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Isaiah 52:13-57:21
New King James Version
Isaiah 52:13-57:21
New King James Version
The Sin-Bearing Servant
13 Behold, (A)My Servant shall [a]deal prudently;
(B)He shall be exalted and [b]extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at you,
So His (C)visage[c] was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
15 (D)So shall He [d]sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For (E)what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.
The Sin-Bearing Messiah
53 Who (F)has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no [e]form or [f]comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no [g]beauty that we should desire Him.
3 (G)He is despised and [h]rejected by men,
A Man of [i]sorrows and (H)acquainted with [j]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and (I)we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely (J)He has borne our [k]griefs
And carried our [l]sorrows;
Yet we [m]esteemed Him stricken,
[n]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was (K)wounded[o] for our transgressions,
He was [p]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His (L)stripes[q] we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord [r]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet (M)He opened not His mouth;
(N)He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was (O)taken from [s]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For (P)He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 (Q)And [t]they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any (R)deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to [u]bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul (S)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 [v]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge (T)My righteous (U)Servant shall (V)justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 (W)Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
(X)And He shall divide the [w]spoil with the strong,
Because He (Y)poured out His soul unto death,
And He was (Z)numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And (AA)made intercession for the transgressors.
A Perpetual Covenant of Peace
54 “Sing, O (AB)barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge(AC) the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will (AD)inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.
4 “Do(AE) not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
5 (AF)For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called (AG)the God of the whole earth.
6 For the Lord (AH)has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
7 “For(AI) a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies (AJ)I will gather you.
8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
(AK)But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 “For this is like the waters of (AL)Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with (AM)you, nor rebuke you.
10 For (AN)the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
(AO)But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
11 “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with (AP)colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be (AQ)taught by the Lord,
And (AR)great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall (AS)fall for your sake.
16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an [x]instrument for his work;
And I have created the [y]spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall (AT)prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
(AU)And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.
An Invitation to Abundant Life
55 “Ho! (AV)Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
(AW)Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you [z]spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and (AX)come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
(AY)And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The (AZ)sure mercies of David.
4 Indeed I have given him as (BA)a witness to the people,
(BB)A leader and commander for the people.
5 (BC)Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
(BD)And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the Lord your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
(BE)For He has glorified you.”
6 (BF)Seek the Lord while He may be (BG)found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 (BH)Let the [aa]wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man (BI)his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
(BJ)And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For(BK) My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For(BL) as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For (BM)as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 (BN)So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me [ab]void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall (BO)prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For(BP) you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall (BQ)break forth into singing before you,
And (BR)all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 (BS)Instead of (BT)the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord (BU)for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Salvation for the Gentiles
56 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
(BV)For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
(BW)Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Do not let (BX)the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the (BY)eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 Even to them I will give in (BZ)My house
And within My walls a place (CA)and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [ac]them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will (CB)bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My (CC)house of prayer.
(CD)Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be (CE)accepted on My altar;
For (CF)My house shall be called a house of prayer (CG)for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, (CH)who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
(CI)“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
Israel’s Irresponsible Leaders
9 (CJ)All you beasts of the field, come to devour,
All you beasts in the forest.
10 His watchmen are (CK)blind,
They are all ignorant;
(CL)They are all dumb dogs,
They cannot bark;
[ad]Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yes, they are (CM)greedy[ae] dogs
Which (CN)never[af] have enough.
And they are shepherds
Who cannot understand;
They all look to their own way,
Every one for his own gain,
From his own territory.
12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine,
And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating (CO)drink;
(CP)Tomorrow will be (CQ)as today,
And much more abundant.”
Israel’s Futile Idolatry
57 The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
(CR)Merciful men are taken away,
(CS)While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from [ag]evil.
2 He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in (CT)their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.
3 “But come here,
(CU)You sons of the sorceress,
You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!
4 Whom do you ridicule?
Against whom do you make a wide mouth
And stick out the tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
Offspring of falsehood,
5 Inflaming yourselves with gods (CV)under every green tree,
(CW)Slaying the children in the valleys,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth (CX)stones of the stream
Is your portion;
They, they, are your lot!
Even to them you have poured a drink offering,
You have offered a grain offering.
Should I receive comfort in (CY)these?
7 “On(CZ) a lofty and high mountain
You have set (DA)your bed;
Even there you went up
To offer sacrifice.
8 Also behind the doors and their posts
You have set up your remembrance;
For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me,
And have gone up to them;
You have enlarged your bed
And [ah]made a covenant with them;
(DB)You have loved their bed,
Where you saw their [ai]nudity.
9 (DC)You went to the king with ointment,
And increased your perfumes;
You sent your (DD)messengers far off,
And even descended to Sheol.
10 You are wearied in the length of your way;
(DE)Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’
You have found the life of your hand;
Therefore you were not grieved.
11 “And (DF)of whom have you been afraid, or feared,
That you have lied
And not remembered Me,
Nor taken it to your heart?
Is it not because (DG)I have [aj]held My peace from of old
That you do not fear Me?
12 I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
Let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A breath will take them.
But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,
And shall inherit My holy mountain.”
Healing for the Backslider
14 And one shall say,
(DH)“Heap it up! Heap it up!
Prepare the way,
Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, (DI)whose name is Holy:
(DJ)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
(DK)With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
(DL)To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 (DM)For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls (DN)which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of (DO)his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
(DP)I hid and was angry,
(DQ)And he went on [ak]backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and (DR)will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to (DS)his mourners.
19 “I create (DT)the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace (DU)to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20 (DV)But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There(DW) is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 52:13 prosper
- Isaiah 52:13 Lit. be lifted up
- Isaiah 52:14 appearance
- Isaiah 52:15 Or startle
- Isaiah 53:2 Stately form
- Isaiah 53:2 splendor
- Isaiah 53:2 Lit. appearance
- Isaiah 53:3 Or forsaken
- Isaiah 53:3 Lit. pains
- Isaiah 53:3 Lit. sickness
- Isaiah 53:4 Lit. sicknesses
- Isaiah 53:4 Lit. pains
- Isaiah 53:4 reckoned
- Isaiah 53:4 Struck down
- Isaiah 53:5 Or pierced through
- Isaiah 53:5 crushed
- Isaiah 53:5 Blows that cut in
- Isaiah 53:6 Lit. has caused to land on Him
- Isaiah 53:8 confinement
- Isaiah 53:9 Lit. he or He
- Isaiah 53:10 crush
- Isaiah 53:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX From the labor of His soul He shall see light
- Isaiah 53:12 plunder
- Isaiah 54:16 Or weapon
- Isaiah 54:16 destroyer
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit. weigh out silver
- Isaiah 55:7 Lit. man of iniquity
- Isaiah 55:11 empty, without fruit
- Isaiah 56:5 Lit. him
- Isaiah 56:10 Or Dreaming
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit. strong of soul
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit. do not know satisfaction
- Isaiah 57:1 Lit. the face of evil
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit. cut
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit. hand, a euphemism
- Isaiah 57:11 remained silent
- Isaiah 57:17 Or turning back
Isaiah 52:13-57:21
New International Version
Isaiah 52:13-57:21
New International Version
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
13 See, my servant(A) will act wisely[a];
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(B)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(C) at him[b]—
his appearance was so disfigured(D) beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness(E)—
15 so he will sprinkle(F) many nations,[c]
and kings(G) will shut their mouths(H) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.(I)
53 Who has believed our message(J)
and to whom has the arm(K) of the Lord been revealed?(L)
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(M)
and like a root(N) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance(O) that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering,(P) and familiar with pain.(Q)
Like one from whom people hide(R) their faces
he was despised,(S) and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,(T)
yet we considered him punished by God,(U)
stricken by him, and afflicted.(V)
5 But he was pierced(W) for our transgressions,(X)
he was crushed(Y) for our iniquities;
the punishment(Z) that brought us peace(AA) was on him,
and by his wounds(AB) we are healed.(AC)
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(AD)
each of us has turned to our own way;(AE)
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity(AF) of us all.
7 He was oppressed(AG) and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;(AH)
he was led like a lamb(AI) to the slaughter,(AJ)
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[d] and judgment(AK) he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(AL)
for the transgression(AM) of my people he was punished.[e]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(AN)
and with the rich(AO) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(AP)
nor was any deceit in his mouth.(AQ)
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(AR) to crush(AS) him and cause him to suffer,(AT)
and though the Lord makes[f] his life an offering for sin,(AU)
he will see his offspring(AV) and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper(AW) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(AX)
he will see the light(AY) of life[g] and be satisfied[h];
by his knowledge[i] my righteous servant(AZ) will justify(BA) many,
and he will bear their iniquities.(BB)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[j](BC)
and he will divide the spoils(BD) with the strong,[k]
because he poured out his life unto death,(BE)
and was numbered with the transgressors.(BF)
For he bore(BG) the sin of many,(BH)
and made intercession(BI) for the transgressors.
The Future Glory of Zion
54 “Sing, barren woman,(BJ)
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(BK)
you who were never in labor;(BL)
because more are the children(BM) of the desolate(BN) woman
than of her who has a husband,(BO)”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,(BP)
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.(BQ)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants(BR) will dispossess nations(BS)
and settle in their desolate(BT) cities.
4 “Do not be afraid;(BU) you will not be put to shame.(BV)
Do not fear disgrace;(BW) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(BX)
and remember no more the reproach(BY) of your widowhood.(BZ)
5 For your Maker(CA) is your husband(CB)—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(CC) of Israel is your Redeemer;(CD)
he is called the God of all the earth.(CE)
6 The Lord will call you back(CF)
as if you were a wife deserted(CG) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(CH)
only to be rejected,” says your God.
7 “For a brief moment(CI) I abandoned(CJ) you,
but with deep compassion(CK) I will bring you back.(CL)
8 In a surge of anger(CM)
I hid(CN) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(CO)
I will have compassion(CP) on you,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.(CQ)
9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(CR)
So now I have sworn(CS) not to be angry(CT) with you,
never to rebuke(CU) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(CV)
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(CW) for you will not be shaken(CX)
nor my covenant(CY) of peace(CZ) be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion(DA) on you.
11 “Afflicted(DB) city, lashed by storms(DC) and not comforted,(DD)
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[l](DE)
your foundations(DF) with lapis lazuli.(DG)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates(DH) of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(DI)
and great will be their peace.(DJ)
14 In righteousness(DK) you will be established:(DL)
Tyranny(DM) will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.(DN)
Terror(DO) 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(DP) to you.
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(DQ)
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon(DR) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(DS) to wreak havoc;
17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,(DT)
and you will refute(DU) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(DV) of the Lord,
and this is their vindication(DW) from me,”
declares the Lord.
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(DX)
come to the waters;(DY)
and you who have no money,
come, buy(DZ) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(EA)
without money and without cost.(EB)
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?(EC)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(ED)
and you will delight in the richest(EE) of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen,(EF) that you may live.(EG)
I will make an everlasting covenant(EH) with you,
my faithful love(EI) promised to David.(EJ)
4 See, I have made him a witness(EK) to the peoples,
a ruler and commander(EL) of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations(EM) you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,(EN)
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(EO) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”(EP)
6 Seek(EQ) the Lord while he may be found;(ER)
call(ES) on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake(ET) their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.(EU)
Let them turn(EV) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(EW) on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(EX)
8 “For my thoughts(EY) are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”(EZ)
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,(FA)
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(FB)
10 As the rain(FC) and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(FD)
so that it yields seed(FE) for the sower and bread for the eater,(FF)
11 so is my word(FG) that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,(FH)
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose(FI) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(FJ)
and be led forth in peace;(FK)
the mountains and hills
will burst into song(FL) before you,
and all the trees(FM) of the field
will clap their hands.(FN)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers(FO) the myrtle(FP) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(FQ)
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Salvation for Others
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice(FR)
and do what is right,(FS)
for my salvation(FT) is close at hand
and my righteousness(FU) will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed(FV) is the one who does this—
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(FW) without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigner(FX) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(FY)
And let no eunuch(FZ) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs(GA) who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant(GB)—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls(GC)
a memorial(GD) and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(GE)
that will endure forever.(GF)
6 And foreigners(GG) who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister(GH) to him,
to love the name(GI) of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(GJ) without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain(GK)
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(GL)
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.(GM)”(GN)
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(GO) still others to them
besides those already gathered.”
God’s Accusation Against the Wicked
9 Come, all you beasts of the field,(GP)
come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(GQ) are blind,
they all lack knowledge;(GR)
they are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
they love to sleep.(GS)
11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They are shepherds(GT) who lack understanding;(GU)
they all turn to their own way,(GV)
they seek their own gain.(GW)
12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!(GX)
Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
or even far better.”(GY)
57 The righteous perish,(GZ)
and no one takes it to heart;(HA)
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.(HB)
2 Those who walk uprightly(HC)
enter into peace;
they find rest(HD) as they lie in death.
3 “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(HE)
you offspring of adulterers(HF) and prostitutes!(HG)
4 Who are you mocking?
At whom do you sneer
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(HH)
the offspring of liars?
5 You burn with lust among the oaks(HI)
and under every spreading tree;(HJ)
you sacrifice your children(HK) in the ravines
and under the overhanging crags.
6 The idols(HL) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(HM)
and offered grain offerings.
In view of all this, should I relent?(HN)
7 You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(HO)
there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(HP)
8 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,(HQ)
and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(HR)
9 You went to Molek[m](HS) with olive oil
and increased your perfumes.(HT)
You sent your ambassadors[n](HU) far away;
you descended to the very realm of the dead!(HV)
10 You wearied(HW) yourself by such going about,
but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(HX)
You found renewal of your strength,(HY)
and so you did not faint.
11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(HZ)
that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(IA) me
nor taken this to heart?(IB)
Is it not because I have long been silent(IC)
that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(ID)
and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(IE) for help,
let your collection of idols save(IF) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow(IG) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(IH) in me
will inherit the land(II)
and possess my holy mountain.”(IJ)
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(IK)
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(IL)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(IM) One says—
he who lives forever,(IN) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(IO) and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite(IP) and lowly in spirit,(IQ)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.(IR)
16 I will not accuse(IS) them forever,
nor will I always be angry,(IT)
for then they would faint away because of me—
the very people(IU) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(IV)
I punished them, and hid(IW) my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.(IX)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(IY) them;
I will guide(IZ) them and restore comfort(JA) to Israel’s mourners,
19 creating praise on their lips.(JB)
Peace, peace,(JC) to those far and near,”(JD)
says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(JE) are like the tossing sea,(JF)
which cannot rest,
whose waves cast up mire(JG) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(JH) says my God, “for the wicked.”(JI)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
- Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
- Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
- Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
- 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?
- Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
- Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
- Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
- Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
- Isaiah 53:12 Or many
- Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous
- Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
- Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.