43 Now this is what the Lord says.
    He created you, ·people of Jacob [^LJacob];
    he formed you, ·people of Israel [^LIsrael].
He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have ·saved [ransomed; redeemed] you.
    I have called you by name, and you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you [^Cas at the Red/or Reed Sea; Ex. 13–14].
    When you cross rivers, ·you will not drown [^Lthey will not overflow you; ^Cas when Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land; Josh. 3–4].
When you walk through fire, you will not be burned [Dan. 3:25–27],
    nor will the flames hurt you.
³ This is because I, the Lord, am your God,
    the Holy One of Israel [1:4], your Savior.
I gave Egypt ·to pay for you [for your ransom],
    and I gave ·Cush [Ethiopia] and Seba ·to make you mine [in place of you].
⁴ Because you are precious ·to me [^Lin my eyes],
    because I give you honor and love you,
I will give other people in your place;
    I will give other nations ·to save [in exchange for] your life.
⁵ Don’t be afraid, because I am with you.
    I will bring your ·children [descendants; offspring; seed] from the east
    and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will tell the north: Give my people to me.
    I will tell the south: Don’t ·keep my people in prison [or hold them back; restrain them].
Bring my sons from far away
    and my daughters from ·faraway places [^Lthe end of the earth].
⁷ Bring to me all the people who are ·mine [^Lcalled by my name],
    whom I ·made [created] for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

⁸ Bring out the people who have eyes but ·don’t see [are blind]
    and those who have ears but ·don’t hear [are deaf; 42:19].
⁹ All the nations gather together,
    and all the people ·come together [assemble].
·Which of their gods [^LWho among them] said this would happen?
    ·Which of their gods can tell what happened in the beginning [^L…and caused us to hear former things]?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove they were right.
    Then others will say, “It is true.”
¹⁰ The Lord says, “You are my witnesses
    and the servant I chose [42:1].
I chose you so you would know and believe me,
    so you would understand that I am ·the true God [^Lhe].
There was no God ·created [formed] before me,
    and there will be ·no God [none] after me.
¹¹ I myself am the Lord;
    I am the only Savior.
¹² I myself have ·spoken [made known] to you, saved you, and ·told [proclaimed to] you these things.
    It was not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses, and I am God,”
    says the Lord.
¹³     “·I have always been God [^LIndeed from the day, I am he; ^C“day” may mean the first day of creation or from this day forward].
No one can save people from my ·power [^Lhand];
when I do something, no one can ·change [undo; reverse] it.”

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says.
    He is the one who made a road through the sea [v. 2]
    and a path through ·rough [strong; mighty] waters.
¹⁷ He is the one who ·defeated [^Lled out] the chariots and horses
    and the mighty armies [Ex. 14:4–9].
They ·fell together [lay down] and will never rise again.
    They were ·destroyed [extinguished] as a ·flame [^Lwick] is put out.
¹⁸ The Lord says, “Forget what happened before,
    and do not ·think about [consider; dwell on] the past.
¹⁹ Look at the new thing I am going to do.
    It is already ·happening [^Lsprouting/springing up]. Don’t you see it?
I will make a ·road [path; way] in the ·desert [wilderness; ^Cthe return from Babylon is portrayed as a new Exodus]
    and ·rivers^[a] [streams] in the ·dry land [desert; wasteland].
²⁰ Even the wild animals will ·be thankful to [honor] me—
    the ·wild dogs [jackals] and ·owls [or ostriches].
They will honor me when I put water in the ·desert [wilderness]
    and ·rivers [streams] in the ·dry land [desert; wasteland]
to give ·water [drink] to my people, ·the ones I chose [my chosen; 42:1].
²¹ The people I ·made [^Lformed for myself]
    will ·sing songs to praise me [^Ldeclare/proclaim my praise].