Isaiah 49
Expanded Bible
God Calls His Special Servant
49 All of you ·people in faraway places [or islands; or coastlands], listen to me.
·Listen [Pay attention], all you nations far away.
·Before I was born [L From the womb], the Lord called me to serve him.
The Lord named me while I was still in my mother’s womb [C this passage (49:1–13) is the second of four “servant songs” in Isaiah; 42:1].
2 He made my ·tongue [mouth] like a sharp sword [C his words enact judgment; 11:4; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16].
He hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me like a ·sharp [or polished] arrow.
He hid me in ·the holder for his arrows [his quiver].
3 He told me, “Israel, you are my servant.
I will show my glory ·through [in] you.”
4 But I said, “I have worked hard ·for nothing [in vain];
I have used all my power, ·but I did nothing useful [for nothing; in futility].
But ·the Lord will decide what my work is worth [L my judgment/vindication is the Lord’s];
God will decide my reward.”
5 The Lord made me in the ·body [womb] of my mother
to be his servant,
to lead ·the people of Jacob [L Jacob] back to him
so that Israel might be gathered to him.
·The Lord will honor me [L I am honored in the eyes of the Lord],
and ·I will get my strength from my God [L God will be my strength].
6 Now he told me,
“·You are an important servant to me [It is too small a thing; or Is it too small a thing…?]
to ·bring back [restore; raise up] the tribes of Jacob,
to bring back the ·people of Israel who are left alive [remnant/preserved ones of Israel].
I will make you a light for the nations [42:6; Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47]
so that my salvation will reach ·people all over the world [L the end of the earth].”
7 The Lord ·who saves you [the Redeemer], the Holy One of Israel [1:4].
says to the one who is ·hated [L despised and abhorred] by the ·people [or nation; or nations],
to the servant of rulers.
This is what he says: “Kings will see you and ·stand [rise; C to honor him];
·great leaders [princes] will bow down before you,
because the Lord ·can be trusted [is faithful].
He is the Holy One of Israel [1:4], who has chosen you.”
The Day of Salvation
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the ·right time [time of favor] I will ·hear your prayers [answer you].
On the day of salvation I will help you [2 Cor. 6:2].
I will protect you,
and ·you will be the sign of my agreement with [L I will give/establish you as a covenant for] the people [42:6].
·You will bring back the people to the land [L …to restore/rebuild the land]
and ·give the land that is now ruined back to its owners [L bequeath its desolate inheritances].
9 You will tell the prisoners, ‘·Come out [42:7].’
You will tell those in darkness, ‘·Come into the light [Show yourselves; Appear].’
·The people [L They] will ·eat [feed; graze] beside the roads [C the people are symbolically pictured as sheep],
and they will find ·food [pasture] even on bare hills.
10 They will not be hungry or thirsty.
Neither the ·desert wind [L heat] nor the hot sun will ·hurt [strike] them.
The God who comforts them will lead them
and guide them by springs of water.
11 I will make my mountains into roads,
and the ·roads [highways] will be raised up [C to make a level road; 40:4].
12 Look, people are coming to me from far away,
from the north and from the west,
from ·Aswan in southern Egypt [L the land of Sinim].”
13 Heavens, shout with joy;
earth, be happy;
mountains, burst into song,
because the Lord comforts his people
and will have ·pity [compassion] on ·those who suffer [the oppressed].
Jerusalem and Her Children
14 But ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] said, “The Lord has ·left [abandoned; forsaken] me;
the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 The Lord answers, “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses?
Can she feel no kindness for the child ·to which she gave birth [of her womb]?
Even if she could forget her children,
I will not forget you.
16 See, I have ·written [engraved; inscribed] your name on my ·hand [palms].
·Jerusalem, I always think about your walls [L Your walls are always before me; C destroyed by the Babylonians].
17 Your children ·will soon return to you [L hurry; hasten],
and the people who defeated you and destroyed you will leave.
18 ·Look up [L Lift up your eyes] and look around you.
All your children are gathering to return to you.”
The Lord says, “As surely as I live,
·your children will be [L you will wear them all] like ·jewels [or ornaments]
·that a bride wears proudly [L you will put them on like a bride].
19 “You were destroyed and defeated,
and your land was made ·useless [desolate].
But now you will have more people than the land can hold,
and those people who ·destroyed [devoured] you will be far away.
20 The children ·born to you while you were sad [L of your bereavement]
will say to you,
‘This place is too small for us.
Give us a bigger place to live.’
21 Then you will say ·to yourself [L in your heart],
‘Who ·gave me all these children [bore me these]?
I was ·sad [bereaved] and ·lonely [barren],
·defeated [rejected] and ·separated from my people [exiled].
So who reared these children?
I was left all alone.
Where did all these children come from?’”
22 This is what the Lord God says:
“See, I will lift my hand ·to signal [L to] the nations;
I will raise my banner for all the people to see.
Then they will bring your sons back to you in their ·arms [L bosom; lap],
and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders [C Jews returning from exile are pictured as children returning to their parents].
23 Kings will ·teach your children [be guardians/foster parents],
and ·daughters of kings [princesses; or queens] will take care of them.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground
and ·kiss the dirt [lick the dust] at your feet.
Then you will know I am the Lord.
Anyone who ·trusts in [hopes in; waits on] me will not be ·disappointed [or ashamed].”
24 Can ·the wealth a soldier wins in war [spoils; plunder] be taken away from ·him [a warrior; a strong man]?
Can a prisoner be freed from a ·powerful soldier [tyrant][a]?
25 This is what the Lord says:
“The ·prisoners [captives] will be taken from the ·strong soldiers [mighty one].
·What the soldiers have taken will be saved [L …and spoils/plunder rescued from the tyrant].
I will fight ·your enemies [L those who fight with you],
and I will save your children.
26 I will force ·those who trouble you [your enemies/oppressors] to eat their own flesh.
Their own blood will be the wine that makes them drunk.
Then ·everyone [all flesh] will know
I, the Lord, am the One who saves you;
I am the Powerful One of Jacob ·who saves you [your redeemer].”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 49:24 tyrant The Dead Sea Scrolls read “tyrant.” Some Hebrew copies have “righteous one.”
Isaiah 49
New American Standard Bible
Salvation Reaches to the Ends of the Earth
49 Listen to Me, you (A)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(B)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [a]body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My (C)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (D)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened (E)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “(F)You are My Servant, Israel,
(G)In whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have (H)labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (I)reward is with My God.”
5 And now says (J)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (K)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (L)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (M)strength),
6 He says, “It is too [b]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (N)protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (O)light [c]of the nations
So that My salvation may [d]reach to the (P)end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord, the (Q)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [e](R)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
“(S)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (T)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 (U)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (V)watch over You and (W)make You a covenant of the people,
To [f](X)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are (Y)bound, ‘[g]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (Z)bare heights.
10 They will (AA)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (AB)heat or sun strike them down;
For (AC)He who has compassion on them will (AD)lead them,
And He will guide them to (AE)springs of water.
11 I will make all (AF)My mountains a road,
And My (AG)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (AH)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (AI)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (AJ)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (AK)Lord has comforted His people
And will (AL)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 (AM)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (AN)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (AO)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [h]builders hurry;
Your (AP)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (AQ)Raise your eyes and look around;
(AR)All of them gather together, (AS)they come to you.
(AT)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (AU)put them all on as [i]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (AV)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (AW)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (AX)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (AY)children [j]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 (AZ)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (BA)cannot conceive, and I am an (BB)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (BC)left alone;
[k](BD)Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [l]God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (BE)flag to the peoples;
And they will (BF)bring your sons [m]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (BG)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (BH)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (BI)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (BJ)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (BK)wait for Me will (BL)not be put to shame.
25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
“Even the (BN)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 (BO)save your sons.
26 I will feed your (BP)oppressors with their (BQ)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [o](BR)humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your (BS)Savior
And your (BT)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Footnotes
- 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
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