Isaiah 51
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh’s Righteousness Is Forever
51 “(A)Listen to Me, you who (B)pursue righteousness,
Who seek Yahweh:
Look to the (C)rock from which you were hewn
And to the [a]quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to (D)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who brought you forth through labor pains;
When he (E)was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (F)Yahweh will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (G)waste places.
And her (H)wilderness He will make like (I)Eden,
And her desert like the (J)garden of Yahweh;
(K)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.
4 “(L)Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My [b]nation;
For a (M)law will go forth from Me,
And I will [c]set My (N)justice for a (O)light of the peoples.
5 My (P)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (Q)arms will judge the peoples;
The (R)coastlands will hope in Me,
And for My (S)arm they will wait expectantly.
6 (T)Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (U)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (V)earth will wear out like a garment,
And its inhabitants will die [d]in like manner;
But My (W)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not be dismayed.
7 (X)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (Y)heart is My law;
Do not fear the (Z)reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the (AA)moth will eat them like a garment,
And the (AB)grub will eat them like wool.
But My (AC)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (AD)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Yahweh;
Awake as in the (AE)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(AF)Was it not You who chopped Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (AG)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (AH)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep,
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (AI)redeemed to cross over?
11 So the (AJ)ransomed of Yahweh will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And (AK)everlasting gladness will be on their heads.
They will obtain joy and gladness,
And (AL)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who (AM)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of (AN)man who dies
And of the son of man who is made (AO)like grass,
13 That you have (AP)forgotten Yahweh your Maker,
Who (AQ)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (AR)tremble in dread continually all day long because of the wrath of the one who brings distress,
As he makes ready to bring ruin?
But where is the wrath of the (AS)one who brings distress?
14 The (AT)one in chains will soon be set free and will not die in the pit, (AU)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am Yahweh your God, who (AV)stirs up the sea, and its waves roar—Yahweh of hosts is His name. 16 I have (AW)put My words in your mouth and have (AX)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [e](AY)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (AZ)Awaken yourself! Awaken yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have (BA)drunk from the hand of Yahweh the cup of His wrath;
The [f]chalice of reeling you have [g]drained to the dregs.
18 There is (BB)none to guide her among all the sons she has borne,
Nor is there one to take hold of her by the hand among all the sons she has reared.
19 These two things have befallen you;
Who will console you?
The (BC)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted;
They (BD)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (BE)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of Yahweh,
The (BF)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, now, listen to this, you (BG)afflicted,
Who are (BH)drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, Yahweh, even your God
Who (BI)contends for His people,
“Behold, I have taken out of your hand the (BJ)cup of reeling,
The [h]chalice of My wrath;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will (BK)set it into the hand of those who cause you grief,
Who have said to [i]you, ‘(BL)Lie down that we may walk over you.’
You have even set your back down like the ground
And like the street for those who walk over it.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
- Isaiah 51:4 Or people
- Isaiah 51:4 Lit cause to rest
- Isaiah 51:6 Or like gnats
- Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit drunk
- Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul
Isaiah 51
Common English Bible
Look to Abraham and Sarah
51 Listen to me,
you who look for righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry where you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your ancestor,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
They were alone when I called them,
but I blessed them and made them many.
3 The Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her ruins.
He will make her desert like Eden
and her wilderness like the Lord’s garden.
Happiness and joy will be found in her—
thanks and the sound of singing.
Salvation endures forever
4 Pay attention to me, my people;
listen to me, my nation,
for teaching will go out from me,
my justice, as a light to the nations.
5 I will quickly bring my victory.
My salvation is on its way,
and my arm will judge the peoples.
The coastlands hope for me;
they wait for my judgment.[a]
6 Look up to the heavens,
and gaze at the earth beneath.
The heavens will disappear like smoke,
the earth will wear out like clothing,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.
But my salvation will endure forever,
and my righteousness will be unbroken.
7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,
people who carry my teaching in your heart:
Don’t fear human scorn,
and don’t be upset when they abuse you.
8 The moth will eat them as if they were clothing,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my righteousness is forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
Awake, arm of the Lord
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
arm of the Lord.
Awake as in times past,
generations long ago.
Aren’t you the one who crushed Rahab,
who pierced the dragon?
10 Didn’t you dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep?
And didn’t you make the redeemed a road to cross
through the depths of the sea,
a road for the redeemed to pass?
11 Then let those ransomed by the Lord return
and come to Zion with singing
and with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Let happiness and joy overwhelm them;
let grief and groaning flee.
12 I, I am the one who comforts you.
Why should you fear humans who will die,
mortals who are treated like grass?
13 You forgot the Lord your maker,
the one who stretched out the heavens
and founded the earth.
You were continually afraid, all day long,
on account of the oppressor’s wrath—
a fear by which they intend to destroy you.
Where now is the oppressor’s wrath?
14 The imprisoned ones will soon be released;
they won’t die in the pit
or even lack bread.
15 I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of heavenly forces is his name.
16 I put my words in your mouth
and hid you in the shadow of my hand,
stretching out[b] the heavens, founding the earth,
and saying to Zion, “You are my people.”
Wake yourself, Jerusalem
17 Wake yourself, wake yourself!
Rise up, Jerusalem,
who drank the cup of wrath from the Lord’s hand.
You drank; you drained the goblet of reeling.
18 There’s no one to guide her among all the children she bore;
there’s no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.
19 These two things have happened to you—
Who will be sorry for you?[c]—
destruction and devastation,
famine and sword—
who will comfort you?[d]
20 Your children passed out;
they lay at the head of every street like antelope in a net,
filled with the Lord’s wrath,
with the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, hear this, suffering one,
who is drunk, but not from wine.
22 The Lord, your Lord and your God,
who contends for his people, says:
Look, I have taken the cup of reeling,
the goblet of my wrath, from your hand.
You will no longer drink from it.
23 I will put it in the hand of your tormentors,
who said to you,
“Lie down so that we can walk on you.
Make your back like the ground,
like a street for those walking on it.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 51:5 Or for my arm
- Isaiah 51:16 Or planting
- Isaiah 51:19 DSS (1QIsaa), LXX, Vulg; MT How will I
- Isaiah 51:19 Or how will I comfort you?
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