Isaiah 44:24-55:13

New International Version

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,^(D)
    who spreads out the earth^(E) by myself,
²⁵ who foils^(F) the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,^(G)
who overthrows the learning of the wise^(H)
    and turns it into nonsense,^(I)
26 who carries out the words^(J) of his servants
    and fulfills^(K) the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,^(L) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
    of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
    and of their ruins,^(M) ‘I will restore them,’^(N)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
    and I will dry up^(O) your streams,’
²⁸ who says of Cyrus,^(P) ‘He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,^(Q) “Let it be rebuilt,”
    and of the temple,^(R) “Let its foundations^(S) be laid.”’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,^(T)
    to Cyrus,^(U) whose right hand I take hold^(V) of
to subdue nations^(W) before him
    and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:
² I will go before you^(X)
    and will level^(Y) the mountains^[a];
I will break down gates^(Z) of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron.^(AA)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,^(AB)
    riches stored in secret places,^(AC)
so that you may know^(AD) that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.^(AE)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,^(AF)
    of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
    and bestow on you a title of honor,
    though you do not acknowledge^(AG) me.
⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other;^(AH)
    apart from me there is no God.^(AI)
I will strengthen you,^(AJ)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting^(AK)
people may know^(AL) there is none besides me.^(AM)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,^(AN)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;^(AO)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

⁸ “You heavens above, rain^(AP) down my righteousness;^(AQ)
    let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
    let salvation^(AR) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
    I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹ “Woe to those who quarrel^(AS) with their Maker,^(AT)
    those who are nothing but potsherds^(AU)
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,^(AV)
    ‘What are you making?’^(AW)
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?^(AX)
10 Woe to the one who says to a father,
    ‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
    ‘What have you brought to birth?’

¹¹ “This is what the Lord says—
    the Holy One^(AY) of Israel, and its Maker:^(AZ)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?^(BA)
12 It is I who made the earth^(BB)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;^(BC)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.^(BD)
13 I will raise up Cyrus^[b](BE) in my righteousness:
    I will make all his ways straight.^(BF)
He will rebuild my city^(BG)
    and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,^(BH)
    says the Lord Almighty.”

“The products^(BI) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,^[c]
    and those tall Sabeans^(BJ)—
they will come over to you^(BK)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,^(BL)
    coming over to you in chains.^(BM)
They will bow down before you
    and plead^(BN) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,^(BO) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.^(BP)’”

¹⁵ Truly you are a God who has been hiding^(BQ) himself,
    the God and Savior^(BR) of Israel.
¹⁶ All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;^(BS)
    they will go off into disgrace together.
¹⁷ But Israel will be saved^(BT) by the Lord
    with an everlasting salvation;^(BU)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,^(BV)
    to ages everlasting.

¹⁸ For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,^(BW)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,^(BX)
    but formed it to be inhabited^(BY)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.^(BZ)
19 I have not spoken in secret,^(CA)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;^(CB)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,^(CC)
    ‘Seek^(CD) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.^(CE)

²⁰ “Gather together^(CF) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant^(CG) are those who carry^(CH) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.^(CI)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold^(CJ) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?^(CK)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,^(CL)
a righteous God^(CM) and a Savior;^(CN)
    there is none but me.

²² “Turn^(CO) to me and be saved,^(CP)
    all you ends of the earth;^(CQ)
    for I am God, and there is no other.^(CR)
23 By myself I have sworn,^(CS)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity^(CT)
    a word that will not be revoked:^(CU)
Before me every knee will bow;^(CV)
    by me every tongue will swear.^(CW)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance^(CX) and strength.^(CY)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.^(CZ)
25 But all the descendants^(DA) of Israel
    will find deliverance^(DB) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.^(DC)

³ “Listen^(DH) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant^(DI) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,^(DJ)
    and have carried^(DK) since you were born.^(DL)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs^(DM)
    I am he,^(DN) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain^(DO) you and I will rescue you.

⁵ “With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
    To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?^(DP)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
    and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith^(DQ) to make it into a god,
    and they bow down and worship it.^(DR)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry^(DS) it;
    they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
    From that spot it cannot move.^(DT)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;^(DU)
    it cannot save^(DV) them from their troubles.

⁸ “Remember^(DW) this, keep it in mind,
    take it to heart, you rebels.^(DX)
9 Remember the former things,^(DY) those of long ago;^(DZ)
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.^(EA)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,^(EB)
    from ancient times,^(EC) what is still to come.^(ED)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,^(EE)
    and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹ From the east I summon^(EF) a bird of prey;^(EG)
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned,^(EH) that I will do.^(EI)
12 Listen^(EJ) to me, you stubborn-hearted,^(EK)
    you who are now far from my righteousness.^(EL)
13 I am bringing my righteousness^(EM) near,
    it is not far away;
    and my salvation^(EN) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,^(EO)
    my splendor^(EP) to Israel.

⁴ Our Redeemer^(FC)—the Lord Almighty^(FD) is his name^(FE)—
    is the Holy One^(FF) of Israel.

⁵ “Sit in silence,^(FG) go into darkness,^(FH)
    queen city of the Babylonians;^(FI)
no more will you be called
    queen^(FJ) of kingdoms.^(FK)
6 I was angry^(FL) with my people
    and desecrated my inheritance;^(FM)
I gave them into your hand,^(FN)
    and you showed them no mercy.^(FO)
Even on the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
⁷ You said, ‘I am forever^(FP)—
    the eternal queen!’^(FQ)
But you did not consider these things
    or reflect^(FR) on what might happen.^(FS)

⁸ “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security^(FT)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.^(FU)
I will never be a widow^(FV)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
⁹ Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,^(FW) on a single day:
    loss of children^(FX) and widowhood.^(FY)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries^(FZ)
    and all your potent spells.^(GA)
10 You have trusted^(GB) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’^(GC)
Your wisdom^(GD) and knowledge mislead^(GE) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
¹¹ Disaster^(GF) will come upon you,
    and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
    that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
    will suddenly^(GG) come upon you.

¹² “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,^(GH)
    which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
    perhaps you will cause terror.
¹³ All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!^(GI)
    Let your astrologers^(GJ) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save^(GK) you from what is coming upon you.
¹⁴ Surely they are like stubble;^(GL)
    the fire^(GM) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.^(GN)
These are not coals for warmth;
    this is not a fire to sit by.
¹⁵ That is all they are to you—
    these you have dealt with
    and labored^(GO) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
    there is not one that can save^(GP) you.

“From now on I will tell you of new things,^(HH)
    of hidden things unknown to you.
⁷ They are created^(HI) now, and not long ago;^(HJ)
    you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
    ‘Yes, I knew^(HK) of them.’
⁸ You have neither heard nor understood;^(HL)
    from of old your ears^(HM) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous^(HN) you are;
    you were called a rebel^(HO) from birth.
⁹ For my own name’s sake^(HP) I delay my wrath;^(HQ)
    for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
    so as not to destroy you completely.^(HR)
10 See, I have refined^(HS) you, though not as silver;
    I have tested^(HT) you in the furnace^(HU) of affliction.
¹¹ For my own sake,^(HV) for my own sake, I do this.
    How can I let myself be defamed?^(HW)
    I will not yield my glory to another.^(HX)

¹⁴ “Come together,^(IF) all of you, and listen:
    Which of the idols has foretold^(IG) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally^(IH)
    will carry out his purpose^(II) against Babylon;^(IJ)
    his arm will be against the Babylonians.^[f]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
    yes, I have called^(IK) him.
I will bring him,
    and he will succeed^(IL) in his mission.

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;^(IO)
    at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord^(IP) has sent^(IQ) me,
    endowed with his Spirit.^(IR)

¹⁷ This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,^(IS) the Holy One^(IT) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches^(IU) you what is best for you,
    who directs^(IV) you in the way^(IW) you should go.
¹⁸ If only you had paid attention^(IX) to my commands,
    your peace^(IY) would have been like a river,^(IZ)
    your well-being^(JA) like the waves of the sea.
¹⁹ Your descendants^(JB) would have been like the sand,^(JC)
    your children like its numberless grains;^(JD)
their name would never be blotted out^(JE)
    nor destroyed from before me.”

²⁰ Leave Babylon,
    flee^(JF) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy^(JG)
    and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;^(JH)
    say, “The Lord has redeemed^(JI) his servant Jacob.”
²¹ They did not thirst^(JJ) when he led them through the deserts;
    he made water flow^(JK) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
    and water gushed out.^(JL)

²² “There is no peace,”^(JM) says the Lord, “for the wicked.”^(JN)

⁵ And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb^(KD) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel^(KE) to himself,
for I am^[g] honored^(KF) in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength^(KG)—
⁶ he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant^(KH)
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.^(KI)
I will also make you a light^(KJ) for the Gentiles,^(KK)
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”^(KL)

⁷ This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel^(KM)—
to him who was despised^(KN) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings^(KO) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,^(KP)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,^(KQ)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen^(KR) you.”

“In the time of my favor^(KS) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;^(KT)
I will keep^(KU) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,^(KV)
to restore the land^(KW)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,^(KX)
9 to say to the captives,^(KY) ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness,^(KZ) ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
    and find pasture on every barren hill.^(LA)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,^(LB)
    nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.^(LC)
He who has compassion^(LD) on them will guide^(LE) them
    and lead them beside springs^(LF) of water.
¹¹ I will turn all my mountains into roads,
    and my highways^(LG) will be raised up.^(LH)
12 See, they will come from afar^(LI)—
    some from the north, some from the west,^(LJ)
    some from the region of Aswan.^[h]”

¹³ Shout for joy,^(LK) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;^(LL)
    burst into song, you mountains!^(LM)
For the Lord comforts^(LN) his people
    and will have compassion^(LO) on his afflicted ones.^(LP)

¹⁴ But Zion^(LQ) said, “The Lord has forsaken^(LR) me,
    the Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child^(LS) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!^(LT)
16 See, I have engraved^(LU) you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls^(LV) are ever before me.
¹⁷ Your children hasten back,
    and those who laid you waste^(LW) depart from you.
¹⁸ Lift up your eyes and look around;
    all your children gather^(LX) and come to you.
As surely as I live,^(LY)” declares the Lord,
    “you will wear^(LZ) them all as ornaments;
    you will put them on, like a bride.

¹⁹ “Though you were ruined and made desolate^(MA)
    and your land laid waste,^(MB)
now you will be too small for your people,^(MC)
    and those who devoured^(MD) 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.’^(ME)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?^(MF)
I was bereaved^(MG) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.^(MH)
    Who brought these^(MI) up?
I was left^(MJ) all alone,^(MK)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner^(MM) to the peoples;
they will bring^(MN) your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.^(MO)
23 Kings^(MP) will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.^(MQ)
They will bow down^(MR) before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust^(MS) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;^(MT)
    those who hope^(MU) in me will not be disappointed.^(MV)”

²⁴ Can plunder be taken from warriors,^(MW)
    or captives be rescued from the fierce^[i]?

“Yes, captives^(MX) will be taken from warriors,^(MY)
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;^(MZ)
I will contend with those who contend with you,^(NA)
    and your children I will save.^(NB)
26 I will make your oppressors^(NC) eat^(ND) their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood,^(NE) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know^(NF)
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,^(NG)
    your Redeemer,^(NH) the Mighty One of Jacob.^(NI)”

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce^(NJ)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell^(NK) you?
Because of your sins^(NL) you were sold;^(NM)
    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?^(NN)
Was my arm too short^(NO) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength^(NP) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke^(NQ) I dry up the sea,^(NR)
    I turn rivers into a desert;^(NS)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
³ I clothe the heavens with darkness^(NT)
    and make sackcloth^(NU) its covering.”

⁴ The Sovereign Lord^(NV) has given me a well-instructed tongue,^(NW)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.^(NX)
He wakens me morning by morning,^(NY)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.^(NZ)
5 The Sovereign Lord^(OA) has opened my ears;^(OB)
    I have not been rebellious,^(OC)
    I have not turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat^(OD) me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;^(OE)
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.^(OF)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord^(OG) helps^(OH) me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,^(OI)
    and I know I will not be put to shame.^(OJ)
8 He who vindicates^(OK) me is near.^(OL)
    Who then will bring charges against me?^(OM)
    Let us face each other!^(ON)
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord^(OO) who helps^(OP) me.
    Who will condemn^(OQ) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths^(OR) will eat them up.

¹⁰ Who among you fears^(OS) the Lord
    and obeys^(OT) the word of his servant?^(OU)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,^(OV)
trust^(OW) 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,^(OX)
go, walk in the light of your fires^(OY)
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:^(OZ)
    You will lie down in torment.^(PA)

⁴ “Listen to me, my people;^(PO)
    hear me,^(PP) my nation:
Instruction^(PQ) will go out from me;
    my justice^(PR) will become a light to the nations.^(PS)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation^(PT) is on the way,^(PU)
    and my arm^(PV) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands^(PW) will look to me
    and wait in hope^(PX) for my arm.
⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,^(PY)
    the earth will wear out like a garment^(PZ)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation^(QA) will last forever,^(QB)
    my righteousness will never fail.^(QC)

⁷ “Hear me, you who know what is right,^(QD)
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:^(QE)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.^(QF)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;^(QG)
    the worm^(QH) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,^(QI)
    my salvation through all generations.”

⁹ Awake, awake,^(QJ) arm^(QK) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(QL)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.^(QM)
Was it not you who cut Rahab^(QN) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster^(QO) through?
¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea,^(QP)
    the waters of the great deep,^(QQ)
who made a road in the depths of the sea^(QR)
    so that the redeemed^(QS) might cross over?
¹¹ Those the Lord has rescued^(QT) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;^(QU)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy^(QV) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(QW)

¹² “I, even I, am he who comforts^(QX) you.
    Who are you that you fear^(QY) mere mortals,^(QZ)
    human beings who are but grass,^(RA)
13 that you forget^(RB) the Lord your Maker,^(RC)
    who stretches out the heavens^(RD)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror^(RE) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?^(RF)
14     The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;^(RG)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.^(RH)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea^(RI) so that its waves roar^(RJ)—
    the Lord Almighty^(RK) is his name.
¹⁶ I have put my words in your mouth^(RL)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand^(RM)—
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,^(RN)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.^(RO)’”

²¹ Therefore hear this, you afflicted^(SG) one,
    made drunk,^(SH) but not with wine.
²² This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends^(SI) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup^(SJ) 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,^(SK)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate^(SL) that we may walk^(SM) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”^(SN)

52 Awake, awake,^(SO) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(SP)
Put on your garments of splendor,^(SQ)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.^(SR)
The uncircumcised^(SS) and defiled^(ST)
    will not enter you again.^(SU)
2 Shake off your dust;^(SV)
    rise up,^(SW) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,^(SX)
    Daughter Zion,^(SY) now a captive.

“You were sold for nothing,^(SZ)
    and without money^(TA) you will be redeemed.^(TB)”

“At first my people went down to Egypt^(TC) to live;
    lately, Assyria^(TD) has oppressed them.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,^[k]”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.^(TE)
6 Therefore my people will know^(TF) my name;^(TG)
    therefore in that day^(TH) they will know
that it is I who foretold^(TI) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

⁷ How beautiful on the mountains^(TJ)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,^(TK)
who proclaim peace,^(TL)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”^(TM)
8 Listen! Your watchmen^(TN) lift up their voices;^(TO)
    together they shout for joy.^(TP)
When the Lord returns^(TQ) to Zion,^(TR)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy^(TS) together,
    you ruins^(TT) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted^(TU) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.^(TV)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm^(TW)
    in the sight of all the nations,^(TX)
and all the ends of the earth^(TY) will see
    the salvation^(TZ) of our God.

¹¹ Depart,^(UA) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!^(UB)
Come out from it and be pure,^(UC)
    you who carry the articles^(UD) of the Lord’s house.
¹² But you will not leave in haste^(UE)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,^(UF)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.^(UG)

53 Who has believed our message^(UQ)
    and to whom has the arm^(UR) of the Lord been revealed?^(US)
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,^(UT)
    and like a root^(UU) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance^(UV) that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,^(UW) and familiar with pain.^(UX)
Like one from whom people hide^(UY) their faces
    he was despised,^(UZ) and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,^(VA)
yet we considered him punished by God,^(VB)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.^(VC)
5 But he was pierced^(VD) for our transgressions,^(VE)
    he was crushed^(VF) for our iniquities;
the punishment^(VG) that brought us peace^(VH) was on him,
    and by his wounds^(VI) we are healed.^(VJ)
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,^(VK)
    each of us has turned to our own way;^(VL)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity^(VM) of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed^(VN) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;^(VO)
he was led like a lamb^(VP) to the slaughter,^(VQ)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression^[o] and judgment^(VR) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;^(VS)
    for the transgression^(VT) of my people he was punished.^[p]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,^(VU)
    and with the rich^(VV) in his death,
though he had done no violence,^(VW)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.^(VX)

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will^(VY) to crush^(VZ) him and cause him to suffer,^(WA)
    and though the Lord makes^[q] his life an offering for sin,^(WB)
he will see his offspring^(WC) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper^(WD) in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,^(WE)
    he will see the light^(WF) of life^[r] and be satisfied^[s];
by his knowledge^[t] my righteous servant^(WG) will justify^(WH) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.^(WI)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[u](WJ)
    and he will divide the spoils^(WK) with the strong,^[v]
because he poured out his life unto death,^(WL)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.^(WM)
For he bore^(WN) the sin of many,^(WO)
    and made intercession^(WP) for the transgressors.

⁴ “Do not be afraid;^(XB) you will not be put to shame.^(XC)
    Do not fear disgrace;^(XD) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth^(XE)
    and remember no more the reproach^(XF) of your widowhood.^(XG)
5 For your Maker^(XH) is your husband^(XI)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One^(XJ) of Israel is your Redeemer;^(XK)
    he is called the God of all the earth.^(XL)
6 The Lord will call you back^(XM)
    as if you were a wife deserted^(XN) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,^(XO)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
⁷ “For a brief moment^(XP) I abandoned^(XQ) you,
    but with deep compassion^(XR) I will bring you back.^(XS)
8 In a surge of anger^(XT)
    I hid^(XU) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness^(XV)
    I will have compassion^(XW) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.^(XX)

⁹ “To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.^(XY)
So now I have sworn^(XZ) not to be angry^(YA) with you,
    never to rebuke^(YB) you again.
¹⁰ Though the mountains be shaken^(YC)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love^(YD) for you will not be shaken^(YE)
    nor my covenant^(YF) of peace^(YG) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion^(YH) on you.

¹¹ “Afflicted^(YI) city, lashed by storms^(YJ) and not comforted,^(YK)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,^[w](YL)
    your foundations^(YM) with lapis lazuli.^(YN)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates^(YO) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children will be taught by the Lord,^(YP)
    and great will be their peace.^(YQ)
14 In righteousness^(YR) you will be established:^(YS)
Tyranny^(YT) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.^(YU)
Terror^(YV) 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^(YW) to you.

¹⁶ “See, it is I who created the blacksmith^(YX)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon^(YY) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer^(YZ) to wreak havoc;
¹⁷     no weapon forged against you will prevail,^(ZA)
    and you will refute^(ZB) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants^(ZC) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication^(ZD) from me,”
declares the Lord.

⁶ Seek^(ZX) the Lord while he may be found;^(ZY)
    call^(ZZ) on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake^(AAA) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.^(AAB)
Let them turn^(AAC) to the Lord, and he will have mercy^(AAD) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.^(AAE)

⁸ “For my thoughts^(AAF) are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”^(AAG)
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,^(AAH)
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.^(AAI)
10 As the rain^(AAJ) and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,^(AAK)
    so that it yields seed^(AAL) for the sower and bread for the eater,^(AAM)
11 so is my word^(AAN) that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,^(AAO)
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose^(AAP) for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy^(AAQ)
    and be led forth in peace;^(AAR)
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song^(AAS) before you,
and all the trees^(AAT) of the field
    will clap their hands.^(AAU)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers^(AAV) the myrtle^(AAW) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,^(AAX)
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”