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Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New International Version
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New International Version
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(A) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(B)
I am he;(C)
I am the first and I am the last.(D)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(E)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(F)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(G)
14 “Come together,(H) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(I) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(J)
will carry out his purpose(K) against Babylon;(L)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[a]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(M) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(N) in his mission.
16 “Come near(O) me and listen(P) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(Q)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(U) the Holy One(V) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(W) you what is best for you,
who directs(X) you in the way(Y) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(Z) to my commands,
your peace(AA) would have been like a river,(AB)
your well-being(AC) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(AD) would have been like the sand,(AE)
your children like its numberless grains;(AF)
their name would never be blotted out(AG)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(AH) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(AI)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(AJ)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(AK) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(AL) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(AM) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(AN)
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(AQ) to me, you islands;(AR)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(AS) the Lord called(AT) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(AU)
2 He made my mouth(AV) like a sharpened sword,(AW)
in the shadow of his hand(AX) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(AY)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(AZ)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(BA)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(BB)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(BC)
and my reward(BD) is with my God.”(BE)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(BF) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(BG) to himself,
for I am[b] honored(BH) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(BI)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(BJ)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(BK)
I will also make you a light(BL) for the Gentiles,(BM)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(BN)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(BO)—
to him who was despised(BP) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(BQ) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(BR)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(BS)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(BT) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(BU) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(BV)
I will keep(BW) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(BX)
to restore the land(BY)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(BZ)
9 to say to the captives,(CA) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(CB) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(CC)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(CD)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(CE)
He who has compassion(CF) on them will guide(CG) them
and lead them beside springs(CH) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(CI) will be raised up.(CJ)
12 See, they will come from afar(CK)—
some from the north, some from the west,(CL)
some from the region of Aswan.[c]”
13 Shout for joy,(CM) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;(CN)
burst into song, you mountains!(CO)
For the Lord comforts(CP) his people
and will have compassion(CQ) on his afflicted ones.(CR)
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child(CU) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!(CV)
16 See, I have engraved(CW) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls(CX) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste(CY) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather(CZ) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(DA)” declares the Lord,
“you will wear(DB) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(DC)
and your land laid waste,(DD)
now you will be too small for your people,(DE)
and those who devoured(DF) 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.’(DG)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these?(DH)
I was bereaved(DI) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.(DJ)
Who brought these(DK) up?
I was left(DL) all alone,(DM)
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(DN) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner(DO) to the peoples;
they will bring(DP) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.(DQ)
23 Kings(DR) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.(DS)
They will bow down(DT) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust(DU) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(DV)
those who hope(DW) in me will not be disappointed.(DX)”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives(DZ) will be taken from warriors,(EA)
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(EB)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(EC)
and your children I will save.(ED)
26 I will make your oppressors(EE) eat(EF) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood,(EG) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(EH)
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(EI)
your Redeemer,(EJ) the Mighty One of Jacob.(EK)”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(EL)
with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
did I sell(EM) you?
Because of your sins(EN) you were sold;(EO)
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?(EP)
Was my arm too short(EQ) to deliver you?
Do I lack the strength(ER) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(ES) I dry up the sea,(ET)
I turn rivers into a desert;(EU)
their fish rot for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness(EV)
and make sackcloth(EW) its covering.”
4 The Sovereign Lord(EX) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(EY)
to know the word that sustains the weary.(EZ)
He wakens me morning by morning,(FA)
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(FB)
5 The Sovereign Lord(FC) has opened my ears;(FD)
I have not been rebellious,(FE)
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat(FF) me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(FG)
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.(FH)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord(FI) helps(FJ) me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(FK)
and I know I will not be put to shame.(FL)
8 He who vindicates(FM) me is near.(FN)
Who then will bring charges against me?(FO)
Let us face each other!(FP)
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord(FQ) who helps(FR) me.
Who will condemn(FS) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths(FT) will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears(FU) the Lord
and obeys(FV) the word of his servant?(FW)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,(FX)
trust(FY) 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,(FZ)
go, walk in the light of your fires(GA)
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(GB)
You will lie down in torment.(GC)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New King James Version
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New King James Version
God’s Ancient Plan to Redeem Israel
12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob,
And Israel, My called:
I am He, (A)I am the (B)First,
I am also the Last.
13 Indeed (C)My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
And My right hand has stretched out the heavens;
When (D)I call to them,
They stand up together.
14 “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear!
Who among them has declared these things?
(E)The Lord loves him;
(F)He shall do His pleasure on Babylon,
And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken;
Yes, (G)I have called him,
I have brought him, and his way will prosper.
16 “Come near to Me, hear this:
(H)I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
From the time that it was, I was there.
And now (I)the Lord God and His Spirit
[a]Have sent Me.”
17 Thus says (J)the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
(K)Who leads you by the way you should go.
18 (L)Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
(M)Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 (N)Your descendants also would have been like the sand,
And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand;
His name would not have been cut off
Nor destroyed from before Me.”
20 (O)Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing,
Declare, proclaim this,
Utter it to the end of the earth;
Say, “The Lord has (P)redeemed
His servant Jacob!”
21 And they (Q)did not thirst
When He led them through the deserts;
He (R)caused the waters to flow from the rock for them;
He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.
22 “There(S) is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
The Servant, the Light to the Gentiles
49 “Listen, (T)O coastlands, to Me,
And take heed, you peoples from afar!
(U)The Lord has called Me from the womb;
From the [b]matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
2 And He has made (V)My mouth like a sharp sword;
(W)In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,
And made Me (X)a polished shaft;
In His quiver He has hidden Me.”
3 “And He said to me,
(Y)‘You are My servant, O Israel,
(Z)In whom I will be glorified.’
4 (AA)Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;
Yet surely my [c]just reward is with the Lord,
And my [d]work with my God.’ ”
5 “And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel (AB)is [e]gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
6 Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a (AC)light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
7 Thus says the Lord,
The Redeemer of Israel, [f]their Holy One,
(AD)To Him [g]whom man despises,
To Him whom the nation abhors,
To the Servant of rulers:
(AE)“Kings shall see and arise,
Princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord who is faithful,
The Holy One of Israel;
And He has chosen You.”
8 Thus says the Lord:
“In an (AF)acceptable[h] time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;
I will [i]preserve You (AG)and give You
As a covenant to the people,
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate [j]heritages;
9 That You may say (AH)to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
“They shall feed along the roads,
And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.
10 They shall neither (AI)hunger nor thirst,
(AJ)Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them (AK)will lead them,
Even by the springs of water He will guide them.
11 (AL)I will make each of My mountains a road,
And My highways shall be elevated.
12 Surely (AM)these shall come from afar;
Look! Those from the north and the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”
13 (AN)Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.
God Will Remember Zion
14 (AO)But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
And my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can(AP) a woman forget her nursing child,
[k]And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
(AQ)Yet I will not forget you.
16 See, (AR)I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [l]sons shall make haste;
Your destroyers and those who laid you waste
Shall go away from you.
18 (AS)Lift up your eyes, look around and see;
All these gather together and come to you.
As I live,” says the Lord,
“You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all (AT)as an ornament,
And bind them on you as a bride does.
19 “For your waste and desolate places,
And the land of your destruction,
(AU)Will even now be too small for the inhabitants;
And those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 (AV)The children you will have,
(AW)After you have lost the others,
Will say again in your ears,
‘The place is too small for me;
Give me a place where I may dwell.’
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has begotten these for me,
Since I have lost my children and am desolate,
A captive, and wandering to and fro?
And who has brought these up?
There I was, left alone;
But these, where were they?’ ”
22 (AX)Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations,
And set up My [m]standard for the peoples;
They shall bring your sons in their [n]arms,
And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;
23 (AY)Kings shall be your foster fathers,
And their queens your nursing mothers;
They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth,
And (AZ)lick up the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord,
(BA)For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”
25 But thus says the Lord:
“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
And the prey of the terrible be delivered;
For I will contend with him who contends with you,
And I will save your children.
26 I will (BC)feed those who oppress you with their own flesh,
And they shall be drunk with their own (BD)blood as with sweet wine.
All flesh (BE)shall know
That I, the Lord, am your Savior,
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
The Servant, Israel’s Hope
50 Thus says the Lord:
“Where is (BF)the certificate of your mother’s divorce,
Whom I have put away?
Or which of My (BG)creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
For your iniquities (BH)you have sold yourselves,
And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.
2 Why, when I came, was there no man?
Why, when I called, was there none to answer?
Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Indeed with My (BI)rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink because there is no water,
And die of thirst.
3 (BJ)I clothe the heavens with blackness,
(BK)And I make sackcloth their covering.”
4 “The(BL) Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is (BM)weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
5 The Lord God (BN)has opened My ear;
And I was not (BO)rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
6 (BP)I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And (BQ)My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and (BR)spitting.
7 “For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore (BS)I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 (BT)He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is [p]My adversary?
Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
(BU)Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
(BV)The moth will eat them up.
10 “Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who (BW)walks in darkness
And has no light?
(BX)Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
(BY)This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down (BZ)in torment.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:16 Heb. verb is sing.; or Has sent Me and His Spirit
- Isaiah 49:1 Lit. inward parts
- Isaiah 49:4 justice
- Isaiah 49:4 recompense
- Isaiah 49:5 Qr., DSS, LXX gathered to Him; Kt. not gathered
- Isaiah 49:7 Lit. his or its
- Isaiah 49:7 Lit. who is despised of soul
- Isaiah 49:8 favorable
- Isaiah 49:8 keep
- Isaiah 49:8 inheritances
- Isaiah 49:15 Lit. From having compassion
- Isaiah 49:17 DSS, LXX, Tg., Vg. builders
- Isaiah 49:22 banner
- Isaiah 49:22 Lit. bosom
- Isaiah 49:24 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, Syr., Vg. of the mighty; LXX unjustly
- Isaiah 50:8 Lit. master of My judgment
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New American Standard Bible
Rescue Promised
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [a]whom I called;
(A)I am He, (B)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (C)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (D)call to them, they stand together.
14 (E)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(F)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (G)carry out His good pleasure against (H)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (I)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (J)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (K)not spoken in secret,
(L)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (M)the Lord [b]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (N)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (O)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (P)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [c](Q)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (R)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [d](S)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [e]your offspring like its grains;
(T)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (U)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (V)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(W)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(X)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (Y)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (Z)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (AA)the water gushed out.
22 “(AB)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Salvation Reaches to the Ends of the Earth
49 Listen to Me, you (AC)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(AD)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [f]body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My (AE)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (AF)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened (AG)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “(AH)You are My Servant, Israel,
(AI)In whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have (AJ)labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (AK)reward is with My God.”
5 And now says (AL)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (AM)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (AN)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (AO)strength),
6 He says, “It is too [g]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (AP)protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (AQ)light [h]of the nations
So that My salvation may [i]reach to the (AR)end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord, the (AS)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [j](AT)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
“(AU)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (AV)bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At a (AW)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (AX)watch over You and (AY)make You a covenant of the people,
To [k](AZ)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are (BA)bound, ‘[l]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (BB)bare heights.
10 They will (BC)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (BD)heat or sun strike them down;
For (BE)He who has compassion on them will (BF)lead them,
And He will guide them to (BG)springs of water.
11 I will make all (BH)My mountains a road,
And My (BI)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (BJ)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (BK)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (BL)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (BM)Lord has comforted His people
And will (BN)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (BO)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (BP)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (BQ)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [m]builders hurry;
Your (BR)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (BS)Raise your eyes and look around;
(BT)All of them gather together, (BU)they come to you.
(BV)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (BW)put them all on as [n]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (BX)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (BY)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (BZ)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (CA)children [o]you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
21 Then you will (CB)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (CC)cannot conceive, and I am an (CD)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (CE)left alone;
[p](CF)Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [q]God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (CG)flag to the peoples;
And they will (CH)bring your sons [r]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (CI)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (CJ)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (CK)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (CL)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (CM)wait for Me will (CN)not be put to shame.
25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
“Even the (CP)captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will (CQ)save your sons.
26 I will feed your (CR)oppressors with their (CS)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [t](CT)humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your (CU)Savior
And your (CV)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
God Helps His Servant
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is the (CW)certificate of divorce
By which I have (CX)sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I (CY)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (CZ)wrongdoings,
And for your (DA)wrongful acts your mother (DB)was sent away.
2 Why was there (DC)no one when I came?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?
Is My (DD)hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or do I have no power to rescue?
Behold, I (DE)dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I (DF)turn rivers into a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water,
And die of thirst.
3 I (DG)clothe the heavens with blackness,
And make sackcloth their covering.”
4 The Lord [u]God has given Me the tongue of (DH)disciples,
So that I may know how to (DI)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (DJ)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has (DK)opened My ear,
And I was (DL)not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (DM)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard;
I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
7 For the Lord God (DN)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (DO)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have made My face like (DP)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who (DQ)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (DR)stand up to each other.
Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me.
9 Behold, (DS)the Lord God helps Me;
(DT)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (DU)they will all wear out like a garment;
A moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His (DV)servant,
Who (DW)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (DX)trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (DY)kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with flaming arrows,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the flaming arrows you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (DZ)lie down in torment.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
- Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts
- Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
- Isaiah 49:6 Or to
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 49:7 Lit despised of soul
- Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
- Isaiah 49:9 Lit Go out
- Isaiah 49:17 Ancient versions and DSS; MT sons
- Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
- Isaiah 49:20 Lit of your bereavement
- Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
- Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 49:22 Lit on the chest
- Isaiah 49:24 Ancient versions and DSS; MT the righteous, cf. v 25
- Isaiah 49:26 Lit all flesh
- Isaiah 50:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New Living Translation
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
New Living Translation
Freedom from Babylon
12 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
Israel my chosen one!
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.
13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
When I call out the stars,
they all appear in order.”
14 Have any of your idols ever told you this?
Come, all of you, and listen:
The Lord has chosen Cyrus as his ally.
He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon
and to destroy the Babylonian[a] armies.
15 “I have said it: I am calling Cyrus!
I will send him on this errand and will help him succeed.
16 Come closer, and listen to this.
From the beginning I have told you plainly what would happen.”
And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit
have sent me with this message.
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore—
too many to count!
There would have been no need for your destruction,
or for cutting off your family name.”
20 Yet even now, be free from your captivity!
Leave Babylon and the Babylonians.[b]
Sing out this message!
Shout it to the ends of the earth!
The Lord has redeemed his servants,
the people of Israel.[c]
21 They were not thirsty
when he led them through the desert.
He divided the rock,
and water gushed out for them to drink.
22 “But there is no peace for the wicked,”
says the Lord.
The Lord’s Servant Commissioned
49 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”
4 I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”
5 And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.
6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
7 The Lord, the Redeemer
and Holy One of Israel,
says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,
to the one who is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.
Princes will also bow low
because of the Lord, the faithful one,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Promises of Israel’s Restoration
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At just the right time, I will respond to you.[d]
On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
and assign it to its own people again.
9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
and on hills that were previously bare.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst.
The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
he will lead them beside cool waters.
11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12 See, my people will return from far away,
from lands to the north and west,
and from as far south as Egypt.[e]”
13 Sing for joy, O heavens!
Rejoice, O earth!
Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14 Yet Jerusalem[f] says, “The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17 Soon your descendants will come back,
and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18 Look around you and see,
for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
19 “Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
will be far away.
20 The generations born in exile will return and say,
‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
21 Then you will think to yourself,
‘Who has given me all these descendants?
For most of my children were killed,
and the rest were carried away into exile.
I was left here all alone.
Where did all these people come from?
Who bore these children?
Who raised them for me?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will give a signal to the godless nations.
They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms;
they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Kings and queens will serve you
and care for all your needs.
They will bow to the earth before you
and lick the dust from your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”
24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior?
Who can demand that a tyrant[g] let his captives go?
25 But the Lord says,
“The captives of warriors will be released,
and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved.
For I will fight those who fight you,
and I will save your children.
26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh.
They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood.
All the world will know that I, the Lord,
am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Israel.[h]”
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Was your mother sent away because I divorced her?
Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors?
No, you were sold because of your sins.
And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.
2 Why was no one there when I came?
Why didn’t anyone answer when I called?
Is it because I have no power to rescue?
No, that is not the reason!
For I can speak to the sea and make it dry up!
I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish.
3 I dress the skies in darkness,
covering them with clothes of mourning.”
The Lord’s Obedient Servant
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
5 The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,
and I have listened.
I have not rebelled or turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
I did not hide my face
from mockery and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.
8 He who gives me justice is near.
Who will dare to bring charges against me now?
Where are my accusers?
Let them appear!
9 See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side!
Who will declare me guilty?
All my enemies will be destroyed
like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
11 But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.
Footnotes
- 48:14 Or Chaldean.
- 48:20a Or the Chaldeans.
- 48:20b Hebrew his servant, Jacob. See note on 14:1.
- 49:8 Greek version reads I heard you. Compare 2 Cor 6:2.
- 49:12 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, which read from the region of Aswan, which is in southern Egypt. Masoretic Text reads from the region of Sinim.
- 49:14 Hebrew Zion.
- 49:24 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Syriac version, and Latin Vulgate (also see 49:25); Masoretic Text reads a righteous person.
- 49:26 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
The Message
Isaiah 48:12-50:11
The Message
12-13 “Listen, Jacob. Listen, Israel—
I’m the One who named you!
I’m the One.
I got things started and, yes, I’ll wrap them up.
Earth is my work, handmade.
And the skies—I made them, too, horizon to horizon.
When I speak, they’re on their feet, at attention.
14-16 “Come everybody, gather around, listen:
Who among the gods has delivered the news?
I, God, love this man Cyrus, and I’m using him
to do what I want with Babylon.
I, yes I, have spoken. I’ve called him.
I’ve brought him here. He’ll be successful.
Come close, listen carefully:
I’ve never kept secrets from you.
I’ve always been present with you.”
Your Progeny, Like Grains of Sand
16-19 And now, the Master, God, sends me and his Spirit
with this Message from God
your Redeemer, The Holy of Israel:
“I am God, your God,
who teaches you how to live right and well.
I show you what to do, where to go.
If you had listened all along to what I told you,
your life would have flowed full like a river,
blessings rolling in like waves from the sea.
Children and grandchildren are like sand,
your progeny like grains of sand.
There would be no end of them,
no danger of losing touch with me.”
20 Get out of Babylon! Run from the Babylonians!
Shout the news. Broadcast it.
Let the world know, the whole world.
Tell them, “God redeemed his dear servant Jacob!”
21 They weren’t thirsty when he led them through the deserts.
He made water pour out of the rock;
he split the rock and the water gushed.
22 “There is no peace,” says God, “for the wicked.”
A Light for the Nations
49 1-3 Listen, far-flung islands,
pay attention, faraway people:
God put me to work from the day I was born.
The moment I entered the world he named me.
He gave me speech that would cut and penetrate.
He kept his hand on me to protect me.
He made me his straight arrow
and hid me in his quiver.
He said to me, “You’re my dear servant,
Israel, through whom I’ll shine.”
4 But I said, “I’ve worked for nothing.
I’ve nothing to show for a life of hard work.
Nevertheless, I’ll let God have the last word.
I’ll let him pronounce his verdict.”
5-6 “And now,” God says,
this God who took me in hand
from the moment of birth to be his servant,
To bring Jacob back home to him,
to set a reunion for Israel—
What an honor for me in God’s eyes!
That God should be my strength!
He says, “But that’s not a big enough job for my servant—
just to recover the tribes of Jacob,
merely to round up the strays of Israel.
I’m setting you up as a light for the nations
so that my salvation becomes global!”
7 God, Redeemer of Israel, The Holy of Israel,
says to the despised one, kicked around by the nations,
slave labor to the ruling class:
“Kings will see, get to their feet—the princes, too—
and then fall on their faces in homage
Because of God, who has faithfully kept his word,
The Holy of Israel, who has chosen you.”
8-12 God also says:
“When the time’s ripe, I answer you.
When victory’s due, I help you.
I form you and use you
to reconnect the people with me,
To put the land in order,
to resettle families on the ruined properties.
I tell prisoners, ‘Come on out. You’re free!’
and those huddled in fear, ‘It’s all right. It’s safe now.’
There’ll be foodstands along all the roads,
picnics on all the hills—
Nobody hungry, nobody thirsty,
shade from the sun, shelter from the wind,
For the Compassionate One guides them,
takes them to the best springs.
I’ll make all my mountains into roads,
turn them into a superhighway.
Look: These coming from far countries,
and those, out of the north,
These streaming in from the west,
and those from all the way down the Nile!”
13 Heavens, raise the roof! Earth, wake the dead!
Mountains, send up cheers!
God has comforted his people.
He has tenderly nursed his beaten-up, beaten-down people.
14 But Zion said, “I don’t get it. God has left me.
My Master has forgotten I even exist.”
15-18 “Can a mother forget the infant at her breast,
walk away from the baby she bore?
But even if mothers forget,
I’d never forget you—never.
Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.
The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.
Your builders are faster than your wreckers.
The demolition crews are gone for good.
Look up, look around, look well!
See them all gathering, coming to you?
As sure as I am the living God”—God’s Decree—
“you’re going to put them on like so much jewelry,
you’re going to use them to dress up like a bride.
19-21 “And your ruined land?
Your devastated, decimated land?
Filled with more people than you know what to do with!
And your barbarian enemies, a fading memory.
The children born in your exile will be saying,
‘It’s getting too crowded here. I need more room.’
And you’ll say to yourself,
‘Where on earth did these children come from?
I lost everything, had nothing, was exiled and penniless.
So who reared these children?
How did these children get here?’”
22-23 The Master, God, says:
“Look! I signal to the nations,
I raise my flag to summon the people.
Here they’ll come: women carrying your little boys in their arms,
men carrying your little girls on their shoulders.
Kings will be your babysitters,
princesses will be your nursemaids.
They’ll offer to do all your drudge work—
scrub your floors, do your laundry.
You’ll know then that I am God.
No one who hopes in me ever regrets it.”
24-26 Can plunder be retrieved from a giant,
prisoners of war gotten back from a tyrant?
But God says, “Even if a giant grips the plunder
and a tyrant holds my people prisoner,
I’m the one who’s on your side,
defending your cause, rescuing your children.
And your enemies, crazed and desperate, will turn on themselves,
killing each other in a frenzy of self-destruction.
Then everyone will know that I, God,
have saved you—I, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Who Out There Fears God?
50 1-3 God says:
“Can you produce your mother’s divorce papers
proving I got rid of her?
Can you produce a receipt
proving I sold you?
Of course you can’t.
It’s your sins that put you here,
your wrongs that got you shipped out.
So why didn’t anyone come when I knocked?
Why didn’t anyone answer when I called?
Do you think I’ve forgotten how to help?
Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver?
I’m as powerful as ever,
and can reverse what I once did:
I can dry up the sea with a word,
turn river water into desert sand,
And leave the fish stinking in the sun,
stranded on dry land . . .
Turn all the lights out in the sky
and pull down the curtain.”
* * *
4-9 The Master, God, has given me
a well-taught tongue,
So I know how to encourage tired people.
He wakes me up in the morning,
Wakes me up, opens my ears
to listen as one ready to take orders.
The Master, God, opened my ears,
and I didn’t go back to sleep,
didn’t pull the covers back over my head.
I followed orders,
stood there and took it while they beat me,
held steady while they pulled out my beard,
Didn’t dodge their insults,
faced them as they spit in my face.
And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me,
so I’m not disgraced.
Therefore I set my face like flint,
confident that I’ll never regret this.
My champion is right here.
Let’s take our stand together!
Who dares bring suit against me?
Let him try!
Look! the Master, God, is right here.
Who would dare call me guilty?
Look! My accusers are a clothes bin of threadbare
socks and shirts, fodder for moths!
* * *
10-11 Who out there fears God,
actually listens to the voice of his servant?
For anyone out there who doesn’t know where you’re going,
anyone groping in the dark,
Here’s what: Trust in God.
Lean on your God!
But if all you’re after is making trouble,
playing with fire,
Go ahead and see where it gets you.
Set your fires, stir people up, blow on the flames,
But don’t expect me to just stand there and watch.
I’ll hold your feet to those flames.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
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 American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson