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Isaiah 49
Lexham English Bible

Yahweh’s Servant Brings Salvation

49 Listen to me, coastlands,
    and listen attentively, peoples from far away!
Yahweh called me from the womb;
    from the body[a] of my mother he made my name known.
2 And he made[b] my mouth like a sharp sword;
    he hid me in the shadow of his hand,
and he made[c] me like an sharpened arrow;
    he hid me in his quiver.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
    Israel, in whom I will show my glory.”
4 But[d] I myself said, “I have labored in[e] vain;
    I have used up my strength for nothing and vanity!
Nevertheless, my justice is with Yahweh,
    and my reward is with my God.”
5 And now Yahweh says,
    who formed me from the womb as a servant for him,
to bring Jacob back to him,
    and that Israel might not[f] be gathered,
for[g] I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh,
    and my God has become my strength.

6 And he says, “It is trivial for you to be[h] a servant for me,

to raise up the tribes of Jacob
    and to bring back the preserved of Israel.
I will give you as a light to the nations,
    to be my salvation to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one,

to the one who despises[i] life,
    to the one who abhors the nation,
    to the slave of rulers:
“Kings shall see and stand up;
    princes, and they shall bow down,
for the sake of Yahweh, who is faithful,
    the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you.”

Yahweh Restores the Afflicted

8 Thus says Yahweh:

“I have answered you in a time of favor,
    and helped you on a day of salvation,
and watched over you,
    and given you as a covenant of the people,
to raise up the land,
    to give the desolate hereditary property as an inheritance,
9 saying to the prisoners,[j] “Come out!”
    to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves!”
they shall feed along[k] the ways,
    and their pasturage shall be on all the barren heights.
10 They shall not be hungry or thirsty,
    and heat and sun shall not strike them,
for he who takes pity on them will lead them,
    and he will guide them to springs of water.
11 And I will make[l] all my mountains like a road,
    and my highways shall lead up.[m]
12 Look! These shall come from afar,
    And look! These from the north and from the west
    and these from the land of Sinim.”
13 Sing for joy, heavens, and rejoice, earth!
    Mountains must break forth in rejoicing!
For Yahweh has comforted his people,
    and he will take pity on his afflicted ones.

Yahweh Remembers Zion

14 But[n] Zion said, “Yahweh has forsaken me,
    and the Lord has forgotten me!”
15 Can a woman forget her suckling,
    refrain from having compassion on the child of her womb?
Indeed, these may forget,
    but[o] I, I will not forget you!
16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are continually before me.
17 Your children hasten;
    your destroyers and those who laid you waste depart[p] from you.
18 Lift your eyes up all around and see;
    all of them gather; they come to you.
As surely as I live,[q]
    declares[r] Yahweh,
surely you shall put on all of them like an ornament,
    and you shall bind them on like a bride.

19 Surely your sites of ruins and desolate places and land of ruins,[s]

surely now you will be too cramped for your[t] inhabitants,[u]
    and those who engulfed you will be far away.

20 Yet the children born when you were bereaved[v] will say in your hearing,[w]

“The place is too cramped for me;
    make room[x] for me so that I can dwell.”

21 Then[y] you will say in your heart,

“Who has borne me these?”
    And, “I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and thrust away;
    so[z] who raised these?
Look at me! I was left alone;
    where have these come from?”[aa]

22 Thus says the Lord Yahweh:

“Look! I will lift my hand up to the nations,
    and I will raise my signal to the peoples,
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.[ab]
23 And kings shall be your guardians,[ac]
    and their queens your nurses.
They shall bow down, faces[ad] to the ground, to you,
    and they will lick up the dust of your feet.
Then[ae] you will know that I am Yahweh;
    those who await me shall not be ashamed.
24 Can war-booty be taken from the mighty?
    or can a captive of a righteous[af] person be rescued?

25 But thus says Yahweh:

“Indeed a captive of the mighty shall be taken,
    and the war-booty of the tyrant shall be rescued,
for[ag] I myself will dispute with your opponent,
    and I myself will save your children.
26 And I will feed your oppressors their own flesh,
    and they shall be drunk with their blood as with wine.
Then[ah] all flesh shall know that I am Yahweh,
    your savior and redeemer, the strong one of Jacob.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:1 Literally “intestines”
  2. Isaiah 49:2 Literally “put”
  3. Isaiah 49:2 Literally “put”
  4. Isaiah 49:4 Or “And”
  5. Isaiah 49:4 Or “for”
  6. Isaiah 49:5 The reading tradition (Qere) has “to him”
  7. Isaiah 49:5 Or “and”
  8. Isaiah 49:6 Literally “from being you”
  9. Isaiah 49:7 A Dead Sea Scroll reads “is despised with respect to”
  10. Isaiah 49:9 Literally “captured ones”
  11. Isaiah 49:9 Literally “on”
  12. Isaiah 49:11 Literally “put”
  13. Isaiah 49:11 Or “be high”
  14. Isaiah 49:14 Or “And”
  15. Isaiah 49:15 Or “and”
  16. Isaiah 49:17 Or “move away”
  17. Isaiah 49:18 Literally “Life I”
  18. Isaiah 49:18 Literally “declaration of”
  19. Isaiah 49:19 Hebrew “ruin”
  20. Isaiah 49:19 Literally “cramped by”
  21. Isaiah 49:19 Hebrew “inhabitant”
  22. Isaiah 49:20 Literally “of your bereavement”
  23. Isaiah 49:20 Literally “ears”
  24. Isaiah 49:20 Literally “approach”
  25. Isaiah 49:21 Or “And”
  26. Isaiah 49:21 Or “and”
  27. Isaiah 49:21 Literally “these where they”
  28. Isaiah 49:22 Hebrew “shoulder”
  29. Isaiah 49:23 Literally “those who nurture”
  30. Isaiah 49:23 Literally “noses”
  31. Isaiah 49:23 Or “And”
  32. Isaiah 49:24 The Dead Sea Scroll has “violent”
  33. Isaiah 49:25 Or “and”
  34. Isaiah 49:26 Or “And”
Listen to Isaiah 49
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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.

24 “(BM)Can the prey be taken from a mighty man,
Or the captives of [n]a tyrant be rescued?”

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

  1. Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
  2. Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
  3. Isaiah 49:6 Or to
  4. Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
  5. Isaiah 49:7 Lit despised of soul
  6. Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
  7. Isaiah 49:9 Lit Go out
  8. Isaiah 49:17 Ancient versions and DSS; MT sons
  9. Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
  10. Isaiah 49:20 Lit of your bereavement
  11. Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
  12. Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  13. Isaiah 49:22 Lit on the chest
  14. Isaiah 49:24 Ancient versions and DSS; MT the righteous, cf. v 25
  15. Isaiah 49:26 Lit all flesh
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