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
Christian Standard Bible
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.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave birth to you.
When I called him, he was only one;
I blessed him and made him many.(A)
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;(B)
he will comfort all her waste places,
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,(C)
and her desert like the garden of the Lord.(D)
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.
4 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.(E)
I will bring it about quickly.
5 My righteousness is near,(F)
my salvation appears,
and my arms will bring justice to the nations.(G)
The coasts and islands will put their hope in me,
and they will look to my strength.[a]
6 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.[b](H)
But my salvation will last forever,(I)
and my righteousness will never be shattered.
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my instruction:(J)
do not fear disgrace by men,
and do not be shattered by their taunts.
8 For moths will devour them like a garment,(K)
and worms will eat them like wool.(L)
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
9 Wake up, wake up!
Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations long ago.
Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces,(M)
who pierced the sea monster?(N)
10 Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea,(O)
the waters of the great deep,
who made the sea-bed into a road
for the redeemed to pass over?(P)
11 And the ransomed of the Lord will return(Q)
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 humans who die,(R)
or a son of man who is given up like grass?(S)
13 But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.(T)
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?(U)
14 The prisoner[c] 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 the Lord your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar(V)—
his name is the Lord of Armies.
16 I have put my words in your mouth,(W)
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,(X)
in order to plant[d] 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(Y)
from the Lord’s hand;
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:(Z)
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I[e] 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, suffering
and drunken one—but not with wine.(AA)
22 This is what your Lord says—
the Lord, even your God,
who defends his people(AB)—
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
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,(AC)
‘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.
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