Isaiah 49:1-8

New International Version

The Servant of the Lord

49 Listen^(A) to me, you islands;^(B)
    hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born^(C) the Lord called^(D) me;
    from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.^(E)
²He made my mouth^(F) like a sharpened sword,^(G)
    in the shadow of his hand^(H) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow^(I)
    and concealed me in his quiver.
³He said to me, “You are my servant,^(J)
    Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.^(K)”
⁴But I said, “I have labored in vain;^(L)
    I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,^(M)
    and my reward^(N) is with my God.”^(O)

⁵And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb^(P) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel^(Q) to himself,
for I am^[a] honored^(R) in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength^(S)—
⁶he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant^(T)
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.^(U)
I will also make you a light^(V) for the Gentiles,^(W)
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”^(X)

⁷This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel^(Y)—
to him who was despised^(Z) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings^(AA) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,^(AB)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,^(AC)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen^(AD) you.”

Restoration of Israel

⁸This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor^(AE) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;^(AF)
I will keep^(AG) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,^(AH)
to restore the land^(AI)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,^(AJ)

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Footnotes

Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be

Galatians 1:11-24

New International Version

Paul Called by God

¹¹I want you to know, brothers and sisters,^(A) that the gospel I preached^(B) is not of human origin. ¹²I did not receive it from any man,^(C) nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation^(D) from Jesus Christ.^(E)

¹³For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism,^(F) how intensely I persecuted the church of God^(G) and tried to destroy it.^(H) ¹⁴I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous^(I) for the traditions of my fathers.^(J) ¹⁵But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb^(K) and called me^(L) by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,^(M) my immediate response was not to consult any human being.^(N) ¹⁷I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.^(O)

¹⁸Then after three years,^(P) I went up to Jerusalem^(Q) to get acquainted with Cephas^[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹I saw none of the other apostles—only James,^(R) the Lord’s brother. ²⁰I assure you before God^(S) that what I am writing you is no lie.^(T)

²¹Then I went to Syria^(U) and Cilicia.^(V) ²²I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea^(W) that are in Christ.^(X) ²³They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith^(Y) he once tried to destroy.”^(Z) ²⁴And they praised God^(AA) because of me.