The Servant Brings Salvation

49 Coastlands,[a] listen to me;
distant peoples, pay attention.
The Lord called(A) me before I was born.
He named me while I was in my mother’s womb.(B)
He made my words like a sharp sword;(C)
He hid me in the shadow of His hand.(D)
He made me like a sharpened arrow;
He hid me in His quiver.
He said to me, “You are My Servant, Israel;(E)
I will be glorified in him.”
But I myself said: I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and futility;
yet my vindication is with the Lord,
and my reward is with my God.
And now, says the Lord,
who formed me from the womb to be His Servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him
so that Israel might be gathered to Him;
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God is my strength—
He says,
“It is not enough for you to be My Servant
raising up the tribes of Jacob
and restoring the protected ones of Israel.
I will also make you a light for the nations,(F)
to be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”(G)
This is what the Lord,
the Redeemer(H) of Israel, his Holy One, says
to one who is despised,
to one abhorred by people,[b](I)
to a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and stand up,
and princes[c] will bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel(J)—and He has chosen you.”(K)

This is what the Lord says:

I will answer you in a time of favor,
and I will help you in the day of salvation.(L)
I will keep you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people,(M)
to restore the land,
to make them possess the desolate inheritances,
saying to the prisoners: Come out,(N)
and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves.
They will feed along the pathways,
and their pastures will be on all the barren heights.(O)
10 They will not hunger or thirst,
the scorching heat or sun will not strike them;
for their compassionate One will guide them,
and lead them to springs of water.(P)
11 I will make all My mountains into a road,
and My highways will be raised up.(Q)
12 See, these will come from far away,
from the north and from the west,[d](R)
and from the land of Sinim.[e][f]

13 Shout for joy, you heavens!(S)
Earth, rejoice!
Mountains break into joyful shouts!
For the Lord has comforted His people,(T)
and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.(U)

Zion Remembered

14 Zion says, “The Lord has abandoned me;
The Lord has forgotten me!”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?
Even if these forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;(V)
your walls are continually before Me.
17 Your builders[g] hurry;
those who destroy and devastate you will leave you.
18 Look up, and look around.
They all gather together; they come to you.(W)
As I live”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“you will wear all your children[h] as jewelry,
and put them on as a bride does.
19 For your waste and desolate places
and your land marked by ruins—
will now be indeed too small for the inhabitants,(X)
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 Yet as you listen, the children
that you have been deprived of will say,
‘This place is too small for me;
make room for me so that I may settle.’(Y)
21 Then you will say within yourself,
‘Who fathered these for me?
I was deprived of my children and unable to conceive,
exiled and wandering—
but who brought them up?
See, I was left by myself—
but these, where did they come from?’”[i]

22 This is what the Lord God says:

Look, I will lift up My hand to the nations,
and raise My banner to the peoples.(Z)
They will bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.(AA)
23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens[j] your nursing mothers.(AB)
They will bow down to you
with their faces to the ground,
and lick the dust at your feet.(AC)
Then you will know that I am Yahweh;(AD)
those who put their hope in Me
will not be put to shame.(AE)

24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of the righteous[k] be delivered?
25 For this is what the Lord says:
“Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken,
and the prey of a tyrant will be delivered;
I will contend with the one who contends with you,
and I will save your children.
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,(AF)
and they will be drunk with their own blood
as with sweet wine.
Then all flesh will know
that I, Yahweh, am your Savior,(AG)
and your Redeemer,(AH) the Mighty One of Jacob.”(AI)

50 This is what the Lord says:

Where is your mother’s divorce certificate
that I used to send her away?(AJ)
Or who were My creditors that I sold you to?(AK)
Look, you were sold for your iniquities,(AL)
and your mother was put away
because of your transgressions.
Why was no one there when I came?
Why was there no one to answer when I called?
Is My hand too short to redeem?(AM)
Or do I have no power to deliver?
Look, I dry up the sea by My rebuke;(AN)
I turn the rivers into a wilderness;
their fish rot because of lack of water
and die of thirst.
I dress the heavens in black
and make sackcloth their clothing.(AO)

The Obedient Servant

The Lord God has given Me
the tongue of those who are instructed(AP)
to know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me each morning;
He awakens My ear to listen like those being instructed.(AQ)
The Lord God has opened My ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I did not turn back.(AR)
I gave My back to those who beat Me,
and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard.
I did not hide My face from scorn and spitting.(AS)
The Lord God will help Me;
therefore I have not been humiliated;
therefore I have set My face like flint,(AT)
and I know I will not be put to shame.
The One who vindicates Me is near;(AU)
who will contend with Me?
Let us confront each other.[l]
Who has a case against Me?[m]
Let him come near Me!
In truth, the Lord God will help Me;
who will condemn Me?(AV)
Indeed, all of them will wear out like a garment;
a moth will devour them.(AW)
10 Who among you fears the Lord,
listening to the voice of His Servant?(AX)
Who among you walks in darkness,
and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of Yahweh;
let him lean on his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
who encircle yourselves with[n] firebrands;
walk in the light of your fire
and in the firebrands you have lit!
This is what you’ll get from My hand:
you will lie down in a place of torment.

Salvation for Zion

51 Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain.
When I called him, he was only one;
I blessed him and made him many.(AY)
For the Lord will comfort Zion;(AZ)
He will comfort all her waste places,
and He will make her wilderness like Eden,(BA)
and her desert like the garden of the Lord.(BB)
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.

Pay attention to Me, My people,
and listen to Me, My nation;
for instruction will come from Me,
and My justice for a light to the nations.(BC)
I will bring it about quickly.
My righteousness is near,(BD)
My salvation appears,
and My arms will bring justice to the nations.(BE)
The coastlands[o] will put their hope in Me,
and they will look to My strength.[p]
Look up to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.[q](BF)
But My salvation will last forever,(BG)
and My righteousness will never be shattered.

Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is My instruction:(BH)
do not fear disgrace by men,
and do not be shattered by their taunts.
For the moth will devour them like a garment,(BI)
and the worm will eat them like wool.(BJ)
But My righteousness will last forever,
and My salvation for all generations.

Wake up, wake up!
Put on the strength of the Lord’s power.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations of long ago.
Wasn’t it You who hacked Rahab to pieces,(BK)
who pierced the sea monster?(BL)
10 Wasn’t it You who dried up the sea,(BM)
the waters of the great deep,
who made the sea-bed into a road
for the redeemed to pass over?(BN)
11 And the redeemed of the Lord will return(BO)
and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy.
Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.

12 I—I am the One who comforts you.
Who are you that you should fear man who dies,(BP)
or a son of man who is given up like grass?(BQ)
13 But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.(BR)
You are in constant dread all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who has set himself to destroy.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?(BS)
14 The prisoner[r] is soon to be set free;
he will not die and go to the Pit,
and his food will not be lacking.
15 For I am Yahweh your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar(BT)
His name is Yahweh of Hosts.
16 I have put My words in your mouth,(BU)
and covered you in the shadow of My hand,(BV)
in order to plant[s] the heavens,
to found the earth,
and to say to Zion, “You are My people.”

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of His fury(BW)
from the hand of the Lord;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs—
the cup that causes people to stagger.
18 There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has raised;
there is no one to take hold of her hand
among all the offspring she has brought up.
19 These two things have happened to you:(BX)
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I[t] comfort you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net.
They are full of the Lord’s fury,
the rebuke of your God.

21 So listen to this, afflicted
and drunken one—but not with wine.(BY)
22 This is what your Lord says—
Yahweh, even your God,
who defends His people(BZ)
“Look, I have removed
the cup of staggering from your hand;
that goblet, the cup of My fury.
You will never drink it again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you:(CA)
Lie down, so we can walk over you.
You made your back like the ground,
and like a street for those who walk on it.

52 “Wake up, wake up;
put on your strength, Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments,(CB)
Jerusalem, the Holy City!(CC)
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
will no longer enter you.(CD)
Stand up, shake the dust off yourself!
Take your seat, Jerusalem.
Remove the bonds[u] from your neck,
captive Daughter Zion.”
For this is what the Lord says:
“You were sold for nothing,
and you will be redeemed without silver.”(CE)
For this is what the Lord God says:
“At first My people went down to Egypt to live there,(CF)
then Assyria oppressed them without cause.[v]
So now what have I here”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“that My people are taken away for nothing?
Its rulers wail”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and My name is continually blasphemed all day long.(CG)
Therefore My people will know My name;(CH)
therefore they will know on that day
that I am He who says:
Here I am.”

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace,
who brings news of good things,(CI)
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”(CJ)
The voices of your watchmen(CK)
they lift up their voices,
shouting for joy together;
for every eye will see
when the Lord returns to Zion.
Be joyful, rejoice together,
you ruins of Jerusalem!(CL)
For the Lord has comforted His people;(CM)
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has displayed His holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;(CN)
all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.(CO)

11 Leave, leave, go out from there!(CP)
Do not touch anything unclean;
go out from her, purify yourselves,(CQ)
you who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 For you will not leave in a hurry,(CR)
and you will not have to take flight;
because the Lord is going before you,(CS)
and the God of Israel is your rear guard.(CT)

The Servant’s Suffering and Exaltation

13 See, My Servant[w](CU) will act wisely;[x]
He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.(CV)
14 Just as many were appalled at You[y]
His appearance was so disfigured
that He did not look like a man,
and His form did not resemble a human being—
15 so He will sprinkle[z][aa] many nations.[ab](CW)
Kings will shut their mouths because of Him,
For they will see what had not been told them,
and they will understand what they had not heard.(CX)

53 Who has believed what we have heard?[ac]
And who has the arm of the Lord(CY) been revealed to?(CZ)
He grew up before Him like a young plant(DA)
and like a root out of dry ground.
He didn’t have an impressive form
or majesty that we should look at Him,
no appearance that we should desire Him.(DB)
He was despised and rejected by men,(DC)
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.(DD)
He was like someone people turned away from;[ad]
He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
and He carried our pains;(DE)
but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
struck down by God,(DF) and afflicted.
But He was pierced because of our transgressions,(DG)
crushed because of our iniquities;(DH)
punishment(DI) for our peace was on Him,
and we are healed by His wounds.(DJ)
We all went astray like sheep;(DK)
we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished Him
for[ae] the iniquity(DL) of us all.(DM)

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet He did not open His mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughter
and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
He did not open His mouth.(DN)
He was taken away because of oppression and judgment;
and who considered His fate?[af]
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
He was struck because of my people’s rebellion.
They[ag] made His grave with the wicked
and with a rich man at His death,(DO)
although He had done no violence
and had not spoken deceitfully.(DP)

10 Yet the Lord was pleased(DQ) to crush Him severely.[ah](DR)
When[ai] You make Him a restitution offering,(DS)
He will see His seed, He will prolong His days,
and by His hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.(DT)
11 He will see it[aj] out of His anguish,
and He will be satisfied with His knowledge.
My righteous(DU) Servant(DV) will justify many,(DW)
and He will carry their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give Him[ak] the many as a portion,
and He will receive[al] the mighty as spoil,
because He submitted Himself to death,(DX)
and was counted among the rebels;(DY)
yet He bore the sin of many(DZ)
and interceded for the rebels.(EA)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:1 Or Islands
  2. Isaiah 49:7 Or by the nation
  3. Isaiah 49:7 Lit princes and they
  4. Isaiah 49:12 Lit sea
  5. Isaiah 49:12 DSS read of the Syenites
  6. Isaiah 49:12 Perhaps modern Aswan in southern Egypt
  7. Isaiah 49:17 DSS, Aq, Theod, Vg; MT, Syr, Sym read sons
  8. Isaiah 49:18 Lit all of them
  9. Isaiah 49:21 Lit where are they
  10. Isaiah 49:23 Lit princesses
  11. Isaiah 49:24 DSS, Syr, Vg read fearsome one, or tyrant
  12. Isaiah 50:8 Lit us stand
  13. Isaiah 50:8 Lit Who is lord of My judgment
  14. Isaiah 50:11 Syr reads who set ablaze
  15. Isaiah 51:5 Or islands
  16. Isaiah 51:5 Lit arm
  17. Isaiah 51:6 Or die in like manner
  18. Isaiah 51:14 Hb obscure
  19. Isaiah 51:16 Syr reads to stretch out
  20. Isaiah 51:19 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg read you? Who can
  21. Isaiah 52:2 Alt Hb tradition reads The bonds are removed
  22. Isaiah 52:4 Or them at last, or them for nothing
  23. Isaiah 52:13 Tg adds the Messiah
  24. Isaiah 52:13 Or will be successful
  25. Isaiah 52:14 Some Hb mss, Syr, Tg read Him
  26. Isaiah 52:15 Or startle
  27. Isaiah 52:15 As the blood of a sacrifice is sprinkled on the altar on behalf of the people
  28. Isaiah 52:15 LXX reads so many nations will marvel at Him
  29. Isaiah 53:1 Or believed our report
  30. Isaiah 53:3 Lit And like a hiding of faces from Him
  31. Isaiah 53:6 Or has placed on Him; lit with
  32. Isaiah 53:8 Or and as for His generation, who considered [Him]?
  33. Isaiah 53:9 DSS; MT reads He
  34. Isaiah 53:10 Or Him; He made Him sick.
  35. Isaiah 53:10 Or If
  36. Isaiah 53:11 DSS, LXX read see light
  37. Isaiah 53:12 Or Him with
  38. Isaiah 53:12 Or receive with

The Servant of the Lord

49 Listen(A) to me, you islands;(B)
    hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(C) the Lord called(D) me;
    from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(E)
He made my mouth(F) like a sharpened sword,(G)
    in the shadow of his hand(H) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(I)
    and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, “You are my servant,(J)
    Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(K)
But I said, “I have labored in vain;(L)
    I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(M)
    and my reward(N) is with my God.”(O)

And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb(P) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel(Q) to himself,
for I am[a] honored(R) in the eyes of the Lord
    and my God has been my strength(S)
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(T)
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(U)
I will also make you a light(V) for the Gentiles,(W)
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(X)

This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(Y)
to him who was despised(Z) and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(AA) will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,(AB)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(AC)
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(AD) you.”

Restoration of Israel

This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor(AE) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;(AF)
I will keep(AG) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,(AH)
to restore the land(AI)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(AJ)
to say to the captives,(AK) ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness,(AL) ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
    and find pasture on every barren hill.(AM)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(AN)
    nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(AO)
He who has compassion(AP) on them will guide(AQ) them
    and lead them beside springs(AR) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
    and my highways(AS) will be raised up.(AT)
12 See, they will come from afar(AU)
    some from the north, some from the west,(AV)
    some from the region of Aswan.[b]

13 Shout for joy,(AW) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;(AX)
    burst into song, you mountains!(AY)
For the Lord comforts(AZ) his people
    and will have compassion(BA) on his afflicted ones.(BB)

14 But Zion(BC) said, “The Lord has forsaken(BD) me,
    the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child(BE) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!(BF)
16 See, I have engraved(BG) you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls(BH) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
    and those who laid you waste(BI) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
    all your children gather(BJ) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(BK)” declares the Lord,
    “you will wear(BL) them all as ornaments;
    you will put them on, like a bride.

19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(BM)
    and your land laid waste,(BN)
now you will be too small for your people,(BO)
    and those who devoured(BP) 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.’(BQ)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?(BR)
I was bereaved(BS) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.(BT)
    Who brought these(BU) up?
I was left(BV) all alone,(BW)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(BX) says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner(BY) to the peoples;
they will bring(BZ) your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.(CA)
23 Kings(CB) will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.(CC)
They will bow down(CD) before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust(CE) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(CF)
    those who hope(CG) in me will not be disappointed.(CH)

24 Can plunder be taken from warriors,(CI)
    or captives be rescued from the fierce[c]?

25 But this is what the Lord says:

“Yes, captives(CJ) will be taken from warriors,(CK)
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(CL)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(CM)
    and your children I will save.(CN)
26 I will make your oppressors(CO) eat(CP) their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood,(CQ) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(CR)
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(CS)
    your Redeemer,(CT) the Mighty One of Jacob.(CU)

Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(CV)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell(CW) you?
Because of your sins(CX) you were sold;(CY)
    because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
When I came, why was there no one?
    When I called, why was there no one to answer?(CZ)
Was my arm too short(DA) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength(DB) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(DC) I dry up the sea,(DD)
    I turn rivers into a desert;(DE)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
I clothe the heavens with darkness(DF)
    and make sackcloth(DG) its covering.”

The Sovereign Lord(DH) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(DI)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.(DJ)
He wakens me morning by morning,(DK)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(DL)
The Sovereign Lord(DM) has opened my ears;(DN)
    I have not been rebellious,(DO)
    I have not turned away.
I offered my back to those who beat(DP) me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(DQ)
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.(DR)
Because the Sovereign Lord(DS) helps(DT) me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(DU)
    and I know I will not be put to shame.(DV)
He who vindicates(DW) me is near.(DX)
    Who then will bring charges against me?(DY)
    Let us face each other!(DZ)
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
It is the Sovereign Lord(EA) who helps(EB) me.
    Who will condemn(EC) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths(ED) will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears(EE) the Lord
    and obeys(EF) the word of his servant?(EG)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,(EH)
trust(EI) 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,(EJ)
go, walk in the light of your fires(EK)
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(EL)
    You will lie down in torment.(EM)

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

51 “Listen(EN) to me, you who pursue righteousness(EO)
    and who seek(EP) the Lord:
Look to the rock(EQ) from which you were cut
    and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
look to Abraham,(ER) your father,
    and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
    and I blessed him and made him many.(ES)
The Lord will surely comfort(ET) Zion(EU)
    and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(EV)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(EW)
    her wastelands(EX) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(EY) will be found in her,
    thanksgiving(EZ) and the sound of singing.

“Listen to me, my people;(FA)
    hear me,(FB) my nation:
Instruction(FC) will go out from me;
    my justice(FD) will become a light to the nations.(FE)
My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation(FF) is on the way,(FG)
    and my arm(FH) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(FI) will look to me
    and wait in hope(FJ) for my arm.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(FK)
    the earth will wear out like a garment(FL)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(FM) will last forever,(FN)
    my righteousness will never fail.(FO)

“Hear me, you who know what is right,(FP)
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(FQ)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.(FR)
For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(FS)
    the worm(FT) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(FU)
    my salvation through all generations.”

Awake, awake,(FV) arm(FW) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!(FX)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.(FY)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(FZ) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster(GA) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(GB)
    the waters of the great deep,(GC)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(GD)
    so that the redeemed(GE) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(GF) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;(GG)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(GH) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(GI)

12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(GJ) you.
    Who are you that you fear(GK) mere mortals,(GL)
    human beings who are but grass,(GM)
13 that you forget(GN) the Lord your Maker,(GO)
    who stretches out the heavens(GP)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(GQ) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(GR)
14     The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(GS)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.(GT)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea(GU) so that its waves roar(GV)
    the Lord Almighty(GW) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(GX)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand(GY)
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,(GZ)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(HA)’”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

17 Awake, awake!(HB)
    Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
    the cup(HC) of his wrath,(HD)
you who have drained to its dregs(HE)
    the goblet that makes people stagger.(HF)
18 Among all the children(HG) she bore
    there was none to guide her;(HH)
among all the children she reared
    there was none to take her by the hand.(HI)
19 These double calamities(HJ) have come upon you—
    who can comfort you?(HK)
ruin and destruction,(HL) famine(HM) and sword(HN)
    who can[d] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
    they lie at every street corner,(HO)
    like antelope caught in a net.(HP)
They are filled with the wrath(HQ) of the Lord,
    with the rebuke(HR) of your God.

21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted(HS) one,
    made drunk,(HT) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends(HU) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup(HV) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
    you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,(HW)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate(HX) that we may walk(HY) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”(HZ)

52 Awake, awake,(IA) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!(IB)
Put on your garments of splendor,(IC)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.(ID)
The uncircumcised(IE) and defiled(IF)
    will not enter you again.(IG)
Shake off your dust;(IH)
    rise up,(II) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(IJ)
    Daughter Zion,(IK) now a captive.

For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,(IL)
    and without money(IM) you will be redeemed.(IN)

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt(IO) to live;
    lately, Assyria(IP) has oppressed them.

“And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,[e]
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.(IQ)
Therefore my people will know(IR) my name;(IS)
    therefore in that day(IT) they will know
that it is I who foretold(IU) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

How beautiful on the mountains(IV)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,(IW)
who proclaim peace,(IX)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”(IY)
Listen! Your watchmen(IZ) lift up their voices;(JA)
    together they shout for joy.(JB)
When the Lord returns(JC) to Zion,(JD)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
Burst into songs of joy(JE) together,
    you ruins(JF) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(JG) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(JH)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(JI)
    in the sight of all the nations,(JJ)
and all the ends of the earth(JK) will see
    the salvation(JL) of our God.

11 Depart,(JM) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!(JN)
Come out from it and be pure,(JO)
    you who carry the articles(JP) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(JQ)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(JR)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(JS)

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant(JT) will act wisely[f];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(JU)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(JV) at him[g]
    his appearance was so disfigured(JW) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness(JX)
15 so he will sprinkle(JY) many nations,[h]
    and kings(JZ) will shut their mouths(KA) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.(KB)

53 Who has believed our message(KC)
    and to whom has the arm(KD) of the Lord been revealed?(KE)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(KF)
    and like a root(KG) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(KH) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(KI) and familiar with pain.(KJ)
Like one from whom people hide(KK) their faces
    he was despised,(KL) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(KM)
yet we considered him punished by God,(KN)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(KO)
But he was pierced(KP) for our transgressions,(KQ)
    he was crushed(KR) for our iniquities;
the punishment(KS) that brought us peace(KT) was on him,
    and by his wounds(KU) we are healed.(KV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(KW)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(KX)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(KY) of us all.

He was oppressed(KZ) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(LA)
he was led like a lamb(LB) to the slaughter,(LC)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[i] and judgment(LD) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(LE)
    for the transgression(LF) of my people he was punished.[j]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(LG)
    and with the rich(LH) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(LI)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(LJ)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(LK) to crush(LL) him and cause him to suffer,(LM)
    and though the Lord makes[k] his life an offering for sin,(LN)
he will see his offspring(LO) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(LP) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(LQ)
    he will see the light(LR) of life[l] and be satisfied[m];
by his knowledge[n] my righteous servant(LS) will justify(LT) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(LU)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[o](LV)
    and he will divide the spoils(LW) with the strong,[p]
because he poured out his life unto death,(LX)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(LY)
For he bore(LZ) the sin of many,(MA)
    and made intercession(MB) for the transgressors.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
  2. Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
  3. Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
  4. Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
  5. Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
  6. Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
  7. Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
  8. Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
  9. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  10. Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
  11. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  12. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  13. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  14. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  15. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  16. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous