Isaiah 42:5-43:10
New American Standard Bible
5 This is what God the Lord says,
Who (A)created the heavens and (B)stretched them out,
Who spread out the (C)earth and its [a]offspring,
Who (D)gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord, I have (E)called You in righteousness,
I will also (F)hold You by the hand and (G)watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a (H)covenant to the people,
As a (I)light to the nations,
7 To (J)open blind eyes,
To (K)bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 (L)I am the Lord, that is (M)My name;
I will not give My (N)glory to another,
Nor My praise to idols.
9 Behold, the (O)former things have come to pass,
Now I declare (P)new things;
Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.”
10 Sing to the Lord a (Q)new song,
Sing His praise from the (R)end of the earth!
(S)You who go down to the sea, and (T)all that is in it;
You (U)islands, and those who live on them.
11 Let the (V)wilderness and its cities raise their voices,
The settlements which (W)Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of (X)Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the (Y)mountains.
12 Let them (Z)give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the (AA)coastlands.
13 (AB)The Lord will go out like a warrior,
He will stir His (AC)zeal like a man of war.
He will shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry.
He will (AD)prevail against His enemies.
The Blindness of the People
14 “(AE)I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will (AF)lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will (AG)turn the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 I will (AH)lead those who are blind by a way they have not known,
In paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will (AI)turn darkness into light before them
And (AJ)uneven land into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (AK)not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be (AL)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [b]idols,
Who say to cast metal images,
“You are our gods.”
18 (AM)Hear, you who are deaf!
And look, you who are blind, so that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My (AN)servant,
Or so deaf as My (AO)messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as one who is [c](AP)at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (AQ)You have seen many things, but you do not retain them;
Your ears are open, but no one hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the Law (AR)great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and pillaged;
All of them are (AS)trapped in [d]caves,
Or are (AT)hidden away in prisons;
They have become plunder, with no one to save them,
And spoils with no one to say, “Give them back!”
23 Who among you will listen to this?
Who will pay attention and listen in the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoils, and Israel to plunderers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they (AU)were not willing to walk,
And whose Law they did not (AV)obey?
25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the (AW)fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not recognize it;
And it burned him, but he [e](AX)paid no attention.
Israel Redeemed
43 But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your (AY)Creator, Jacob,
And He who (AZ)formed you, Israel:
“Do not (BA)fear, for I have (BB)redeemed you;
I have (BC)called you by name; you are (BD)Mine!
2 When you (BE)pass through the waters, (BF)I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you (BG)walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 For (BH)I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your (BI)Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
[f](BJ)Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Since you are (BK)precious in My sight,
Since you are (BL)honored and I (BM)love you,
I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for (BN)I am with you;
I will bring (BO)your offspring from the east,
And (BP)gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the (BQ)north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My (BR)sons from afar
And My daughters from the (BS)ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is (BT)called by My name,
And whom I have (BU)created for My (BV)glory,
(BW)Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is God’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are (BX)blind, even though they have eyes,
And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have (BY)gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can (BZ)declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present (CA)their witnesses so (CB)that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are (CC)My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And (CD)My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that (CE)I am He.
(CF)Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 42:5 Or vegetation
- Isaiah 42:17 Or carved images
- Isaiah 42:19 Or the devoted one
- Isaiah 42:22 Or holes
- Isaiah 42:25 Lit did not lay it to heart
- Isaiah 43:3 Or Ethiopia
Isaiah 42:5-43:10
New International Version
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(A) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(B) with all that springs from it,(C)
who gives breath(D) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(E) you in righteousness;(F)
I will take hold of your hand.(G)
I will keep(H) you and will make you
to be a covenant(I) for the people
and a light(J) for the Gentiles,(K)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(L)
to free(M) captives from prison(N)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(O)
8 “I am the Lord;(P) that is my name!(Q)
I will not yield my glory to another(R)
or my praise to idols.(S)
9 See, the former things(T) have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce(U) them to you.”
Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing(V) to the Lord a new song,(W)
his praise(X) from the ends of the earth,(Y)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(Z)
you islands,(AA) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(AB) and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar(AC) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(AD) sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.(AE)
12 Let them give glory(AF) to the Lord
and proclaim his praise(AG) in the islands.(AH)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(AI)
like a warrior(AJ) he will stir up his zeal;(AK)
with a shout(AL) he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.(AM)
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(AN)
I have been quiet and held myself back.(AO)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.(AP)
15 I will lay waste(AQ) the mountains(AR) and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up(AS) the pools.
16 I will lead(AT) the blind(AU) by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(AV) before them
and make the rough places smooth.(AW)
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake(AX) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(AY)
will be turned back in utter shame.(AZ)
Israel Blind and Deaf
18 “Hear, you deaf;(BA)
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(BB) but my servant,(BC)
and deaf like the messenger(BD) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(BE) 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.”(BF)
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake(BG) of his righteousness
to make his law(BH) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(BI) and looted,
all of them trapped in pits(BJ)
or hidden away in prisons.(BK)
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;(BL)
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(BM) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?(BN)
Was it not the Lord,(BO)
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(BP) his ways;
they did not obey his law.(BQ)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(BR)
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(BS) yet they did not understand;(BT)
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(BU)
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created(BV) you, Jacob,
he who formed(BW) you, Israel:(BX)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(BY) you;
I have summoned you by name;(BZ) you are mine.(CA)
2 When you pass through the waters,(CB)
I will be with you;(CC)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(CD)
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.(CE)
3 For I am the Lord your God,(CF)
the Holy One(CG) of Israel, your Savior;(CH)
I give Egypt(CI) for your ransom,
Cush[a](CJ) and Seba(CK) in your stead.(CL)
4 Since you are precious and honored(CM) in my sight,
and because I love(CN) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid,(CO) for I am with you;(CP)
I will bring your children(CQ) from the east
and gather(CR) you from the west.(CS)
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,(CT) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters(CU) from the ends of the earth(CV)—
7 everyone who is called by my name,(CW)
whom I created(CX) for my glory,(CY)
whom I formed and made.(CZ)”
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(DA)
who have ears but are deaf.(DB)
9 All the nations gather together(DC)
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(DD) 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,(DE)” declares the Lord,
“and my servant(DF) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(DG) and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(DH) was formed,
nor will there be one after me.(DI)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
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