Isaiah 50
Good News Translation
50 (A)The Lord says,
“Do you think I sent my people away
like a man who divorces his wife?
Where, then, are the papers of divorce?
Do you think I sold you into captivity
like a man who sells his children as slaves?
No, you went away captive because of your sins;
you were sent away because of your crimes.
2 “Why did my people fail to respond
when I went to them to save them?
Why did they not answer when I called?
Am I too weak to save them?
I can dry up the sea with a command
and turn rivers into a desert,
so that the fish in them die for lack of water.
3 I can make the sky turn dark,
as if it were in mourning for the dead.”
The Obedience of the Lord's Servant
4 The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say,
so that I can strengthen the weary.
Every morning he makes me eager
to hear what he is going to teach me.
5 The Lord has given me understanding,
and I have not rebelled
or turned away from him.
6 (B)I bared my back to those who beat me.
I did not stop them when they insulted me,
when they pulled out the hairs of my beard
and spit in my face.
7 But their insults cannot hurt me
because the Sovereign Lord gives me help.
I brace myself to endure them.
I know that I will not be disgraced,
8 (C)for God is near,
and he will prove me innocent.
Does anyone dare bring charges against me?
Let us go to court together!
Let him bring his accusation!
9 The Sovereign Lord himself defends me—
who, then, can prove me guilty?
All my accusers will disappear;
they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth.
10 All of you that honor the Lord
and obey the words of his servant,
the path you walk may be dark indeed,
but trust in the Lord, rely on your God.
11 All of you that plot to destroy others
will be destroyed by your own plots.
The Lord himself will make this happen;
you will suffer a miserable fate.
Isaiah 50
New International Version
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(A)
with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
did I sell(B) you?
Because of your sins(C) you were sold;(D)
because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 When I came, why was there no one?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?(E)
Was my arm too short(F) to deliver you?
Do I lack the strength(G) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(H) I dry up the sea,(I)
I turn rivers into a desert;(J)
their fish rot for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness(K)
and make sackcloth(L) its covering.”
4 The Sovereign Lord(M) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(N)
to know the word that sustains the weary.(O)
He wakens me morning by morning,(P)
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(Q)
5 The Sovereign Lord(R) has opened my ears;(S)
I have not been rebellious,(T)
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat(U) me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(V)
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.(W)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord(X) helps(Y) me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(Z)
and I know I will not be put to shame.(AA)
8 He who vindicates(AB) me is near.(AC)
Who then will bring charges against me?(AD)
Let us face each other!(AE)
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord(AF) who helps(AG) me.
Who will condemn(AH) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths(AI) will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears(AJ) the Lord
and obeys(AK) the word of his servant?(AL)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,(AM)
trust(AN) 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,(AO)
go, walk in the light of your fires(AP)
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(AQ)
You will lie down in torment.(AR)
Isaiah 50
The Voice
50 Eternal One: Where is the document of My divorce from your mother, Israel?
And to whom did I turn you over when I could no longer pay?
No, it was you who amassed debt—a debt of constant wrongdoing—
And that’s why your mother was sent away.
2 Why is it that when I came to visit, no one was there to greet Me;
and when I called out for you, no one answered?
Do you think My reach insufficient, My power too limited to rescue you?
I need only to speak the words and entire oceans will evaporate;
rivers will become deserts, leaving fish to stink and die for lack of water.
3 I can dress the heavens with blackness
and trade its velvet skies for the scratchy clothes of mourning.
4 The Lord, the Eternal, equipped me for this job—
with skilled speech, a smooth tongue for instruction.
I can find the words that comfort and soothe the downtrodden, tired, and despairing.
And I know when to use them.
Each morning, it is God who wakes me and tells me what I should do,
what I should say.
5 The Lord, the Eternal, has helped me to listen,
and I do as He says. I have not been rebellious or run away from God’s work.
6 But it’s been hard. I offered My back to those who whipped me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not turn away from humiliation and spitting.
The prophet speaks, but his words are those of the Servant of God. The Servant is in tune with God, the Master Teacher. He teaches as he has been taught, and—for the first time it seems—He understands that suffering is an integral part of the work God has for him. The reality for God’s Servant and any who follow him is this: to be close with God means to be at odds with people.
7 Because the Lord, the Eternal, helps me I will not be disgraced;
so, I set my face like a rock, confident that I will not be ashamed.
8 My hero who sets things right is near.
Who would dare to challenge me?
Let’s stand and debate this head-to-head!
Who would dare to accuse me? Let him come near.
9 See here, the Lord, the Eternal, helps me—who could possibly win against me?
All my accusers will wear out like a ratty old moth-eaten shirt.
10 So, you who are listening, do you acknowledge the Eternal One as God?
And do you take seriously what the servant of God has to say?
If you are enveloped in darkness, with no light to see,
take confidence in the name of the Eternal One; rely on your God.
11 Ah, but if you’ve tried to go it alone,
the light by which you go is your own consuming fire,
And the torches you light will be your undoing.
Eternal One: By My hand you will go down in torment.
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The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.