Isaiah 41-46
New King James Version
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41 “Keep (A)silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us (B)come near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one (C)from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who (D)gave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed [a]safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 (E)Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am (F)the first;
And with the last I am (G)He.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 (H)Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
[b]“Be of good courage!”
7 (I)So the craftsman encouraged the (J)goldsmith;[c]
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, [d]“It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
(K)That it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have (L)chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My (M)friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 (N)Fear not, (O)for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be (P)ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[e]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you (Q)worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, (R)I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall (S)winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And (T)glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not (U)forsake them.
18 I will open (V)rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the (W)wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the (X)desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
20 (Y)That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
The Futility of Idols
21 “Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the (Z)King of Jacob.
22 “Let(AA) them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the (AB)former things, what they were,
That we may [f]consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
23 (AC)Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, (AD)do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed (AE)you are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.
25 “I have raised up one from the north,
And he shall come;
From the [g]rising of the sun (AF)he shall call on My name;
(AG)And he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
26 (AH)Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?
And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’?
Surely there is no one who shows,
Surely there is no one who declares,
Surely there is no one who hears your words.
27 (AI)The first time (AJ)I said to Zion,
‘Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
28 (AK)For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 (AL)Indeed they are all [h]worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Behold! (AM)My Servant whom I uphold,
My [i]Elect One in whom My soul (AN)delights!
(AO)I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And [j]smoking flax He will not [k]quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
(AP)And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the Lord,
(AQ)Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
(AR)Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I,(AS) the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You (AT)and give You as a covenant to the people,
As (AU)a light to the Gentiles,
7 (AV)To open blind eyes,
To (AW)bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in (AX)darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My (AY)glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Praise to the Lord
10 (AZ)Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
(BA)You who go down to the sea, and [l]all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, (BB)yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
Promise of the Lord’s Help
14 “I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in [m]labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
17 They shall be (BC)turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
‘You are our gods.’
18 “Hear, you deaf;
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 (BD)Who is blind but My servant,
Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as he who is perfect,
And blind as the Lord’s servant?
20 Seeing many things, (BE)but you do not observe;
Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”
Israel’s Obstinate Disobedience
21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are [n]snared in holes,
And they are hidden in prison houses;
They are for prey, and no one delivers;
For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the Lord,
He against whom we have sinned?
(BF)For they would not walk in His ways,
Nor were they obedient to His law.
25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger
And the strength of battle;
(BG)It has set him on fire all around,
(BH)Yet he did not know;
And it burned him,
Yet he did not take it to (BI)heart.
The Redeemer of Israel
43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, (BJ)for I have redeemed you;
(BK)I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 (BL)When you pass through the waters, (BM)I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you (BN)walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
(BO)I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have (BP)loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 (BQ)Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And (BR)gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the (BS)north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is (BT)called by My name,
Whom (BU)I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
8 (BV)Bring out the blind people who have eyes,
And the (BW)deaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the people be assembled.
(BX)Who among them can declare this,
And show us former things?
Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;
Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
10 “You(BY) are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
(BZ)“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and (CA)believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, (CB)am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no (CC)foreign god among you;
(CD)Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the Lord, “that I am God.
13 (CE)Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will (CF)reverse it?”
14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,
And bring them all down as fugitives—
The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your (CG)King.”
16 Thus says the Lord, who (CH)makes a way in the sea
And a (CI)path through the mighty waters,
17 Who (CJ)brings forth the chariot and horse,
The army and the power
(They shall lie down together, they shall not rise;
They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
18 “Do(CK) not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a (CL)new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
(CM)I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because (CN)I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 (CO)This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My (CP)praise.
Pleading with Unfaithful Israel
22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;
And you (CQ)have been weary of Me, O Israel.
23 (CR)You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have (CS)wearied Me with your iniquities.
25 “I, even I, am He who (CT)blots out your transgressions (CU)for My own sake;
(CV)And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be [o]acquitted.
27 Your first father sinned,
And your [p]mediators have transgressed against Me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;
(CW)I will give Jacob to the curse,
And Israel to reproaches.
God’s Blessing on Israel
44 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
4 They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.
There Is No Other God
6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
(CX)‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
7 And (CY)who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;
(CZ)Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
(DA)You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed (DB)there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”
Idolatry Is Foolishness
9 (DC)Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
(DD)They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god or mold an image
(DE)That profits him nothing?
11 Surely all his companions would be (DF)ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.
12 (DG)The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He [q]secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 (DH)They do not know nor understand;
For (DI)He has [r]shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot (DJ)understand.
19 And no one (DK)considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
20 He feeds on ashes;
(DL)A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a (DM)lie in my right hand?”
Israel Is Not Forgotten
21 “Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be (DN)forgotten by Me!
22 (DO)I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for (DP)I have redeemed you.”
23 (DQ)Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And (DR)glorified Himself in Israel.
Judah Will Be Restored
24 Thus says the Lord, (DS)your Redeemer,
And (DT)He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
(DU)Who stretches out the heavens [s]all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
25 Who (DV)frustrates the signs (DW)of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
(DX)And makes their knowledge foolishness;
26 (DY)Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
27 (DZ)Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
28 Who says of (EA)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, (EB)“You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Cyrus, God’s Instrument
45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To (EC)Cyrus, whose (ED)right hand I have [t]held—
(EE)To subdue nations before him
And (EF)loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you
(EG)And[u] make the [v]crooked places straight;
(EH)I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
(EI)That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who (EJ)call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4 For (EK)Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
5 I (EL)am the Lord, and (EM)there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
(EN)I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 (EO)That they may (EP)know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and (EQ)create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.’
8 “Rain(ER) down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to him who strives with (ES)his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
(ET)Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”
11 Thus says the Lord,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
(EU)“Ask Me of things to come concerning (EV)My sons;
And concerning (EW)the work of My hands, you command Me.
12 (EX)I have made the earth,
And (EY)created man on it.
I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,
And (EZ)all their host I have commanded.
13 (FA)I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will [w]direct all his ways;
He shall (FB)build My city
And let My exiles go free,
(FC)Not for price nor reward,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
The Lord, the Only Savior
14 Thus says the Lord:
(FD)“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush
And of the Sabeans, men of stature,
Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;
They shall walk behind you,
They shall come over (FE)in chains;
And they shall bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying, (FF)‘Surely God is in you,
And there is no other;
(FG)There is no other God.’ ”
15 Truly You are God, (FH)who hide Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior!
16 They shall be (FI)ashamed
And also disgraced, all of them;
They shall go in confusion together,
Who are makers of idols.
17 (FJ)But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an (FK)everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or (FL)disgraced
Forever and ever.
18 For thus says the Lord,
(FM)Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it [x]in vain,
Who formed it to be (FN)inhabited:
(FO)“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in (FP)secret,
In a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
‘Seek Me [y]in vain’;
(FQ)I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.
20 “Assemble yourselves and come;
Draw near together,
You who have escaped from the nations.
(FR)They have no knowledge,
Who carry the wood of their carved image,
And pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Tell and bring forth your case;
Yes, let them take counsel together.
(FS)Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
(FT)And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.
22 “Look to Me, and be saved,
(FU)All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (FV)I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every (FW)knee shall bow,
(FX)Every tongue shall take an oath.
24 He shall say,
[z]‘Surely in the Lord I have (FY)righteousness and strength.
To Him men shall come,
And (FZ)all shall be ashamed
Who are incensed against Him.
25 (GA)In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
Shall be justified, and (GB)shall glory.’ ”
Dead Idols and the Living God
46 Bel (GC)bows down, Nebo stoops;
Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.
Your carriages were heavily loaded,
(GD)A burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together;
They could not deliver the burden,
(GE)But have themselves gone into captivity.
3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
(GF)Who have been upheld by Me from [aa]birth,
Who have been carried from the womb:
4 Even to your old age, (GG)I am He,
And even to gray hairs (GH)I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 “To(GI) whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal
And compare Me, that we should be alike?
6 (GJ)They lavish gold out of the bag,
And weigh silver on the scales;
They hire a (GK)goldsmith, and he makes it a god;
They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
7 (GL)They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it
And set it in its place, and it stands;
From its place it shall not move.
Though (GM)one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer
Nor save him out of his trouble.
8 “Remember this, and [ab]show yourselves men;
(GN)Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 (GO)Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and (GP)there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 (GQ)Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, (GR)‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey (GS)from the east,
The man (GT)who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed (GU)I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.
12 “Listen to Me, you (GV)stubborn-hearted,
(GW)Who are far from righteousness:
13 (GX)I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off;
My salvation (GY)shall not [ac]linger.
And I will place (GZ)salvation in Zion,
For Israel My glory.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:3 Lit. in peace
- Isaiah 41:6 Lit. Be strong
- Isaiah 41:7 refiner
- Isaiah 41:7 Or The soldering is good
- Isaiah 41:12 Lit. Men of your strife
- Isaiah 41:22 Lit. set our heart on them
- Isaiah 41:25 East
- Isaiah 41:29 So with MT, Vg.; DSS, Syr., Tg. nothing; LXX omits first line
- Isaiah 42:1 Chosen
- Isaiah 42:3 dimly burning
- Isaiah 42:3 extinguish
- Isaiah 42:10 Lit. its fullness
- Isaiah 42:14 childbirth
- Isaiah 42:22 Or trapped in caves
- Isaiah 43:26 justified
- Isaiah 43:27 interpreters
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit. appropriates
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit. smeared over
- Isaiah 44:24 By Himself
- Isaiah 45:1 strengthened or sustained
- Isaiah 45:2 Tg. I will trample down the walls; Vg. I will humble the great ones of the earth
- Isaiah 45:2 DSS, LXX mountains
- Isaiah 45:13 Or make all his ways straight
- Isaiah 45:18 Or empty, a waste
- Isaiah 45:19 Or in a waste place
- Isaiah 45:24 Or Only in the Lord are all righteousness and strength
- Isaiah 46:3 Lit. the belly
- Isaiah 46:8 be men, take courage
- Isaiah 46:13 delay
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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