».
10 «Ustedes son Mis testigos(AD)», declara el Señor,
«Y Mi siervo a quien he escogido(AE),
Para que me conozcan y crean en Mí,
Y entiendan que Yo soy(AF).
Antes de Mí no fue formado otro dios,
Ni después de Mí lo habrá(AG).
11 Yo, Yo soy el Señor,
Y fuera de Mí no hay salvador(AH).
12 Yo soy el que lo he anunciado, he salvado y lo he proclamado,
Y no hay entre ustedes dios extraño(AI).
Ustedes, pues, son Mis testigos», declara el Señor,
«Y Yo soy Dios.
13 Aun desde la eternidad[f](AJ), Yo soy(AK),
Y no hay quien libre de Mi mano(AL).
Yo actúo, ¿y quién lo revocará(AM)?».
14 Así dice el Señor su Redentor, el Santo de Israel(AN):
«Por su causa envié a Babilonia
E hice descender como fugitivos a todos ellos,
[g]Es decir, a los caldeos(AO), en las naves de las cuales se gloriaban[h](AP).
15 Yo soy el Señor, su Santo,
El Creador de Israel(AQ), su Rey(AR)».
16 Así dice el Señor,
Que abre camino en el mar
Y sendero en las aguas impetuosas(AS);
17 El que hace salir carro y caballo(AT),
Ejército y fuerza
(A una se echarán y no se levantarán,
Como mecha han sido apagados y extinguidos)(AU):
18 «No recuerden las cosas anteriores
Ni consideren las cosas del pasado(AV).
19 Yo hago algo nuevo(AW),
Ahora acontece;
¿No lo perciben?
Aun en los desiertos haré camino
Y ríos en los lugares desolados(AX).
20 Me glorificarán las bestias del campo,
Los chacales(AY) y los avestruces,
Porque he puesto aguas en los desiertos
Y ríos en los lugares desolados(AZ),
Para dar de beber a Mi pueblo escogido.
21 El pueblo que Yo he formado para Mí(BA)
Proclamará Mi alabanza(BB).
22 »Pero no me has invocado, Jacob,
Sino que te has cansado de Mí(BC), Israel.
23 No me has traído las ovejas de tus holocaustos(BD),
Ni me has honrado con tus sacrificios(BE).
No te he abrumado exigiendo[i] ofrendas de cereal(BF),
Ni te he cansado exigiendo[j] incienso(BG).
24 No me has comprado con dinero caña aromática[k](BH),
Ni con la grasa de tus sacrificios me has saciado.
Por el contrario me has abrumado con tus pecados,
Y me has cansado con tus iniquidades(BI).
25 »Yo, Yo soy el que borro tus transgresiones(BJ) por amor a Mí mismo(BK),
Y no recordaré tus pecados(BL).
26 Hazme recordar, discutamos juntos nuestro caso(BM);
Habla tú para justificarte(BN).
27 Tu primer padre(BO) pecó,
Y tus voceros[l] se rebelaron contra Mí(BP).
28 Por tanto, profanaré[m] a los príncipes del santuario[n],
Y entregaré a Jacob al anatema[o](BQ) y a Israel al oprobio(BR).
Footnotes
- Isaías 43:2 O arderá en ti.
- Isaías 43:3 O Etiopía.
- Isaías 43:5 Lit. simiente.
- Isaías 43:7 Lit. también.
- Isaías 43:8 Así en uno de los M.M.M.; en el T.M., Saca.
- Isaías 43:13 Así en la versión gr. (sept.); en heb. desde el día.
- Isaías 43:14 Otra posible lectura de esta línea es: en cuanto a los caldeos, su regocijo se convierte en lamentaciones.
- Isaías 43:14 Lit. de su regocijo.
- Isaías 43:23 Lit. con.
- Isaías 43:23 Lit. con.
- Isaías 43:24 O cálamo.
- Isaías 43:27 Lit. intérpretes.
- Isaías 43:28 O traspasaré.
- Isaías 43:28 O príncipes santos.
- Isaías 43:28 O a la destrucción.
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