Isaiah 44:24-55:13

Contemporary English Version

^25 (A) I make liars of false prophets
    and fools of fortunetellers.
I take human wisdom
    and turn it into nonsense.
²⁶ I will make the message
    of my prophets come true.
They are saying, “Jerusalem
    will be filled with people,
and the Lord will rebuild
    the towns of Judah.”

²⁷ I am the one who commands
the sea and its streams
    to run dry.
^28 (B) I am also the one who says,
“Cyrus will lead my people
    and obey my orders.
Jerusalem and the temple
    will be rebuilt.”

³ I will give you treasures
hidden in dark
    and secret places.
Then you will know that I,
the Lord God of Israel,
    have called you by name.
⁴ Cyrus, you don't even know me!
But I have called you by name
    and highly honored you^[b]
because of Israel,
    my chosen servant.

⁵ Only I am the Lord!
    There are no other gods.
I have made you strong,
    though you don't know me.
⁶ Now everyone from east to west
will learn that I am the Lord.
    No other gods are real.
⁷ I create light and darkness,
happiness and sorrow.
    I, the Lord, do all this.

⁸ Tell the heavens
to send down justice
    like showers of rain.
Prepare the earth
    for my saving power
to sprout and produce justice
    that I, the Lord, create.^[c]

¹¹ I am the Lord, the Creator,
    the holy God of Israel.
Do you dare question me
about my own nation
    or about what I have done?
¹² I created the world
    and covered it with people;
I stretched out the sky
    and filled it with stars.
¹³ I have done the right thing
    by placing Cyrus in power,
and I will make the roads easy
    for him to follow.
I am the Lord All-Powerful!
    Cyrus will rebuild my city
    and set my people free
    without being paid a thing.
I, the Lord, have spoken.

They will bow down and say,
“The only true God is with you;
    there are no other gods.”
¹⁵ People of Israel,
your God is a mystery,
    though he alone can save.
¹⁶ Anyone who makes idols
will be confused
    and terribly disgraced.
¹⁷ But Israel, I, the Lord,
will always keep you safe
    and free from shame.

The Lord speaks the truth,
    and this is what he says
²⁰ to every survivor
    from every nation:
“Gather around me!
Learn how senseless it is
    to worship wooden idols
    or pray to helpless gods.

²¹ “Why don't you get together
    and meet me in court?
Didn't I tell you long ago
    what would happen?
I am the only God!
    There are no others.
I bring about justice,
    and have the power to save.

²² “I invite the whole world
    to turn to me and be saved.
I alone am God!
    No others are real.
^23 (D) I have made a solemn promise,
    one that won't be broken:
Everyone will bow down
    and worship me.
²⁴ They will admit that I alone
    can bring about justice.
Everyone who is angry with me
will be terribly ashamed
    and will turn to me.
²⁵ I, the Lord, will give
victory and great honor
    to the people of Israel.”

³ You survivors in Israel,
    listen to me, the Lord.
Since the day you were born,
    I have carried you along.
⁴ I will still be the same
when you are old and gray,
    and I will take care of you.
I created you. I will carry you
    and always keep you safe.

⁵ Can anyone compare with me?
    Is anyone my equal?
⁶ Some people hire a goldsmith
    and give silver and gold
to be formed into an idol
    for them to worship.
⁷ They carry the idol
    on their shoulders,
then put it on a stand,
    but it cannot move.

They call out to the idol
    when they are in trouble,
but it doesn't answer,
    and it cannot help.
⁸ Now keep this in mind,^[h]
you sinful people.
    And don't ever forget it.

I kept my word ¹¹ and brought
someone from a distant land
    to do what I wanted.
He attacked from the east,
    like a hawk swooping down.
Now I will keep my promise
    and do what I planned.

¹² You people are stubborn
and far from being safe,
    so listen to me.
¹³ I will soon come to save you.
I am not far away
    and will waste no time;
I take pride in Israel
    and will save Jerusalem.

⁵ Babylon, be silent!
    Sit in the dark.
No longer will nations
    accept you as their queen.
⁶ I was angry with my people.
So I let you take their land
    and bring disgrace on them.
You showed them no mercy,
but were especially cruel
    to those who were old.
⁷ You thought that you
    would be queen forever.
You didn't care what you did;
it never entered your mind
    that you might get caught.

^8 (F) You think that you alone
    are all-powerful,
that you won't be a widow
    or lose your children.
All you care about is pleasure,
    but listen to what I say.
⁹ Your magic powers and charms
    will suddenly fail,
then you will be a widow
    and lose your children.

¹⁰ You hid behind evil
like a shield and said,
    “No one can see me!”
You were fooled by your wisdom
    and your knowledge;
you felt sure that you alone
    were in full control.
¹¹ But without warning,
    disaster will strike—
and your magic charms
    won't help at all.

¹² Keep using your magic powers
and your charms
    as you have always done.
Maybe—just maybe—
    you will frighten somebody!
¹³ You have worn yourself out,
    asking for advice
from those who study the stars
and tell the future
    month after month.
Go ask them how to be saved
    from what will happen.
¹⁴ People who trust the stars
are as helpless as straw
    in a flaming fire.
No one can even keep warm,^[k]
sitting by a fire
    that feeds only on straw.
¹⁵ These are the fortunetellers
you have done business with
    all of your life.
But they don't know
where they are going,
    and they can't save you.

³ Long ago I announced
    what was going to be,
then without warning,
    I made it happen.
⁴ I knew you were stubborn
    and hardheaded.
⁵ And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
    you would not say,
“The idols we worship did this.”

⁶ You heard what I said,
and you have seen it happen.
    Now admit it's true!
I will show you secrets
    you have never known.
⁷ Today I am doing something new,
something you cannot say
    you have heard before.
⁸ You have never been willing
    to listen to what I say;
from the moment of your birth,
    I knew you would rebel.

^12 (G) Israel, my chosen people,
    listen to me.
I alone am the Lord,
    the first and the last.
¹³ With my own hand
I created the earth
    and stretched out the sky.
They obey my every command.

^20 (H) Now leave Babylon!
    Celebrate as you go.
Be happy and shout
    for everyone to hear,
“The Lord has rescued
    his servant Israel!
²¹ He led us through the desert
and made water flow from a rock
    to satisfy our thirst.
^22 (I) But the Lord has promised
that none who are evil
    will live in peace.”

⁴ I said to myself,
“I'm completely worn out;
    my time has been wasted.
But I did it for the Lord God,
    and he will reward me.”

⁵ Even before I was born,
    the Lord God chose me
to serve him and to lead back
    the people of Israel.
So the Lord has honored me
    and made me strong.

^6 (L) Now the Lord says to me,
“It isn't enough for you
    to be merely my servant.
You must do more than lead back
survivors from the tribes
    of Israel.
I have placed you here as a light
    for other nations;
you must take my saving power
    to everyone on earth.”

On their way home,
they will find plenty to eat,
    even on barren hills.
^10 (N) They won't go hungry
    or get thirsty;
they won't be bothered
by the scorching sun
    or hot desert winds.
I will be merciful
while leading them along
    to streams of water.
¹¹ I will level the mountains
    and make roads.
¹² Then my people will return
    from distant lands
in the north and the west
    and from the city of Syene.^[s]

¹⁴ The people of Zion said,
“The Lord has turned away
    and forgotten us.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered,
“Could a mother forget a child
    who nurses at her breast?
Could she fail to love an infant
    who came from her own body?
Even if a mother could forget,
    I will never forget you.
¹⁶ A picture of your city
    is drawn on my hand.
You are always in my thoughts!

¹⁷ “Your city will be built faster
    than it was destroyed^[t]—
those who attacked it
    will retreat and leave.
¹⁸ Look around! You will see
    your people coming home.
As surely as I live,
    I, the Lord, promise
that your city with its people
will be as lovely as a bride
    wearing her jewelry.”

²⁰ Jerusalem is a woman
    whose children were born
while she was in deep sorrow^[u]
    over the loss of her husband.
Now those children
will come and seek room
    in the crowded city,
²¹ and Jerusalem will ask,
    “Am I really their mother?
How could I have given birth
when I was still mourning
    in a foreign land?
Who raised these children?
Where have they come from?”

^22 (O) The Lord God says:
“I will soon give a signal
    for the nations
to return your sons
and your daughters
    to the arms of Jerusalem.
²³ The kings and queens
    of those nations
where they were raised
    will come and bow down.
They will take care of you
just like a slave
    taking care of a child.
Then you will know
    that I am the Lord.
You won't be disappointed
    if you trust me.”

^6 (Q) I let them beat my back
    and pull out my beard.
I didn't turn aside
when they insulted me
    and spit in my face.
⁷ But the Lord God keeps me
    from being disgraced.
So I refuse to give up,
because I know
    God will never let me down.

^8 (R) My protector is nearby;
no one can stand here
    to accuse me of wrong.
⁹ The Lord God will help me
    and prove I am innocent.
My accusers will wear out
    like moth-eaten clothes.

¹⁰ None of you respect the Lord
    or obey his servant.
You walk in the dark
    instead of the light;
you don't trust the name
    of the Lord your God.^[w]
11 Go ahead and walk in the light
    of the fires you have set.^[x]
But with his own hand,
the Lord will punish you
    and make you suffer.

³ Though Zion is in ruins,
    the Lord will bring comfort,
and the city will be as lovely
as the garden of Eden
    that he provided.
Then Zion will celebrate;
it will be thankful
    and sing joyful songs.

⁶ Look closely at the sky!
    Stare at the earth.
The sky will vanish like smoke;
the earth will wear out
    like clothes.
Everyone on this earth
    will die like flies.
But my victory will last;
my saving power never ends.

⁷ If you want to do right
    and obey my teaching
with all your heart,
    then pay close attention.
Don't be discouraged
when others insult you
    and say hurtful things.
⁸ They will be eaten away
    like a moth-eaten coat.
But my victory will last;
my saving power
    will never end.

¹³ I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
    for the earth.
But you have forgotten me,
    your Lord and Creator.
All day long you were afraid
of those who were angry
    and hoped to oppress you.
Where are they now?

¹⁴ Everyone crying out in pain
    will be quickly set free;
they will be rescued
from the power of death
    and never go hungry.
¹⁵ I will help them
    because I am your God,
the Lord All-Powerful,
    who makes the ocean roar.

¹⁶ I have told you what to say,
and I will keep you safe
    in the palm of my hand.
I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
    for the earth.
Now I say, “Jerusalem,
    your people are mine.”

²¹ You are in trouble and drunk,
    but not from wine.
So pay close attention
²² to the Lord your God,
    who defends you and says,
“I have taken from your hands
the cup filled with my anger
    that made you drunk.
You will never be forced
    to drink it again.
²³ Instead I will give it
    to your brutal enemies,
who treated you like dirt
    and walked all over you.”

⁴ He suffered and endured
    great pain for us,
but we thought his suffering
    was punishment from God.
^5 (AA)(AB) He was wounded and crushed
    because of our sins;
by taking our punishment,
    he made us completely well.
^6 (AC) All of us were like sheep
    that had wandered off.
We had each gone our own way,
but the Lord gave him
    the punishment we deserved.

^{7 (AD)(AE) (AF)} He was painfully abused,
    but he did not complain.
He was silent like a lamb
    being led to the butcher,
as quiet as a sheep
    having its wool cut off.

⁸ He was condemned to death
    without a fair trial.
Who could have imagined
    what would happen to him?
His life was taken away
because of the sinful things
    my people^[ag] had done.
^9 (AG) He wasn't dishonest or violent,
but he was buried in a tomb
    among cruel, rich people.^[ah]

¹⁰ The Lord decided his servant
    would suffer as a sacrifice
to take away the sin
    and guilt of others.
Now the servant will live
    to see his own descendants.^[ai]
He did everything
    the Lord had planned.

¹¹ By suffering, the servant
will learn the true meaning
    of obeying the Lord.
Although he is innocent,
he will take the punishment
    for the sins of others,
so that many of them
    will no longer be guilty.
^12 (AH) The Lord will reward him
with honor and power
    for sacrificing his life.
Others thought he was a sinner,
but he suffered for our sins
    and asked God to forgive us.

⁴ Don't be afraid or ashamed
and don't be discouraged.
    You won't be disappointed.
Forget how sinful you were
    when you were young;
stop feeling ashamed
    for being left a widow.
⁵ The Lord All-Powerful,
the Holy God of Israel,
    rules all the earth.
He is your Creator and husband,
    and he will rescue you.

⁶ You were like a young wife,
    brokenhearted and crying
because her husband
    had divorced her.
But the Lord your God says,
    “I am taking you back!
⁷ I rejected you for a while,
but with love and tenderness
    I will embrace you again.
⁸ For a while, I turned away
    in furious anger.
Now I will have mercy
    and love you forever!
I, your protector and Lord,
    make this promise.”

¹⁴ You will be built on fairness
    with no fears of injustice;
every one of your worries
    will be taken far from you.
¹⁵ I will never send anyone
    to attack your city,
and you will make prisoners
    of those who do attack.
¹⁶ Don't forget that I created
metalworkers who make weapons
    over burning coals.
I also created armies
    that can bring destruction.
¹⁷ Weapons made to attack you
    won't be successful;
words spoken against you
    won't hurt at all.

My servants, Jerusalem is yours!
I, the Lord, promise
    to bless you with victory.

^3 (AQ) Pay close attention!
    Come to me and live.
I will promise you
the eternal love and loyalty
    that I promised David.
⁴ I made him the leader and ruler
of the nations;
    he was my witness to them.
⁵ You will call out to nations
    you have never known.
And they have never known you,
but they will come running
    because I am the Lord,
the holy God of Israel,
    and I have honored you.

⁸ The Lord says:
“My thoughts and my ways
    are not like yours.
⁹ Just as the heavens
    are higher than the earth,
my thoughts and my ways
    are higher than yours.

^10 (AR) “Rain and snow fall from the sky.
But they don't return
    without watering the earth
that produces seeds to plant
    and grain to eat.
¹¹ That's how it is with my words.
    They don't return to me
without doing everything
    I send them to do.”