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Isaiah 40-48
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 40-48
Holman Christian Standard Bible
God’s People Comforted
40 “Comfort, comfort My people,”(A)
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to[a] Jerusalem,
and announce to her
that her time of forced labor is over,
her iniquity(B) has been pardoned,(C)
and she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”(D)
3 A voice of one crying out:
Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness;(E)
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.(F)
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled;
the uneven ground will become smooth
and the rough places, a plain.(G)
5 And the glory of the Lord will appear,(H)
and all humanity[b] together will see it,(I)
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(J)
6 A voice was saying, “Cry out!”
Another[c] said, “What should I cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,(K)
and all its goodness is like the flower of the field.(L)
7 The grass withers, the flowers fade
when the breath[d] of the Lord blows on them;[e]
indeed, the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flowers fade,(M)
but the word of our God remains forever.”(N)
9 Zion, herald of good news,
go up on a high mountain.(O)
Jerusalem, herald of good news,(P)
raise your voice loudly.
Raise it, do not be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(Q)
10 See, the Lord God comes with strength,
and His power establishes His rule.(R)
His reward is with Him,(S)
and His gifts accompany Him.
11 He protects His flock like a shepherd;(T)
He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them in the fold of His garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?(U)
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains in a balance
and the hills in the scales?
13 Who has directed[f] the Spirit of the Lord,
or who gave Him His counsel?(V)
14 Who did He consult with?
Who gave Him understanding(W)
and taught Him the paths of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge
and showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered as a speck of dust in the scales;
He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not enough for fuel,
or its animals enough for a burnt offering.(X)
17 All the nations are as nothing before Him;
they are considered by Him
as nothingness and emptiness.(Y)
18 Who will you compare God with?
What likeness will you compare Him to?(Z)
19 To an idol?—something that a smelter casts,
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver welds for it?(AA)
20 To one who shapes a pedestal,
choosing wood that does not rot?[g]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.(AB)
21 Do you not know?(AC)
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?(AD)
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.(AE)
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth(AF)
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.(AG)
23 He reduces princes to nothing(AH)
and makes judges of the earth irrational.
24 They are barely planted, barely sown,
their stem hardly takes root in the ground
when He blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.(AI)
25 “Who will you compare Me to,(AJ)
or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up[h] and see:
who created(AK) these?
He brings out the starry host by number;
He calls all of them by name.(AL)
Because of His great power and strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?(AM)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,(AN)
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.(AO)
29 He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;(AP)
they will soar on wings like eagles;(AQ)
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.
The Lord versus the Nations’ Gods
41 “Be silent before Me, islands!(AR)
And let peoples renew their strength.
Let them approach, then let them testify;
let us come together for the trial.
2 Who has stirred him up from the east?(AS)
He calls righteousness to his feet.[i](AT)
The Lord hands nations over to him,(AU)
and he subdues kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like wind-driven stubble with his bow.
3 He pursues them, going on safely,
hardly touching the path with his feet.
4 Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, Yahweh, am the first,
and with the last(AV)—I am He.”(AW)
5 The islands see and are afraid,
the whole earth trembles.(AX)
They approach and arrive.
6 Each one helps the other,
and says to another, “Take courage!”
7 The craftsman encourages the metalworker;(AY)
the one who flattens with the hammer
supports the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good.”
He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.(AZ)
8 But you, Israel, My servant,(BA)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(BB)
descendant of Abraham, My friend(BC)—
9 I brought[j] you from the ends of the earth
and called you from its farthest corners.
I said to you: You are My servant;
I have chosen you and not rejected you.(BD)
10 Do not fear, for I am with you;(BE)
do not be afraid, for I am your God.(BF)
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.(BG)
11 Be sure that all who are enraged against you
will be ashamed and disgraced;(BH)
those who contend with you
will become as nothing and will perish.
12 You will look for those who contend with you,
but you will not find them.
Those who war against you
will become absolutely nothing.
13 For I, Yahweh your God,(BI)
hold your right hand
and say to you: Do not fear,
I will help you.
14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,(BJ)
you men[k] of Israel:
I will help you—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
Your Redeemer(BK) is the Holy One of Israel.(BL)
15 See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board,
new, with many teeth.
You will thresh mountains and pulverize them
and make hills into chaff.(BM)
16 You will winnow them(BN)
and a wind will carry them away,
a gale will scatter them.
But you will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, Yahweh, will answer them;(BO)
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers on the barren heights,(BP)
and springs in the middle of the plains.
I will turn the desert into a pool of water
and dry land into springs of water.(BQ)
19 I will plant cedars in the desert,
acacias, myrtles, and olive trees.(BR)
I will put juniper trees in the desert,
elms and cypress trees together,
20 so that all may see and know,
consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,(BS)
the Holy One of Israel has created(BT) it.
21 “Submit your case,” says the Lord.
“Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22 “Let them come and tell us
what will happen.(BU)
Tell us the past events,
so that we may reflect on them
and know the outcome,
or tell us the future.
23 Tell us the coming events,(BV)
then we will know that you are gods.
Indeed, do something good or bad,
then we will be in awe[l] and perceive.
24 Look, you are nothing(BW)
and your work is worthless.
Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
25 “I have raised up one from the north,(BX) and he has come,
one from the east(BY) who invokes My[m] name.(BZ)
He will march over rulers as if they were mud,
like a potter who treads the clay.
26 Who told about this from the beginning,
so that we might know,
and from times past,
so that we might say: He is right?
No one announced it,
no one told it,
no one heard your words.
27 I was the first to say to Zion:[n]
Look! Here they are!
And I gave a herald of good news to Jerusalem.(CA)
28 When I look, there is no one;
there is no counselor among them;
when I ask them, they have nothing to say.(CB)
29 Look, all of them are a delusion;[o]
their works are nonexistent;
their images are wind and emptiness.
The Servant’s Mission
42 “This(CC) is My Servant;(CD) I strengthen Him,
this is My Chosen One;(CE) I delight in Him.(CF)
I have put My Spirit on Him;(CG)
He will bring justice[p] to the nations.(CH)
2 He will not cry out or shout
or make His voice heard in the streets.
3 He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick;
He will faithfully bring justice.
4 He will not grow weak or be discouraged
until He has established justice on earth.
The islands will wait for His instruction.”(CI)
5 This is what God, Yahweh, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out,(CJ)
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,(CK)
who gives breath to the people on it
and life[q] to those who walk on it(CL)—
6 “I, Yahweh, have called You
for a righteous purpose,[r](CM)
and I will hold You by Your hand.(CN)
I will keep You and appoint You
to be a covenant for the people(CO)
and a light to the nations,(CP)
7 in order to open blind eyes,(CQ)
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,(CR)
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am Yahweh, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another(CS)
or My praise to idols.
9 The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;(CT)
I announce them to you before they occur.”
A Song of Praise
10 Sing a new song to the Lord;(CU)
sing His praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,(CV)
you islands with your[s] inhabitants.
11 Let the desert and its cities shout,
the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.(CW)
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;(CX)
let them cry out from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare His praise in the islands.
13 The Lord advances like a warrior;
He stirs up His zeal like a soldier.(CY)
He shouts, He roars aloud,
He prevails over His enemies.
14 “I have kept silent from ages past;
I have been quiet and restrained Myself.(CZ)
But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,(DA)
gasping breathlessly.
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up marshes.(DB)
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;(DC)
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them(DD)
and rough places into level ground.(DE)
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not forsake them.(DF)
17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—
those who trust in idols
and say to metal-plated images:
You are our gods!(DG)
Israel’s Blindness and Deafness
18 “Listen, you deaf!
Look, you blind, so that you may see.(DH)
19 Who is blind but My servant,(DI)
or deaf like My messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like My dedicated one,[t]
or blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 Though seeing many things,[u] you do not obey.
Though his ears are open, he does not listen.”(DJ)
21 The Lord was pleased, because of His righteousness,
to magnify His instruction and make it glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in holes
or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder(DK)
with no one to rescue them
and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back!”
23 Who among you will pay attention to this?
Let him listen and obey in the future.
24 Who gave Jacob to the robber,[v]
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord?
Have we not sinned against Him?
They were not willing to walk in His ways,
and they would not listen to His instruction.
25 So He poured out on Jacob His furious anger
and the power of war.
It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it;
it burned him, but he paid no attention.[w](DL)
Restoration of Israel
43 Now this is what the Lord says—
the One who created you, Jacob,
and the One who formed you, Israel(DM)—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;(DN)
I have called you by your name; you are Mine.(DO)
2 I will be with you(DP)
when you pass through the waters,(DQ)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
You will not be scorched
when you walk through the fire,(DR)
and the flame will not burn you.
3 For I Yahweh your God,(DS)
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior,(DT)
give Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in My sight(DU)
and honored, and I love you,(DV)
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,(DW)
and gather you from the west.(DX)
6 I will say to the north: Give them up!
and to the south: Do not hold them back!
Bring My sons from far away,(DY)
and My daughters from the ends of the earth(DZ)—
7 everyone called by My name
and created for My glory.
I have formed him; indeed, I have made him.”
8 Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,(EA)
and are deaf, yet have ears.
9 All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.(EB)
Who among them can declare this,(EC)
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are My witnesses”(ED)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and My servant whom I have chosen,(EE)
so that you may know and believe Me
and understand that I am He.(EF)
No god was formed before Me,
and there will be none after Me.(EG)
11 I, I am Yahweh,
and there is no other Savior but Me.(EH)
12 I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—
and not some foreign god[x] among you.
So you are My witnesses”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and[y] I am God.(EI)
13 Also, from today on I am He alone,
and none can deliver from My hand.(EJ)
I act, and who can reverse it?”(EK)
God’s Deliverance of Rebellious Israel
14 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,(EL) the Holy One of Israel(EM) says:
Because of you, I will send to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,[z]
even the Chaldeans(EN) in the ships in which they rejoice.[aa]
15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 This is what the Lord says—
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through surging waters,(EO)
17 who brings out the chariot and horse,(EP)
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick(EQ))—
18 “Do not remember the past events,
pay no attention to things of old.(ER)
19 Look, I am about to do something new;(ES)
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,(ET)
rivers[ab] in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will honor Me,
jackals and ostriches,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,(EU)
to give drink to My chosen people.
21 The people I formed for Myself
will declare My praise.(EV)
22 “But Jacob, you have not called on Me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of Me.(EW)
23 You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored Me with your sacrifices.(EX)
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.[ac]
24 You have not bought Me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened Me with your sins;
you have wearied Me(EY) with your iniquities.(EZ)
25 “It is I who sweep away your transgressions(FA)
for My own sake(FB)
and remember your sins no more.(FC)
26 Take Me to court; let us argue our case together.(FD)
State your case, so that you may be vindicated.
27 Your first father sinned,(FE)
and your mediators have rebelled against Me.(FF)
28 So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction(FG)
and Israel for abuse.
Spiritual Blessing
44 “And now listen, Jacob My servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.(FH)
2 This is the word of the Lord
your Maker who formed you from the womb;
He[ad] will help you:
Do not fear; Jacob is My servant;
I have chosen Jeshurun.[ae](FI)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit(FJ) on your descendants
and My blessing on your offspring.
4 They will sprout among[af] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and name himself by the name of Israel.”
No God Other Than Yahweh
6 This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer,(FK) the Lord of Hosts, says:
I am the first and I am the last.(FL)
There is no God but Me.(FM)
7 Who, like Me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before Me,(FN)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare[ag] the coming things,
and what will take place.
8 Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!(FO)
Is there any God but Me?(FP)
There is no other Rock;(FQ) I do not know any.
9 All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure does not profit.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.(FR)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
for no profit?(FS)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.
12 The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn’t drink water and is faint.
13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human likeness,(FT)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
14 He cuts down[ah] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
15 It serves as fuel for man.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
He prays to it,(FU) “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 Such people[ai] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for He has shut their eyes[aj] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
19 No one reflects,
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
I will make something detestable(FV) with the rest of it,
and I will bow down to a block of wood.”
20 He feeds on[ak] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot deliver himself,
or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”(FW)
21 Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I formed you, you are My servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me.[al](FX)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,(FY)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to Me,(FZ)
for I have redeemed you.(GA)
23 Rejoice, heavens,(GB) for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies Himself through Israel.(GC)
Restoration of Israel through Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer(GD) who formed you from the womb,(GE) says:
I am Yahweh, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by Myself;(GF)
who alone spread out the earth;
25 who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;(GG)
26 who confirms the message of His servant
and fulfills the counsel of His messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”
and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”
and I will restore her ruins;
27 who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”
and I will dry up your rivers;
28 who says to Cyrus,(GH) “My shepherd,
he will fulfill all My pleasure”(GI)
and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,”(GJ)
and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”
45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed,(GK)
whose right hand I have grasped(GL)
to subdue nations before him,
to disarm[am] kings,(GM)
to open the doors before him
and the gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you
and level the uneven places;[an](GN)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.(GO)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,(GP)
so that you may know that I, Yahweh,
the God of Israel call you by your name.(GQ)
4 I call you by your name,
because of Jacob My servant(GR)
and Israel My chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know Me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other;(GS)
there is no God but Me.(GT)
I will strengthen[ao] you,
though you do not know Me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but Me.(GU)
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(GV)
I make success and create disaster;(GW)
I, Yahweh, do all these things.
8 “Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.(GX)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.(GY)
I, Yahweh, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.[ap]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’(GZ)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?[aq]
10 How absurd is the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel(HA) and its Maker, says:
“Ask Me what is to happen to[ar] My sons,(HB)
and instruct Me about the work of My hands.(HC)
12 I made the earth,
and created man on it.
It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,(HD)
and I commanded all their host.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness,(HE)
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild My city,(HF)
and set My exiles free,(HG)
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Hosts.
God Alone is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,(HH)
will come over to you(HI)
and will be yours;
they will follow you,
they will come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will confess[as] to you:
God is indeed with you,(HJ) and there is no other;
there is no other God.
15 Yes, You are a God who hides Himself,(HK)
God of Israel, Savior.(HL)
16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;(HM)
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17 Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.(HN)
18 For this is what the Lord says—
God is the Creator of the heavens.
He formed the earth and made it.
He established it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited(HO)—
“I am Yahweh,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,(HP)
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek Me in a wasteland.(HQ)
I, Yahweh, speak truthfully;(HR)
I say what is right.
20 “Come, gather together,
and draw near, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols,
and pray to a god who cannot save,(HS)
have no knowledge.(HT)
21 Speak up and present your case[at](HU)—
yes, let them take counsel together.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, Yahweh?
There is no other God but Me,
a righteous God and Savior;(HV)
there is no one except Me.(HW)
22 Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God,
and there is no other.
23 By Myself I have sworn;(HX)
Truth has gone from My mouth,(HY)
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow(HZ) to Me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength
is only in the Lord.”
All who are enraged against Him
will come to Him and be put to shame.(IA)
25 All the descendants of Israel
will be justified and find glory through the Lord.
There is No One Like God
46 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers.(IB)
Their idols are consigned to beasts and cattle.
The images you carry are loaded,
as a burden for the weary animal.
2 The gods cower; they crouch together;
they are not able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go into captivity.(IC)
3 “Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,
carried along since birth.
4 I will be the same until your old age,(ID)
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and save you.
5 “Who will you compare Me or make Me equal to?
Who will you measure Me with,
so that we should be like each other?(IE)
6 Those who pour out their bags of gold
and weigh out silver on scales—
they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god.
Then they kneel and bow down to it.(IF)
7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along;(IG)
they set it in its place, and there it stands;
it does not budge from its place.(IH)
They cry out to it but it doesn’t answer;
it saves no one from his trouble.
8 “Remember this and be brave;[au]
take it to heart, you transgressors!
9 Remember what happened long ago,(II)
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and no one is like Me.
10 I declare the end from the beginning,
and from long ago what is not yet done,
saying: My plan will take place,
and I will do all My will.(IJ)
11 I call a bird of prey[av] from the east,(IK)
a man for My purpose from a far country.
Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about.(IL)
I have planned it; I will also do it.
12 Listen to me, you hardhearted,
far removed from justice:
13 I am bringing My justice near;(IM)
it is not far away,
and My salvation will not delay.
I will put salvation in Zion,
My splendor in Israel.
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down and sit in the dust,(IN)
Virgin Daughter Babylon.(IO)
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter Chaldea!
For you will no longer be called pampered and spoiled.
2 Take millstones and grind meal;(IP)
remove your veil,
strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,
wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
and your shame will be exposed.(IQ)
I will take vengeance;
I will spare no one.[aw]
4 The Holy One of Israel is our Redeemer;(IR)
Yahweh of Hosts is His name.
5 “Daughter Chaldea,
sit in silence(IS) and go into darkness.
For you will no longer be called mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people;
I profaned My possession,
and I placed them under your control.
You showed them no mercy;
you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly.
7 You said, ‘I will be the mistress forever.’
You did not take these things to heart
or think about their outcome.
8 “So now hear this, lover of luxury,
who sits securely,(IT)
who says to herself,
‘I exist, and there is no one else.
I will never be a widow
or know the loss of children.’(IU)
9 These two things will happen to you
suddenly, in one day:
loss of children and widowhood.
They will happen to you in their entirety,
in spite of your many sorceries(IV)
and the potency of your spells.
10 You were secure in your wickedness;
you said, ‘No one sees me.’(IW)
Your wisdom and knowledge
led you astray.
You said to yourself,
‘I exist, and there is no one else.’
11 But disaster will happen to you;
you will not know how to avert it.
And it will fall on you,
but you will be unable to ward it off.[ax]
Devastation will happen to you suddenly
and unexpectedly.(IX)
12 So take your stand with your spells
and your many sorceries,
which you have wearied yourself with from your youth.
Perhaps you will be able to succeed;
perhaps you will inspire terror!
13 You are worn out with your many consultations.
So let them stand and save you—
the astrologers,[ay] who observe the stars,(IY)
who predict monthly
what will happen to you.
14 Look, they are like stubble;(IZ)
fire burns them up.(JA)
They cannot deliver themselves
from the power[az] of the flame.
This is not a coal for warming themselves,
or a fire to sit beside!
15 This is what they are to you—
those who have wearied you
and have traded with you from your youth—
each wanders on his own way;
no one can save you.
Israel Must Leave Babylon
48 “Listen to this, house of Jacob—
those who are called by the name Israel
and have descended from[ba] Judah,(JB)
who swear by the name of Yahweh(JC)
and declare the God of Israel,
but not in truth or righteousness.
2 For they are named after the Holy City,
and lean on the God of Israel;(JD)
His name is Yahweh of Hosts.
3 I declared the past events long ago;
they came out of My mouth; I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they occurred.
4 Because I know that you are stubborn,
and your neck is iron[bb]
and your forehead bronze,(JE)
5 therefore I declared to you long ago.
I announced it to you before it occurred,
so you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them;
my carved image and cast idol control them.’(JF)
6 You have heard it. Observe it all.
Will you not acknowledge it?
From now on I will announce new things to you,
hidden things that you have not known.(JG)
7 They have been created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today,
so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them!’
8 You have never heard; you have never known;
For a long time your ears have not been open.
For I knew that you were very treacherous,
and were known as a rebel from birth.(JH)
9 I will delay My anger for the honor of My name,
and I will restrain Myself for your benefit and for My praise,
so that you will not be destroyed.
10 Look, I have refined you,(JI) but not as silver;
I have tested[bc] you in the furnace of affliction.
11 I will act for My own sake, indeed, My own,(JJ)
for how can I[bd] be defiled?
I will not give My glory to another.(JK)
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob,
and Israel, the one called by Me:
I am He; I am the first,
I am also the last.(JL)
13 My own hand founded the earth,
and My right hand spread out the heavens;(JM)
when I summoned them,
they stood up together.
14 All of you, assemble and listen!
Who among the idols[be] has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;[bf]
he will accomplish His will against Babylon,(JN)
and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I—I have spoken;
yes, I have called him;(JO)
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission.(JP)
16 Approach Me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;(JQ)
from the time anything existed, I was there.”
And now the Lord God
has sent me and His Spirit.(JR)
17 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,(JS) the Holy One of Israel(JT) says:
I am Yahweh your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention to My commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river,(JU)
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.(JV)
19 Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,(JW)
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off
or eliminated from My presence.
20 Leave Babylon,
flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with a shout of joy,
proclaim this,
let it go out to the end of the earth;
announce,
“The Lord has redeemed His servant(JX) Jacob!”
21 They did not thirst
when He led them through the deserts;
He made water flow for them from the rock;(JY)
He split the rock, and water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.(JZ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:2 Lit Speak to the heart of
- Isaiah 40:5 Lit flesh
- Isaiah 40:6 DSS, LXX, Vg read I
- Isaiah 40:7 Or wind, or Spirit
- Isaiah 40:7 Lit it
- Isaiah 40:13 Or measured, or comprehended
- Isaiah 40:20 Or who is too poor for such an offering, or who chooses mulberry wood as a votive gift; Hb obscure
- Isaiah 40:26 Lit Lift up your eyes on high
- Isaiah 41:2 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 41:9 Or seized
- Isaiah 41:14 LXX reads small number; DSS read dead ones
- Isaiah 41:23 DSS read we may hear
- Isaiah 41:25 DSS read his
- Isaiah 41:27 Lit First to Zion
- Isaiah 41:29 DSS, Syr read are nothing
- Isaiah 42:1 DSS read His justice
- Isaiah 42:5 Lit spirit
- Isaiah 42:6 Or you by [My] righteousness; lit you in righteousness
- Isaiah 42:10 Lit their
- Isaiah 42:19 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 42:20 Alt Hb tradition reads You see many things;
- Isaiah 42:24 Lit to loot
- Isaiah 42:25 Lit he did not put on heart
- Isaiah 43:12 Lit not a foreigner
- Isaiah 43:12 Or that
- Isaiah 43:14 Or will break down all their bars
- Isaiah 43:14 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 43:19 DSS read paths
- Isaiah 43:23 With demands for offerings and incense
- Isaiah 44:2 Lit from the womb, and He
- Isaiah 44:2 = Upright One, referring to Israel
- Isaiah 44:4 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX read as among
- Isaiah 44:7 Lit declare them—
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit To cut down for himself
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit They
- Isaiah 44:18 Or for their eyes are shut
- Isaiah 44:20 Or He shepherds
- Isaiah 44:21 DSS, LXX, Tg read Israel, do not forget Me
- Isaiah 45:1 Lit unloosen the loins
- Isaiah 45:2 DSS, LXX read the mountains
- Isaiah 45:5 Lit gird
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit a clay pot with clay pots of the ground
- Isaiah 45:9 Or making? Your work has no hands.
- Isaiah 45:11 Or Me the coming things about
- Isaiah 45:14 Lit pray
- Isaiah 45:21 Lit and approach
- Isaiah 46:8 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 46:11 = Cyrus
- Isaiah 47:3 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 47:11 Or to atone for it
- Isaiah 47:13 Lit dividers of the heavens
- Isaiah 47:14 Lit hand
- Isaiah 48:1 Lit have come from the waters of
- Isaiah 48:4 Lit is an iron sinew
- Isaiah 48:10 Or chosen
- Isaiah 48:11 DSS, Syr; MT reads it
- Isaiah 48:14 Lit among them
- Isaiah 48:14 = Cyrus
Isaiah 40-48
New International Version
Isaiah 40-48
New International Version
Comfort for God’s People
40 Comfort, comfort(A) my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly(B) to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service(C) has been completed,(D)
that her sin has been paid for,(E)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double(F) for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way(G) for the Lord[a];
make straight(H) in the desert
a highway for our God.[b](I)
4 Every valley shall be raised up,(J)
every mountain and hill(K) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,(L)
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory(M) of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.(N)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”(O)
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,(P)
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers(Q) and the flowers fall,
because the breath(R) of the Lord blows(S) on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers(T) fall,
but the word(U) of our God endures(V) forever.(W)”
9 You who bring good news(X) to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,[c](Y)
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(Z)
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes(AA) with power,(AB)
and he rules(AC) with a mighty arm.(AD)
See, his reward(AE) is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:(AF)
He gathers the lambs in his arms(AG)
and carries them close to his heart;(AH)
he gently leads(AI) those that have young.(AJ)
12 Who has measured the waters(AK) in the hollow of his hand,(AL)
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?(AM)
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?(AN)
13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d](AO) of the Lord,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor?(AP)
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,(AQ)
or showed him the path of understanding?(AR)
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;(AS)
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.(AT)
16 Lebanon(AU) is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals(AV) enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations(AW) are as nothing;(AX)
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.(AY)
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?(AZ)
To what image(BA) will you liken him?
19 As for an idol,(BB) a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith(BC) overlays it with gold(BD)
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood(BE) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol(BF) that will not topple.(BG)
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(BH)
Has it not been told(BI) you from the beginning?(BJ)
Have you not understood(BK) since the earth was founded?(BL)
22 He sits enthroned(BM) above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.(BN)
He stretches out the heavens(BO) like a canopy,(BP)
and spreads them out like a tent(BQ) to live in.(BR)
23 He brings princes(BS) to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.(BT)
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root(BU) in the ground,
than he blows(BV) on them and they wither,(BW)
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.(BX)
25 “To whom will you compare me?(BY)
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(BZ)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(CA)
Who created(CB) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(CC) one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(CD)
not one of them is missing.(CE)
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?(CF)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(CG)
The Lord is the everlasting(CH) God,
the Creator(CI) of the ends of the earth.(CJ)
He will not grow tired or weary,(CK)
and his understanding no one can fathom.(CL)
29 He gives strength(CM) to the weary(CN)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men(CO) stumble and fall;(CP)
31 but those who hope(CQ) in the Lord
will renew their strength.(CR)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(CS)
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.(CT)
The Helper of Israel
41 “Be silent(CU) before me, you islands!(CV)
Let the nations renew their strength!(CW)
Let them come forward(CX) and speak;
let us meet together(CY) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred(CZ) up one from the east,(DA)
calling him in righteousness(DB) to his service[e]?(DC)
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(DD) with his sword,
to windblown chaff(DE) with his bow.(DF)
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(DG)
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling(DH) forth the generations from the beginning?(DI)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last(DJ)—I am he.(DK)”
5 The islands(DL) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth(DM) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!(DN)”
7 The metalworker(DO) encourages the goldsmith,(DP)
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.(DQ)
8 “But you, Israel, my servant,(DR)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(DS)
you descendants of Abraham(DT) my friend,(DU)
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,(DV)
from its farthest corners I called(DW) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(DX)
I have chosen(DY) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(DZ) for I am with you;(EA)
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(EB) you and help(EC) you;
I will uphold you(ED) with my righteous right hand.(EE)
11 “All who rage(EF) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(EG)
those who oppose(EH) you
will be as nothing and perish.(EI)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.(EJ)
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing(EK) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand(EL)
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help(EM) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(EN) you worm(EO) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(EP) you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer,(EQ) the Holy One(ER) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(ES)
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(ET) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.(EU)
16 You will winnow(EV) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale(EW) will blow them away.(EX)
But you will rejoice(EY) in the Lord
and glory(EZ) in the Holy One(FA) of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy search for water,(FB)
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.(FC)
But I the Lord will answer(FD) them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake(FE) them.
18 I will make rivers flow(FF) on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert(FG) into pools of water,(FH)
and the parched ground into springs.(FI)
19 I will put in the desert(FJ)
the cedar and the acacia,(FK) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers(FL) in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress(FM) together,(FN)
20 so that people may see and know,(FO)
may consider and understand,(FP)
that the hand(FQ) of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One(FR) of Israel has created(FS) it.
21 “Present your case,(FT)” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.(FU)
22 “Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.(FV)
Tell us what the former things(FW) were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,(FX)
23 tell us what the future holds,
so we may know(FY) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,(FZ)
so that we will be dismayed(GA) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing(GB)
and your works are utterly worthless;(GC)
whoever chooses you is detestable.(GD)
25 “I have stirred(GE) up one from the north,(GF) and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads(GG) on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,(GH) so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold(GI) it,
no one heard any words(GJ) from you.
27 I was the first to tell(GK) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.(GL)
28 I look but there is no one(GM)—
no one among the gods to give counsel,(GN)
no one to give answer(GO) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;(GP)
their images(GQ) are but wind(GR) and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant,(GS) whom I uphold,
my chosen one(GT) in whom I delight;(GU)
I will put my Spirit(GV) on him,
and he will bring justice(GW) to the nations.(GX)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(GY)
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(GZ) he will not break,(HA)
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(HB)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(HC)
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(HD) on earth.
In his teaching(HE) the islands(HF) will put their hope.”(HG)
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(HH) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(HI) with all that springs from it,(HJ)
who gives breath(HK) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(HL) you in righteousness;(HM)
I will take hold of your hand.(HN)
I will keep(HO) you and will make you
to be a covenant(HP) for the people
and a light(HQ) for the Gentiles,(HR)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(HS)
to free(HT) captives from prison(HU)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(HV)
8 “I am the Lord;(HW) that is my name!(HX)
I will not yield my glory to another(HY)
or my praise to idols.(HZ)
9 See, the former things(IA) have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce(IB) them to you.”
Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing(IC) to the Lord a new song,(ID)
his praise(IE) from the ends of the earth,(IF)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(IG)
you islands,(IH) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(II) and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar(IJ) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(IK) sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.(IL)
12 Let them give glory(IM) to the Lord
and proclaim his praise(IN) in the islands.(IO)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(IP)
like a warrior(IQ) he will stir up his zeal;(IR)
with a shout(IS) he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.(IT)
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(IU)
I have been quiet and held myself back.(IV)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.(IW)
15 I will lay waste(IX) the mountains(IY) and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up(IZ) the pools.
16 I will lead(JA) the blind(JB) by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(JC) before them
and make the rough places smooth.(JD)
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake(JE) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(JF)
will be turned back in utter shame.(JG)
Israel Blind and Deaf
18 “Hear, you deaf;(JH)
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(JI) but my servant,(JJ)
and deaf like the messenger(JK) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(JL) with me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(JM)
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake(JN) of his righteousness
to make his law(JO) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(JP) and looted,
all of them trapped in pits(JQ)
or hidden away in prisons.(JR)
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;(JS)
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”
23 Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention(JT) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?(JU)
Was it not the Lord,(JV)
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(JW) his ways;
they did not obey his law.(JX)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(JY)
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(JZ) yet they did not understand;(KA)
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(KB)
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created(KC) you, Jacob,
he who formed(KD) you, Israel:(KE)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(KF) you;
I have summoned you by name;(KG) you are mine.(KH)
2 When you pass through the waters,(KI)
I will be with you;(KJ)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(KK)
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.(KL)
3 For I am the Lord your God,(KM)
the Holy One(KN) of Israel, your Savior;(KO)
I give Egypt(KP) for your ransom,
Cush[f](KQ) and Seba(KR) in your stead.(KS)
4 Since you are precious and honored(KT) in my sight,
and because I love(KU) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid,(KV) for I am with you;(KW)
I will bring your children(KX) from the east
and gather(KY) you from the west.(KZ)
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,(LA) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters(LB) from the ends of the earth(LC)—
7 everyone who is called by my name,(LD)
whom I created(LE) for my glory,(LF)
whom I formed and made.(LG)”
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(LH)
who have ears but are deaf.(LI)
9 All the nations gather together(LJ)
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(LK) this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are my witnesses,(LL)” declares the Lord,
“and my servant(LM) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(LN) and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(LO) was formed,
nor will there be one after me.(LP)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(LQ)
and apart from me there is no savior.(LR)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god(LS) among you.
You are my witnesses,(LT)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Yes, and from ancient days(LU) I am he.(LV)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?”(LW)
God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(LX) the Holy One(LY) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives(LZ) all the Babylonians,[g](MA)
in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(MB) your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator,(MC) your King.(MD)”
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,(ME)
17 who drew out(MF) the chariots and horses,(MG)
the army and reinforcements together,(MH)
and they lay(MI) there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(MJ)
18 “Forget the former things;(MK)
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(ML)
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(MM)
and streams in the wasteland.(MN)
20 The wild animals(MO) honor me,
the jackals(MP) and the owls,
because I provide water(MQ) in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed(MR) for myself(MS)
that they may proclaim my praise.(MT)
22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearied(MU) yourselves for[h] me, Israel.(MV)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(MW)
nor honored(MX) me with your sacrifices.(MY)
I have not burdened(MZ) you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands(NA) for incense.(NB)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(NC) for me,
or lavished on me the fat(ND) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied(NE) me with your offenses.(NF)
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions,(NG) for my own sake,(NH)
and remembers your sins(NI) no more.(NJ)
26 Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;(NK)
state the case(NL) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(NM) sinned;
those I sent to teach(NN) you rebelled(NO) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction[i](NP)
and Israel to scorn.(NQ)
Israel the Chosen
44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,(NR)
Israel, whom I have chosen.(NS)
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made(NT) you, who formed you in the womb,(NU)
and who will help(NV) you:
Do not be afraid,(NW) Jacob, my servant,(NX)
Jeshurun,[j](NY) whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water(NZ) on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;(OA)
I will pour out my Spirit(OB) on your offspring,
and my blessing(OC) on your descendants.(OD)
4 They will spring up like grass(OE) in a meadow,
like poplar trees(OF) by flowing streams.(OG)
5 Some will say, ‘I belong(OH) to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,(OI) ‘The Lord’s,’(OJ)
and will take the name Israel.
The Lord, Not Idols
6 “This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King(OK) and Redeemer,(OL) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;(OM)
apart from me there is no God.(ON)
7 Who then is like me?(OO) Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretell(OP) what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim(OQ) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God(OR) besides me?
No, there is no other Rock;(OS) I know not one.”
9 All who make idols(OT) are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.(OU)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;(OV)
they are ignorant, to their own shame.(OW)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,(OX)
which can profit nothing?(OY)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(OZ)
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.(PA)
12 The blacksmith(PB) takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.(PC)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.(PD)
13 The carpenter(PE) measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,(PF)
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.(PG)
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine,(PH) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(PI) for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships(PJ) it;
he makes an idol and bows(PK) down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.(PL)”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.(PM)
He prays(PN) to it and says,
“Save(PO) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(PP) nothing;
their eyes(PQ) are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding(PR) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(PS)
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(PT) thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(PU)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(PV) a deluded(PW) heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(PX)”
21 “Remember(PY) these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.(PZ)
I have made you, you are my servant;(QA)
Israel, I will not forget you.(QB)
22 I have swept away(QC) your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return(QD) to me,
for I have redeemed(QE) you.”
23 Sing for joy,(QF) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth(QG) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,(QH)
you forests and all your trees,(QI)
for the Lord has redeemed(QJ) Jacob,
he displays his glory(QK) in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,(QO)
who spreads out the earth(QP) by myself,
25 who foils(QQ) the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,(QR)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(QS)
and turns it into nonsense,(QT)
26 who carries out the words(QU) of his servants
and fulfills(QV) the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,(QW) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins,(QX) ‘I will restore them,’(QY)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up(QZ) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus,(RA) ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,(RB) “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple,(RC) “Let its foundations(RD) be laid.”’
45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(RE)
to Cyrus,(RF) whose right hand I take hold(RG) of
to subdue nations(RH) 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(RI)
and will level(RJ) the mountains[k];
I will break down gates(RK) of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.(RL)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,(RM)
riches stored in secret places,(RN)
so that you may know(RO) that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(RP)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,(RQ)
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge(RR) me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(RS)
apart from me there is no God.(RT)
I will strengthen you,(RU)
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting(RV)
people may know(RW) there is none besides me.(RX)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,(RY)
I bring prosperity and create disaster;(RZ)
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “You heavens above, rain(SA) down my righteousness;(SB)
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation(SC) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to those who quarrel(SD) with their Maker,(SE)
those who are nothing but potsherds(SF)
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(SG)
‘What are you making?’(SH)
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?(SI)
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(SJ) of Israel, and its Maker:(SK)
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?(SL)
12 It is I who made the earth(SM)
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(SN)
I marshaled their starry hosts.(SO)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[l](SP) in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.(SQ)
He will rebuild my city(SR)
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(SS)
says the Lord Almighty.”
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products(ST) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[m]
and those tall Sabeans(SU)—
they will come over to you(SV)
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(SW)
coming over to you in chains.(SX)
They will bow down before you
and plead(SY) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(SZ) and there is no other;
there is no other god.(TA)’”
15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(TB) himself,
the God and Savior(TC) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(TD)
they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(TE) by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;(TF)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(TG)
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,(TH)
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,(TI)
but formed it to be inhabited(TJ)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.(TK)
19 I have not spoken in secret,(TL)
from somewhere in a land of darkness;(TM)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,(TN)
‘Seek(TO) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(TP)
20 “Gather together(TQ) and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(TR) are those who carry(TS) about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.(TT)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold(TU) this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?(TV)
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me,(TW)
a righteous God(TX) and a Savior;(TY)
there is none but me.
22 “Turn(TZ) to me and be saved,(UA)
all you ends of the earth;(UB)
for I am God, and there is no other.(UC)
23 By myself I have sworn,(UD)
my mouth has uttered in all integrity(UE)
a word that will not be revoked:(UF)
Before me every knee will bow;(UG)
by me every tongue will swear.(UH)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
are deliverance(UI) and strength.(UJ)’”
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(UK)
25 But all the descendants(UL) of Israel
will find deliverance(UM) in the Lord
and will make their boast in him.(UN)
Gods of Babylon
46 Bel(UO) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols(UP) are borne by beasts of burden.[n]
The images that are carried(UQ) about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2 They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.(UR)
3 “Listen(US) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant(UT) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(UU)
and have carried(UV) since you were born.(UW)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs(UX)
I am he,(UY) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain(UZ) 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?(VA)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(VB) to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.(VC)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry(VD) it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.(VE)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(VF)
it cannot save(VG) them from their troubles.
8 “Remember(VH) this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.(VI)
9 Remember the former things,(VJ) those of long ago;(VK)
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.(VL)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(VM)
from ancient times,(VN) what is still to come.(VO)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(VP)
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(VQ) a bird of prey;(VR)
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned,(VS) that I will do.(VT)
12 Listen(VU) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(VV)
you who are now far from my righteousness.(VW)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(VX) near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation(VY) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(VZ)
my splendor(WA) to Israel.
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(WB)
Virgin Daughter(WC) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
queen city of the Babylonians.[o](WD)
No more will you be called
tender or delicate.(WE)
2 Take millstones(WF) and grind(WG) flour;
take off your veil.(WH)
Lift up your skirts,(WI) bare your legs,
and wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness(WJ) will be exposed
and your shame(WK) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(WL)
I will spare no one.(WM)”
5 “Sit in silence,(WR) go into darkness,(WS)
queen city of the Babylonians;(WT)
no more will you be called
queen(WU) of kingdoms.(WV)
6 I was angry(WW) with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;(WX)
I gave them into your hand,(WY)
and you showed them no mercy.(WZ)
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
7 You said, ‘I am forever(XA)—
the eternal queen!’(XB)
But you did not consider these things
or reflect(XC) on what might happen.(XD)
8 “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
lounging in your security(XE)
and saying to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.(XF)
I will never be a widow(XG)
or suffer the loss of children.’
9 Both of these will overtake you
in a moment,(XH) on a single day:
loss of children(XI) and widowhood.(XJ)
They will come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries(XK)
and all your potent spells.(XL)
10 You have trusted(XM) in your wickedness
and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(XN)
Your wisdom(XO) and knowledge mislead(XP) you
when you say to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(XQ) 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(XR) come upon you.
12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,(XS)
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!(XT)
Let your astrologers(XU) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
let them save(XV) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(XW)
the fire(XX) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
from the power of the flame.(XY)
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(XZ) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
there is not one that can save(YA) you.
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(YB)
and come from the line of Judah,(YC)
you who take oaths(YD) in the name of the Lord(YE)
and invoke(YF) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(YG) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(YH)
and claim to rely(YI) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(YJ)
3 I foretold the former things(YK) long ago,
my mouth announced(YL) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(YM) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(YN) you were;
your neck muscles(YO) were iron,
your forehead(YP) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(YQ) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(YR)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(YS)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(YT) now, and not long ago;(YU)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(YV) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(YW)
from of old your ears(YX) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(YY) you are;
you were called a rebel(YZ) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(ZA) I delay my wrath;(ZB)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(ZC)
10 See, I have refined(ZD) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(ZE) you in the furnace(ZF) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(ZG) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(ZH)
I will not yield my glory to another.(ZI)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(ZJ) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(ZK)
I am he;(ZL)
I am the first and I am the last.(ZM)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(ZN)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(ZO)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(ZP)
14 “Come together,(ZQ) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(ZR) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(ZS)
will carry out his purpose(ZT) against Babylon;(ZU)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[p]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(ZV) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(ZW) in his mission.
16 “Come near(ZX) me and listen(ZY) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(ZZ)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(AAD) the Holy One(AAE) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(AAF) you what is best for you,
who directs(AAG) you in the way(AAH) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(AAI) to my commands,
your peace(AAJ) would have been like a river,(AAK)
your well-being(AAL) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(AAM) would have been like the sand,(AAN)
your children like its numberless grains;(AAO)
their name would never be blotted out(AAP)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(AAQ) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(AAR)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(AAS)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(AAT) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(AAU) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(AAV) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(AAW)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
- Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
- Isaiah 40:9 Or Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. / Jerusalem, bringer of good news
- Isaiah 40:13 Or mind
- Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
- Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 43:14 Or Chaldeans
- Isaiah 43:22 Or Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of
- Isaiah 43:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Isaiah 44:2 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
- Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
- Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle
- Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.