Isaiah 43:14-44:5

Common English Bible

Don’t remember

¹⁴The Lord your redeemer,
    the holy one of Israel, says,
For your sake, I have sent an army^[a] to Babylon,
    and brought down all the bars,
    turning the Chaldeans’ singing into a lament.^[b]
¹⁵I am the Lord, your holy one,
    Israel’s creator, your king!
¹⁶The Lord says—who makes a way in the sea
    and a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷    who brings out chariot and horse,
    army and battalion;
    they will lie down together and will not rise;
    they will be extinguished, extinguished like a wick.
¹⁸Don’t remember the prior things;
    don’t ponder ancient history.
¹⁹Look! I’m doing a new thing;
    now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
    paths^[c] in the wilderness.
²⁰The beasts of the field,
        the jackals and ostriches, will honor me,
    because I have put water in the desert
    and streams in the wilderness
    to give water to my people,
    my chosen ones,
²¹    this people whom I formed for myself,
        who will recount my praise.

²²But you didn’t call out to me, Jacob;
    you were tired of me, Israel.
²³You didn’t bring me lambs for your entirely burned offering;
    you didn’t honor me with your sacrifices.
I didn’t make you worship with offerings;
    I didn’t weary you with frankincense.
²⁴You didn’t buy spices for me with your money,
    or satisfy me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
    and wearied me with your evil actions.
²⁵I, I am the one who wipes out your rebellious behavior for my sake. I won’t remember your sin.
²⁶Summon me, and let’s go to trial together;
    you tell your story so that you may be vindicated!
²⁷Your first ancestor sinned,
    and your officials rebelled against me.
²⁸So I made the holy officials impure,
    handed over Jacob to destruction and Israel to abuse.

You are my witnesses

44 But now hear this, Jacob my servant,
    and Israel, whom I have chosen.
²The Lord your maker,
    who formed you in the womb and will help you, says:
    Don’t fear, my servant Jacob,
    Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
³I will pour out water upon thirsty ground
    and streams upon dry land.
I will pour out my spirit upon your descendants
    and my blessing upon your offspring.
⁴They will spring up from among the reeds
    like willows by flowing streams.
⁵This one will say, “I am the Lord’s,”
        and that one will be named after Jacob.
    Another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s”
        and will take the name Israel.