Israel the Lord's Chosen

44 “But now hear, (A)O Jacob my servant,
    Israel whom I have chosen!
Thus says the Lord who made you,
    (B)who formed you from the womb and will help you:
(C)Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
    (D)Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
(E)For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
They shall spring up among the grass
    (F)like willows by flowing streams.
(G)This one will say, ‘I am the Lord's,’
    another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord's,’
    and name himself by the name of Israel.”

Besides Me There Is No God

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
    and (H)his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
(I)“I am the first and I am the last;
    besides me there is no god.
(J)Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.[a]
    Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
Fear not, nor be afraid;
    have I not told you from of old and declared it?
    (K)And you are my witnesses!
(L)Is there a God besides me?
    There is no (M)Rock; I know not any.”

The Folly of Idolatry

(N)All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 (O)Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 (P)Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

12 (Q)The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.[b] He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. (R)He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 (S)He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. (T)He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an (U)abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 (V)He feeds on (W)ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not (X)a lie in my right hand?”

The Lord Redeems Israel

21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are (Y)my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
    (Z)O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 (AA)I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

23 (AB)Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
    shout, O (AC)depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
    O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    (AD)and will be glorified[c] in Israel.

24 Thus says the Lord, (AE)your Redeemer,
    (AF)who formed you from the womb:
(AG)“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    (AH)who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
(AI)who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 (AJ)who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
    (AK)and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 (AL)who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of (AM)Cyrus, ‘He is (AN)my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
    (AO)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

Cyrus, God's Instrument

45 Thus says the Lord to (AP)his anointed, to Cyrus,
    (AQ)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and (AR)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed:
“I will go before you
    and (AS)level the exalted places,[d]
(AT)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron,
(AU)I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, (AV)who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
(AW)I call you by your name,
    (AX)I name you, though you do not know me.
(AY)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    (AZ)I equip you, though you do not know me,
(BA)that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness;
    I make well-being and (BB)create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

(BC)“Shower, O heavens, from above,
    and (BD)let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
    let the earth cause them both to sprout;
    I the Lord have created it.

(BE)“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
    a pot among earthen pots!
(BF)Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
    or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
    or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

11 Thus says (BG)the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
(BH)“Ask me of things to come;
    will you command me (BI)concerning my children and (BJ)the work of my hands?[e]
12 (BK)I made the earth
    and created man on it;
it was my hands (BL)that stretched out the heavens,
    and (BM)I commanded all their host.
13 (BN)I have stirred him up in righteousness,
    (BO)and I will make all his ways level;
(BP)he shall build my city
    (BQ)and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
    says the Lord of hosts.

The Lord, the Only Savior

14 Thus says the Lord:
(BR)“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
    and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you (BS)and be yours;
    they shall follow you;
    they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
    ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
    no god besides him.’”

15 (BT)Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
    O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 (BU)All of them are put to shame and confounded;
    the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
    with everlasting salvation;
(BV)you shall not be put to shame or confounded
    to all eternity.

18 (BW)For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
    (he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
    (he established it;
he (BX)did not create it empty,
    (BY)he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 (BZ)I did not speak in secret,
    in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
    (CA)‘Seek me in vain.’[f]
I the Lord speak (CB)the truth;
    I declare what is right.

20 (CC)“Assemble yourselves and come;
    draw near together,
    you survivors of the nations!
(CD)They have no knowledge
    who (CE)carry about their wooden idols,
(CF)and keep on praying to a god
    that cannot save.
21 (CG)Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God (CH)and a Savior;
    there is none besides me.

22 “Turn to me and be saved,
    (CI)all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (CJ)By myself I have sworn;
    from my mouth has gone out in (CK)righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
(CL)‘To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear allegiance.’[g]

24 (CM)“Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
    are righteousness and (CN)strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
    (CO)all who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
    shall be justified and shall glory.”

The Idols of Babylon and the One True God

46 (CP)Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
    their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
    as burdens on weary beasts.
They stoop; they bow down together;
    they cannot save the burden,
    but (CQ)themselves go into captivity.

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
    all the remnant of the house of Israel,
(CR)who have been borne by me from before your birth,
    carried from the womb;
(CS)even to your old age I am he,
    and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
    I will carry and will save.

(CT)“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
    and compare me, that we may be alike?
(CU)Those who lavish gold from the purse,
    and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
    (CV)then they fall down and worship!
(CW)They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
    they set it in its place, and it stands there;
    (CX)it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
    or save him from his trouble.

“Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, (CY)you transgressors,
    remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
10 (CZ)declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, (DA)‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 (DB)calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
(DC)I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

12 “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
    you who are far from righteousness:
13 (DD)I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
    and my salvation will not delay;
(DE)I will put salvation in Zion,
    for Israel my glory.”

The Humiliation of Babylon

47 (DF)Come down and sit in the dust,
    O virgin (DG)daughter of Babylon;
(DH)sit on the ground without a throne,
    O daughter of (DI)the Chaldeans!
(DJ)For you shall no more be called
    tender and delicate.
Take the millstones and (DK)grind flour,
    (DL)put off your veil,
strip off your robe, uncover your legs,
    pass through the rivers.
Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
    and your disgrace shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
    and I will spare no one.
(DM)Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
    is the Holy One of Israel.

(DN)Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
    O daughter of (DO)the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
    (DP)the mistress of kingdoms.
(DQ)I was angry with my people;
    I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
    (DR)you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.
You said, “I shall be (DS)mistress forever,”
    so that you did not lay these things to heart
    or remember their end.

Now therefore hear this, (DT)you lover of pleasures,
    (DU)who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
    (DV)“I am, and there is no one besides me;
(DW)I shall not sit as a widow
    or know the loss of children”:
(DX)These two things shall come to you
    in a moment, (DY)in one day;
the loss of children and widowhood
    shall come upon you in full measure,
(DZ)in spite of your many sorceries
    and the great power of your enchantments.

10 You felt secure in your wickedness;
    you said, “No one sees me”;
your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
    (EA)“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
11 But evil shall come upon you,
    which you will not know how to charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
    for which you will not be able to atone;
(EB)and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,
    of which you know nothing.

12 (EC)Stand fast in your enchantments
    and your many sorceries,
    with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
    perhaps you may inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels;
    let them stand forth and save you,
(ED)those who divide the heavens,
    who gaze at the stars,
who at the new moons make known
    what shall come upon you.

14 Behold, (EE)they are like stubble;
    (EF)the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
    from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
    no fire to sit before!
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
    who have done business with you from your youth;
they wander about, each in his own direction;
    there is no one to save you.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it?
  2. Isaiah 44:13 Hebrew stylus
  3. Isaiah 44:23 Or will display his beauty
  4. Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains
  5. Isaiah 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?
  6. Isaiah 45:19 Hebrew in emptiness
  7. Isaiah 45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God

Israel the Chosen

44 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,(A)
    Israel, whom I have chosen.(B)
This is what the Lord says—
    he who made(C) you, who formed you in the womb,(D)
    and who will help(E) you:
Do not be afraid,(F) Jacob, my servant,(G)
    Jeshurun,[a](H) whom I have chosen.
For I will pour water(I) on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;(J)
I will pour out my Spirit(K) on your offspring,
    and my blessing(L) on your descendants.(M)
They will spring up like grass(N) in a meadow,
    like poplar trees(O) by flowing streams.(P)
Some will say, ‘I belong(Q) to the Lord’;
    others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,(R) ‘The Lord’s,’(S)
    and will take the name Israel.

The Lord, Not Idols

“This is what the Lord says—
    Israel’s King(T) and Redeemer,(U) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;(V)
    apart from me there is no God.(W)
Who then is like me?(X) 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(Y) what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
    Did I not proclaim(Z) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God(AA) besides me?
    No, there is no other Rock;(AB) I know not one.”

All who make idols(AC) are nothing,
    and the things they treasure are worthless.(AD)
Those who would speak up for them are blind;(AE)
    they are ignorant, to their own shame.(AF)
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,(AG)
    which can profit nothing?(AH)
11 People who do that will be put to shame;(AI)
    such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
    they will be brought down to terror and shame.(AJ)

12 The blacksmith(AK) 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.(AL)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
    he drinks no water and grows faint.(AM)
13 The carpenter(AN) 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,(AO)
    human form in all its glory,
    that it may dwell in a shrine.(AP)
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,(AQ) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(AR) 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(AS) it;
    he makes an idol and bows(AT) 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.(AU)
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
    he bows down to it and worships.(AV)
He prays(AW) to it and says,
    “Save(AX) me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand(AY) nothing;
    their eyes(AZ) 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(BA) to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;(BB)
    I even baked bread over its coals,
    I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable(BC) thing from what is left?
    Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”(BD)
20 Such a person feeds on ashes;(BE) a deluded(BF) heart misleads him;
    he cannot save himself, or say,
    “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?(BG)

21 “Remember(BH) these things, Jacob,
    for you, Israel, are my servant.(BI)
I have made you, you are my servant;(BJ)
    Israel, I will not forget you.(BK)
22 I have swept away(BL) your offenses like a cloud,
    your sins like the morning mist.
Return(BM) to me,
    for I have redeemed(BN) you.”

23 Sing for joy,(BO) you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
    shout aloud, you earth(BP) beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,(BQ)
    you forests and all your trees,(BR)
for the Lord has redeemed(BS) Jacob,
    he displays his glory(BT) in Israel.

Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

24 “This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,(BU) who formed(BV) you in the womb:(BW)

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,(BX)
    who spreads out the earth(BY) by myself,
25 who foils(BZ) the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,(CA)
who overthrows the learning of the wise(CB)
    and turns it into nonsense,(CC)
26 who carries out the words(CD) of his servants
    and fulfills(CE) the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,(CF) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
    of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
    and of their ruins,(CG) ‘I will restore them,’(CH)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
    and I will dry up(CI) your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus,(CJ) ‘He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,(CK) “Let it be rebuilt,”
    and of the temple,(CL) “Let its foundations(CM) be laid.”’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(CN)
    to Cyrus,(CO) whose right hand I take hold(CP) of
to subdue nations(CQ) before him
    and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:
I will go before you(CR)
    and will level(CS) the mountains[b];
I will break down gates(CT) of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron.(CU)
I will give you hidden treasures,(CV)
    riches stored in secret places,(CW)
so that you may know(CX) that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(CY)
For the sake of Jacob my servant,(CZ)
    of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
    and bestow on you a title of honor,
    though you do not acknowledge(DA) me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;(DB)
    apart from me there is no God.(DC)
I will strengthen you,(DD)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting(DE)
people may know(DF) there is none besides me.(DG)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,(DH)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;(DI)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

“You heavens above, rain(DJ) down my righteousness;(DK)
    let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
    let salvation(DL) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
    I, the Lord, have created it.

“Woe to those who quarrel(DM) with their Maker,(DN)
    those who are nothing but potsherds(DO)
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(DP)
    ‘What are you making?’(DQ)
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?(DR)
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(DS) of Israel, and its Maker:(DT)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?(DU)
12 It is I who made the earth(DV)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(DW)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.(DX)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[c](DY) in my righteousness:
    I will make all his ways straight.(DZ)
He will rebuild my city(EA)
    and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(EB)
    says the Lord Almighty.”

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The products(EC) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[d]
    and those tall Sabeans(ED)
they will come over to you(EE)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(EF)
    coming over to you in chains.(EG)
They will bow down before you
    and plead(EH) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(EI) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.(EJ)’”

15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(EK) himself,
    the God and Savior(EL) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(EM)
    they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(EN) by the Lord
    with an everlasting salvation;(EO)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(EP)
    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,(EQ)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,(ER)
    but formed it to be inhabited(ES)
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.(ET)
19 I have not spoken in secret,(EU)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;(EV)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,(EW)
    ‘Seek(EX) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.(EY)

20 “Gather together(EZ) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(FA) are those who carry(FB) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.(FC)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold(FD) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?(FE)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,(FF)
a righteous God(FG) and a Savior;(FH)
    there is none but me.

22 “Turn(FI) to me and be saved,(FJ)
    all you ends of the earth;(FK)
    for I am God, and there is no other.(FL)
23 By myself I have sworn,(FM)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity(FN)
    a word that will not be revoked:(FO)
Before me every knee will bow;(FP)
    by me every tongue will swear.(FQ)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance(FR) and strength.(FS)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.(FT)
25 But all the descendants(FU) of Israel
    will find deliverance(FV) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.(FW)

Gods of Babylon

46 Bel(FX) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
    their idols(FY) are borne by beasts of burden.[e]
The images that are carried(FZ) about are burdensome,
    a burden for the weary.
They stoop and bow down together;
    unable to rescue the burden,
    they themselves go off into captivity.(GA)

“Listen(GB) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant(GC) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(GD)
    and have carried(GE) since you were born.(GF)
Even to your old age and gray hairs(GG)
    I am he,(GH) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain(GI) you and I will rescue you.

“With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
    To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?(GJ)
Some pour out gold from their bags
    and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(GK) to make it into a god,
    and they bow down and worship it.(GL)
They lift it to their shoulders and carry(GM) it;
    they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
    From that spot it cannot move.(GN)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(GO)
    it cannot save(GP) them from their troubles.

“Remember(GQ) this, keep it in mind,
    take it to heart, you rebels.(GR)
Remember the former things,(GS) those of long ago;(GT)
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.(GU)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(GV)
    from ancient times,(GW) what is still to come.(GX)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(GY)
    and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(GZ) a bird of prey;(HA)
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned,(HB) that I will do.(HC)
12 Listen(HD) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(HE)
    you who are now far from my righteousness.(HF)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(HG) near,
    it is not far away;
    and my salvation(HH) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(HI)
    my splendor(HJ) to Israel.

The Fall of Babylon

47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(HK)
    Virgin Daughter(HL) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
    queen city of the Babylonians.[f](HM)
No more will you be called
    tender or delicate.(HN)
Take millstones(HO) and grind(HP) flour;
    take off your veil.(HQ)
Lift up your skirts,(HR) bare your legs,
    and wade through the streams.
Your nakedness(HS) will be exposed
    and your shame(HT) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(HU)
    I will spare no one.(HV)

Our Redeemer(HW)—the Lord Almighty(HX) is his name(HY)
    is the Holy One(HZ) of Israel.

“Sit in silence,(IA) go into darkness,(IB)
    queen city of the Babylonians;(IC)
no more will you be called
    queen(ID) of kingdoms.(IE)
I was angry(IF) with my people
    and desecrated my inheritance;(IG)
I gave them into your hand,(IH)
    and you showed them no mercy.(II)
Even on the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, ‘I am forever(IJ)
    the eternal queen!’(IK)
But you did not consider these things
    or reflect(IL) on what might happen.(IM)

“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security(IN)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.(IO)
I will never be a widow(IP)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,(IQ) on a single day:
    loss of children(IR) and widowhood.(IS)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries(IT)
    and all your potent spells.(IU)
10 You have trusted(IV) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(IW)
Your wisdom(IX) and knowledge mislead(IY) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(IZ) 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(JA) come upon you.

12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,(JB)
    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!(JC)
    Let your astrologers(JD) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save(JE) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(JF)
    the fire(JG) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.(JH)
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(JI) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
    there is not one that can save(JJ) you.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 44:2 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.
  2. Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
  3. Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
  4. Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region
  5. Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle
  6. Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5

The Wedding at Cana

On (A)the third day there was a wedding at (B)Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with (C)his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, (D)“Woman, (E)what does this have to do with me? (F)My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there (G)for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty (H)gallons.[a] Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted (I)the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested (J)his glory. And (K)his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and (L)his brothers[b] and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 (M)The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus (N)went up to Jerusalem. 14 (O)In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make (P)my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, (Q)“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, (R)“What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, (S)“Destroy this temple, and in three days (T)I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,[c] and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about (U)the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, (V)his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed (W)the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus Knows What Is in Man

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name (X)when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus (Y)on his part did not entrust himself to them, because (Z)he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for (AA)he himself knew what was in man.

Footnotes

  1. John 2:6 Greek two or three measures (metrētas); a metrētēs was about 10 gallons or 35 liters
  2. John 2:12 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
  3. John 2:20 Or This temple was built forty-six years ago

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.(A) Jesus’ mother(B) was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman,[a](C) why do you involve me?”(D) Jesus replied. “My hour(E) has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”(F)

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,(G) each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.(H) He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs(I) through which he revealed his glory;(J) and his disciples believed in him.(K)

12 After this he went down to Capernaum(L) with his mother(M) and brothers(N) and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts(O)

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,(P) Jesus went up to Jerusalem.(Q) 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves,(R) and others sitting at tables exchanging money.(S) 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house(T) into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[c](U)

18 The Jews(V) then responded to him, “What sign(W) can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”(X)

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”(Y)

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.(Z) 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.(AA) Then they believed the scripture(AB) and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,(AC) many people saw the signs(AD) he was performing and believed(AE) in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind,(AF) for he knew what was in each person.(AG)

Footnotes

  1. John 2:4 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
  2. John 2:6 Or from about 75 to about 115 liters
  3. John 2:17 Psalm 69:9
  4. John 2:23 Or in him