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Isaiah 48-50
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 48-50
New American Standard Bible
Israel’s Obstinacy
48 “(A)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (B)waters of Judah,
Who (C)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (D)righteousness.
2 For they name themselves after the (E)holy city,
And (F)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
3 I (G)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(H)Suddenly I acted, and they (I)came to pass.
4 Because I know that you are [a](J)obstinate,
And your (K)neck is an iron tendon
And your (L)forehead bronze,
5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [b]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (M)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
6 You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (N)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
7 They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have not (O)heard, you have not known.
Even from long ago your ear has not been open,
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a [c](P)rebel from [d]birth.
9 (Q)For the sake of My name I (R)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (S)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (T)furnace of affliction.
11 (U)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (V)glory to another.
Rescue Promised
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [e]whom I called;
(W)I am He, (X)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (Y)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (Z)call to them, they stand together.
14 (AA)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(AB)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (AC)carry out His good pleasure against (AD)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (AE)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (AF)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (AG)not spoken in secret,
(AH)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (AI)the Lord [f]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (AJ)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (AK)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (AL)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [g](AM)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (AN)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [h](AO)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [i]your offspring like its grains;
(AP)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (AQ)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (AR)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(AS)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(AT)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (AU)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (AV)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (AW)the water gushed out.
22 “(AX)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Salvation Reaches to the Ends of the Earth
49 Listen to Me, you (AY)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(AZ)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [j]body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My (BA)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (BB)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened (BC)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “(BD)You are My Servant, Israel,
(BE)In whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have (BF)labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (BG)reward is with My God.”
5 And now says (BH)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (BI)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (BJ)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (BK)strength),
6 He says, “It is too [k]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (BL)protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (BM)light [l]of the nations
So that My salvation may [m]reach to the (BN)end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord, the (BO)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [n](BP)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
“(BQ)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (BR)bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At a (BS)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (BT)watch over You and (BU)make You a covenant of the people,
To [o](BV)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are (BW)bound, ‘[p]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (BX)bare heights.
10 They will (BY)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (BZ)heat or sun strike them down;
For (CA)He who has compassion on them will (CB)lead them,
And He will guide them to (CC)springs of water.
11 I will make all (CD)My mountains a road,
And My (CE)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (CF)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (CG)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (CH)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (CI)Lord has comforted His people
And will (CJ)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (CK)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (CL)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (CM)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [q]builders hurry;
Your (CN)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (CO)Raise your eyes and look around;
(CP)All of them gather together, (CQ)they come to you.
(CR)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (CS)put them all on as [r]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (CT)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (CU)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (CV)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (CW)children [s]you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
21 Then you will (CX)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (CY)cannot conceive, and I am an (CZ)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (DA)left alone;
[t](DB)Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [u]God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (DC)flag to the peoples;
And they will (DD)bring your sons [v]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (DE)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (DF)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (DG)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (DH)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (DI)wait for Me will (DJ)not be put to shame.
25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
“Even the (DL)captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will (DM)save your sons.
26 I will feed your (DN)oppressors with their (DO)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [x](DP)humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your (DQ)Savior
And your (DR)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
God Helps His Servant
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is the (DS)certificate of divorce
By which I have (DT)sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I (DU)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (DV)wrongdoings,
And for your (DW)wrongful acts your mother (DX)was sent away.
2 Why was there (DY)no one when I came?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?
Is My (DZ)hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or do I have no power to rescue?
Behold, I (EA)dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I (EB)turn rivers into a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water,
And die of thirst.
3 I (EC)clothe the heavens with blackness,
And make sackcloth their covering.”
4 The Lord [y]God has given Me the tongue of (ED)disciples,
So that I may know how to (EE)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (EF)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has (EG)opened My ear,
And I was (EH)not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (EI)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard;
I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
7 For the Lord God (EJ)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (EK)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have made My face like (EL)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who (EM)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (EN)stand up to each other.
Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me.
9 Behold, (EO)the Lord God helps Me;
(EP)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (EQ)they will all wear out like a garment;
A moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His (ER)servant,
Who (ES)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (ET)trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (EU)kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with flaming arrows,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the flaming arrows you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (EV)lie down in torment.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:4 Or harsh
- Isaiah 48:5 Lit it
- Isaiah 48:8 Or transgressor
- Isaiah 48:8 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
- Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts
- Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
- Isaiah 49:6 Or to
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 49:7 Lit despised of soul
- Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
- Isaiah 49:9 Lit Go out
- Isaiah 49:17 Ancient versions and DSS; MT sons
- Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
- Isaiah 49:20 Lit of your bereavement
- Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
- Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 49:22 Lit on the chest
- Isaiah 49:24 Ancient versions and DSS; MT the righteous, cf. v 25
- Isaiah 49:26 Lit all flesh
- Isaiah 50:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
Isaiah 48-50
New International Version
Isaiah 48-50
New International Version
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(A)
and come from the line of Judah,(B)
you who take oaths(C) in the name of the Lord(D)
and invoke(E) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(F) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(G)
and claim to rely(H) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(I)
3 I foretold the former things(J) long ago,
my mouth announced(K) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(L) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(M) you were;
your neck muscles(N) were iron,
your forehead(O) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(P) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(Q)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(R)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(S) now, and not long ago;(T)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(U) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(V)
from of old your ears(W) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(X) you are;
you were called a rebel(Y) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(Z) I delay my wrath;(AA)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(AB)
10 See, I have refined(AC) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(AD) you in the furnace(AE) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(AF) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(AG)
I will not yield my glory to another.(AH)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(AI) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(AJ)
I am he;(AK)
I am the first and I am the last.(AL)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(AM)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(AN)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(AO)
14 “Come together,(AP) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(AQ) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(AR)
will carry out his purpose(AS) against Babylon;(AT)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[a]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(AU) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(AV) in his mission.
16 “Come near(AW) me and listen(AX) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(AY)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(BC) the Holy One(BD) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(BE) you what is best for you,
who directs(BF) you in the way(BG) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(BH) to my commands,
your peace(BI) would have been like a river,(BJ)
your well-being(BK) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(BL) would have been like the sand,(BM)
your children like its numberless grains;(BN)
their name would never be blotted out(BO)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(BP) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(BQ)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(BR)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(BS) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(BT) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(BU) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(BV)
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(BY) to me, you islands;(BZ)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(CA) the Lord called(CB) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(CC)
2 He made my mouth(CD) like a sharpened sword,(CE)
in the shadow of his hand(CF) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(CG)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(CH)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(CI)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(CJ)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(CK)
and my reward(CL) is with my God.”(CM)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(CN) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(CO) to himself,
for I am[b] honored(CP) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(CQ)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(CR)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(CS)
I will also make you a light(CT) for the Gentiles,(CU)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(CV)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(CW)—
to him who was despised(CX) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(CY) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(CZ)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(DA)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(DB) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(DC) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(DD)
I will keep(DE) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(DF)
to restore the land(DG)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(DH)
9 to say to the captives,(DI) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(DJ) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(DK)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(DL)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(DM)
He who has compassion(DN) on them will guide(DO) them
and lead them beside springs(DP) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(DQ) will be raised up.(DR)
12 See, they will come from afar(DS)—
some from the north, some from the west,(DT)
some from the region of Aswan.[c]”
13 Shout for joy,(DU) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;(DV)
burst into song, you mountains!(DW)
For the Lord comforts(DX) his people
and will have compassion(DY) on his afflicted ones.(DZ)
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child(EC) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!(ED)
16 See, I have engraved(EE) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls(EF) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste(EG) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather(EH) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(EI)” declares the Lord,
“you will wear(EJ) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(EK)
and your land laid waste,(EL)
now you will be too small for your people,(EM)
and those who devoured(EN) you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;
give us more space to live in.’(EO)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these?(EP)
I was bereaved(EQ) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.(ER)
Who brought these(ES) up?
I was left(ET) all alone,(EU)
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(EV) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner(EW) to the peoples;
they will bring(EX) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.(EY)
23 Kings(EZ) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.(FA)
They will bow down(FB) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust(FC) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(FD)
those who hope(FE) in me will not be disappointed.(FF)”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives(FH) will be taken from warriors,(FI)
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(FJ)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(FK)
and your children I will save.(FL)
26 I will make your oppressors(FM) eat(FN) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood,(FO) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(FP)
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(FQ)
your Redeemer,(FR) the Mighty One of Jacob.(FS)”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(FT)
with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
did I sell(FU) you?
Because of your sins(FV) you were sold;(FW)
because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 When I came, why was there no one?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?(FX)
Was my arm too short(FY) to deliver you?
Do I lack the strength(FZ) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(GA) I dry up the sea,(GB)
I turn rivers into a desert;(GC)
their fish rot for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness(GD)
and make sackcloth(GE) its covering.”
4 The Sovereign Lord(GF) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(GG)
to know the word that sustains the weary.(GH)
He wakens me morning by morning,(GI)
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(GJ)
5 The Sovereign Lord(GK) has opened my ears;(GL)
I have not been rebellious,(GM)
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat(GN) me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(GO)
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.(GP)
7 Because the Sovereign Lord(GQ) helps(GR) me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(GS)
and I know I will not be put to shame.(GT)
8 He who vindicates(GU) me is near.(GV)
Who then will bring charges against me?(GW)
Let us face each other!(GX)
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord(GY) who helps(GZ) me.
Who will condemn(HA) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths(HB) will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears(HC) the Lord
and obeys(HD) the word of his servant?(HE)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,(HF)
trust(HG) in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.
11 But now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves with flaming torches,(HH)
go, walk in the light of your fires(HI)
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(HJ)
You will lie down in torment.(HK)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
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