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.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,(MC)
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(MD)
    you who were never in labor;(ME)
because more are the children(MF) of the desolate(MG) woman
    than of her who has a husband,(MH)
says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,(MI)
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.(MJ)
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants(MK) will dispossess nations(ML)
    and settle in their desolate(MM) cities.

“Do not be afraid;(MN) you will not be put to shame.(MO)
    Do not fear disgrace;(MP) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(MQ)
    and remember no more the reproach(MR) of your widowhood.(MS)
For your Maker(MT) is your husband(MU)
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(MV) of Israel is your Redeemer;(MW)
    he is called the God of all the earth.(MX)
The Lord will call you back(MY)
    as if you were a wife deserted(MZ) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(NA)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment(NB) I abandoned(NC) you,
    but with deep compassion(ND) I will bring you back.(NE)
In a surge of anger(NF)
    I hid(NG) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(NH)
    I will have compassion(NI) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.(NJ)

“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(NK)
So now I have sworn(NL) not to be angry(NM) with you,
    never to rebuke(NN) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(NO)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(NP) for you will not be shaken(NQ)
    nor my covenant(NR) of peace(NS) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion(NT) on you.

11 “Afflicted(NU) city, lashed by storms(NV) and not comforted,(NW)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[q](NX)
    your foundations(NY) with lapis lazuli.(NZ)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates(OA) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(OB)
    and great will be their peace.(OC)
14 In righteousness(OD) you will be established:(OE)
Tyranny(OF) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.(OG)
Terror(OH) will be far removed;
    it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
    whoever attacks you will surrender(OI) to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(OJ)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon(OK) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(OL) to wreak havoc;
17     no weapon forged against you will prevail,(OM)
    and you will refute(ON) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(OO) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication(OP) from me,”
declares the Lord.

Invitation to the Thirsty

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(OQ)
    come to the waters;(OR)
and you who have no money,
    come, buy(OS) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(OT)
    without money and without cost.(OU)
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?(OV)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(OW)
    and you will delight in the richest(OX) of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
    listen,(OY) that you may live.(OZ)
I will make an everlasting covenant(PA) with you,
    my faithful love(PB) promised to David.(PC)
See, I have made him a witness(PD) to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander(PE) of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations(PF) you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,(PG)
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One(PH) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”(PI)

Seek(PJ) the Lord while he may be found;(PK)
    call(PL) on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake(PM) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.(PN)
Let them turn(PO) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(PP) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(PQ)

“For my thoughts(PR) are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”(PS)
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,(PT)
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.(PU)
10 As the rain(PV) and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(PW)
    so that it yields seed(PX) for the sower and bread for the eater,(PY)
11 so is my word(PZ) that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,(QA)
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose(QB) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(QC)
    and be led forth in peace;(QD)
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song(QE) before you,
and all the trees(QF) of the field
    will clap their hands.(QG)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers(QH) the myrtle(QI) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(QJ)
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice(QK)
    and do what is right,(QL)
for my salvation(QM) is close at hand
    and my righteousness(QN) will soon be revealed.
Blessed(QO) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(QP) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

Let no foreigner(QQ) who is bound to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(QR)
And let no eunuch(QS) complain,
    “I am only a dry tree.”

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs(QT) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant(QU)
to them I will give within my temple and its walls(QV)
    a memorial(QW) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(QX)
    that will endure forever.(QY)
And foreigners(QZ) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister(RA) to him,
to love the name(RB) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(RC) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain(RD)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(RE)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.(RF)(RG)
The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(RH) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

Come, all you beasts of the field,(RI)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(RJ) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;(RK)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.(RL)
11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds(RM) who lack understanding;(RN)
    they all turn to their own way,(RO)
    they seek their own gain.(RP)
12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!(RQ)
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
    or even far better.”(RR)

57 The righteous perish,(RS)
    and no one takes it to heart;(RT)
the devout are taken away,
    and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
    to be spared from evil.(RU)
Those who walk uprightly(RV)
    enter into peace;
    they find rest(RW) as they lie in death.

“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(RX)
    you offspring of adulterers(RY) and prostitutes!(RZ)
Who are you mocking?
    At whom do you sneer
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(SA)
    the offspring of liars?
You burn with lust among the oaks(SB)
    and under every spreading tree;(SC)
you sacrifice your children(SD) in the ravines
    and under the overhanging crags.
The idols(SE) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
    indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(SF)
    and offered grain offerings.
    In view of all this, should I relent?(SG)
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(SH)
    there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(SI)
Behind your doors and your doorposts
    you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
    you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,(SJ)
    and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(SK)
You went to Molek[r](SL) with olive oil
    and increased your perfumes.(SM)
You sent your ambassadors[s](SN) far away;
    you descended to the very realm of the dead!(SO)
10 You wearied(SP) yourself by such going about,
    but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(SQ)
You found renewal of your strength,(SR)
    and so you did not faint.

11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(SS)
    that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(ST) me
    nor taken this to heart?(SU)
Is it not because I have long been silent(SV)
    that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(SW)
    and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(SX) for help,
    let your collection of idols save(SY) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
    a mere breath will blow(SZ) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(TA) in me
    will inherit the land(TB)
    and possess my holy mountain.”(TC)

Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(TD)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(TE)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(TF) One says—
    he who lives forever,(TG) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(TH) and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite(TI) and lowly in spirit,(TJ)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.(TK)
16 I will not accuse(TL) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,(TM)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people(TN) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(TO)
    I punished them, and hid(TP) my face in anger,
    yet they kept on in their willful ways.(TQ)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(TR) them;
    I will guide(TS) them and restore comfort(TT) to Israel’s mourners,
19     creating praise on their lips.(TU)
Peace, peace,(TV) to those far and near,”(TW)
    says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(TX) are like the tossing sea,(TY)
    which cannot rest,
    whose waves cast up mire(TZ) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(UA) says my God, “for the wicked.”(UB)

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,(UC) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.(UD)
Declare to my people their rebellion(UE)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(UF)
For day after day they seek(UG) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken(UH) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near(UI) them.
‘Why have we fasted,’(UJ) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(UK) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’(UL)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(UM)
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(UN)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard(UO) on high.
Is this the kind of fast(UP) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble(UQ) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(UR)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(US)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting(UT) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(UU)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(UV) free
    and break every yoke?(UW)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry(UX)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(UY)
when you see the naked, to clothe(UZ) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(VA)
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(VB)
    and your healing(VC) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[t](VD) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(VE)
Then you will call,(VF) and the Lord will answer;(VG)
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger(VH) and malicious talk,(VI)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(VJ)
then your light(VK) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.(VL)
11 The Lord will guide(VM) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs(VN) in a sun-scorched land(VO)
    and will strengthen(VP) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(VQ)
    like a spring(VR) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(VS)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;(VT)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(VU)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(VV)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(VW)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,(VX)
14 then you will find your joy(VY) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(VZ) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance(WA) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(WB)

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(WC) of the Lord is not too short(WD) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(WE)
But your iniquities have separated(WF)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(WG)
For your hands are stained with blood,(WH)
    your fingers with guilt.(WI)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(WJ)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(WK)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(WL) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(WM)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(WN)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(WO)
    and spin a spider’s web.(WP)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(WQ)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(WR) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(WS)
They pursue evil schemes;(WT)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(WU)
The way of peace they do not know;(WV)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(WW)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(WX)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(WY)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(WZ) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(XA) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(XB)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(XC)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(XD) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(XE) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(XF)
13 rebellion(XG) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(XH) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(XI)
    uttering lies(XJ) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(XK) is driven back,
    and righteousness(XL) stands at a distance;
truth(XM) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(XN) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(XO)
16 He saw that there was no one,(XP)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(XQ)
so his own arm achieved salvation(XR) for him,
    and his own righteousness(XS) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(XT)
    and the helmet(XU) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(XV) of vengeance(XW)
    and wrapped himself in zeal(XX) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay(XY)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands(XZ) their due.
19 From the west,(YA) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,(YB) they will revere his glory.(YC)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath(YD) of the Lord drives along.[u]

20 “The Redeemer(YE) will come to Zion,(YF)
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(YG)
declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant(YH) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(YI) who is on you, will not depart from you,(YJ) and my words that I have put in your mouth(YK) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise,(YL) shine, for your light(YM) has come,
    and the glory(YN) of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness(YO) covers the earth
    and thick darkness(YP) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations(YQ) will come to your light,(YR)
    and kings(YS) to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble(YT) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(YU)
    and your daughters(YV) are carried on the hip.(YW)
Then you will look and be radiant,(YX)
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;(YY)
the wealth(YZ) on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels(ZA) will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian(ZB) and Ephah.(ZC)
And all from Sheba(ZD) will come,
    bearing gold and incense(ZE)
    and proclaiming the praise(ZF) of the Lord.
All Kedar’s(ZG) flocks will be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(ZH) on my altar,(ZI)
    and I will adorn my glorious temple.(ZJ)

“Who are these(ZK) that fly along like clouds,(ZL)
    like doves to their nests?
Surely the islands(ZM) look to me;
    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[v](ZN)
bringing(ZO) your children from afar,
    with their silver and gold,(ZP)
to the honor(ZQ) of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One(ZR) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.(ZS)

10 “Foreigners(ZT) will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings(ZU) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
    in favor(ZV) I will show you compassion.(ZW)
11 Your gates(ZX) will always stand open,
    they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(ZY)
    their kings(ZZ) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(AAA) you will perish;
    it will be utterly ruined.(AAB)

13 “The glory of Lebanon(AAC) will come to you,
    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(AAD)
to adorn my sanctuary;(AAE)
    and I will glorify the place for my feet.(AAF)
14 The children of your oppressors(AAG) will come bowing before you;
    all who despise you will bow down(AAH) at your feet
and will call you the City(AAI) of the Lord,
    Zion(AAJ) of the Holy One(AAK) of Israel.

15 “Although you have been forsaken(AAL) and hated,
    with no one traveling(AAM) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(AAN)
    and the joy(AAO) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed(AAP) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(AAQ) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(AAR)
    your Redeemer,(AAS) the Mighty One of Jacob.(AAT)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(AAU)
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(AAV) your governor
    and well-being your ruler.(AAW)
18 No longer will violence(AAX) be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction(AAY) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(AAZ)
    and your gates Praise.(ABA)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(ABB)
    and your God will be your glory.(ABC)
20 Your sun(ABD) will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow(ABE) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(ABF)
    and they will possess(ABG) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(ABH)
    the work of my hands,(ABI)
    for the display of my splendor.(ABJ)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.(ABK)
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”(ABL)

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
  17. Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  18. Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
  19. Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
  20. Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
  21. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
  22. Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships

49 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

50 Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

51 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

15 But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.

16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

19 These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?

20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.

21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

22 Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

52 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.

13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

54 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

55 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

56 Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

The Lord God, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

57 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood.

Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.

Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.

And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?

12 I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.

13 When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;

14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.

20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

58 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;

13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee; The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas thou has been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.