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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.
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.”
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.

(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.
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.
(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.
(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.
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.”

(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

  1. Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
  2. Isaiah 51:4 Or people
  3. Isaiah 51:4 Lit cause to rest
  4. Isaiah 51:6 Or like gnats
  5. Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
  6. Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of
  7. Isaiah 51:17 Lit drunk
  8. Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
  9. Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul

Deliverance for Zion

51 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
    you who seek the Lord!
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
    to the quarry from which you were hewn.
Look to Abraham your father,
    and to Sarah who gave you birth.
For when he was only one person I called him,
    but I made him fruitful[a] and made him many.
For the Lord will have compassion on Zion,
    have compassion on all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
    and her deserts like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
    thanksgiving, and the sound of singing.[b]
        Sorrow and sighing will flee away.[c]

“Pay attention to me, my people!
    Listen to me, my nation!
For instruction[d] will go out from me,
    and my justice will become a light for the nations.[e]
I will quickly bring my deliverance near;
    my salvation is on the way.
His arm[f] will bring justice to[g] the nations;[h]
    the coastlands will hope for him,[i]
        and they will wait for his arm.[j]

“Lift up your eyes, you[k] heavens
    and look to the earth beneath;
        and see who created these.[l]
Its inhabitants will die just like this;[m]
    but my salvation will be forever,
        and my deliverance will never fail.
Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
    you people who have my instruction[n] in their hearts.
Don’t fear the insults of mortals,
    and don’t be dismayed at their hateful words.[o]
For moths will eat them up just like a garment,
    and worms will devour them like wool;
but my deliverance will last[p] forever,
    and my salvation to all generations.

“Awake! Awake! Clothe yourself with strength,
    you arm[q] of the Lord!
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of long ago.
Was it not you who split apart[r] Rehob,[s]
    who pierced that sea monster through?[t]
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
    the waters of the great deep,
who made a road in[u] the depths of the sea
    so that the redeemed could cross over?”

A Promise of Return to the Land

11 “The scattered ones[v] of the Lord will return,
    and they will enter Zion with singing.
Everlasting joy will be upon their heads;
    they will attain joy and gladness,
        and[w] sorrow and sighing will flee away.[x]

12 “I—yes, I—am the one who comforts you.
    Who are you, that you are so afraid of humans who will die,
        descendants of mere[y] men, who have been made[z] like grass?
13 As a result, you have forgotten the Lord who made you,
    who stretched out the heavens
and laid the earth’s foundations,
    and you live in constant fear every day
because of the oppressor’s fury,
    since he’s ready to destroy.
        Now where is the[aa] oppressor’s fury?
14 Distress[ab] will quickly be set free.
    He won’t die in the Pit,[ac]
        nor will he lack food.”

A Promise of Restoration

15 “For I am the Lord your God,
    who churns up the sea, so that its waves roar,
        ‘The Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name.’
16 I have put my words in your mouth
    and have covered you with the shadow of my hand,
so that I could plant the heavens
    and lay the earth’s foundations,
        to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’

17 “Awake, Awake!
    Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the Lord’s hand
    from the cup that is[ad] his anger.
You have drunk to the dregs
    the cup that makes you stagger,[ae]
        and have drained it.
18 There is no one to guide you[af]
    out of all the children she bore,
no one to take her by the hand
    out of all the children she brought up.

19 “These twin things have come upon you
    (who can feel sorry for you?):
ruin and destruction,
    famine and the sword—
        who can console you?
20 Your children have fainted.
    They lie at the head of every street,
        like antelope caught in a trap,
filled with the anger of the Lord
    and the rebuke of your God.
21 Now listen to this, you afflicted one,
    made drunk, but not with wine:
22 This is what your Lord, the Lord,[ag] says,
    your[ah] God, who defends his people’s cause:

“See, I have taken from your hand the cup that made you stagger.[ai]
    And you will never again drink to the dregs the cup that is my anger.
23 But I will put it into the hands of those who tormented and oppressed you,[aj]
    those who said to you,
‘Lie down,[ak] so we can step over you,’
    so that you had to make your back like the ground,
        and like a street for them to walk over.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 51:2 So 1QIsaa; MT reads blessed him; LXX reads blessed him and loved him
  2. Isaiah 51:3 Or music
  3. Isaiah 51:3 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack this line; cf Isa 51:11
  4. Isaiah 51:4 Or For the Law
  5. Isaiah 51:4 Lit. peoples
  6. Isaiah 51:5 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab reads My arms; or My arm; MT LXX read My arms
  7. Isaiah 51:5 The verb is pl. in 1QIsaa MT
  8. Isaiah 51:5 Lit. peoples
  9. Isaiah 51:5 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read me
  10. Isaiah 51:5 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read my arm
  11. Isaiah 51:6 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read to the
  12. Isaiah 51:6 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read for the heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment
  13. Isaiah 51:6 Or like gnats
  14. Isaiah 51:7 Or Law
  15. Isaiah 51:7 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab; spelling differs from MT; LXX reads contempt
  16. Isaiah 51:8 Lit. be
  17. Isaiah 51:9 I.e. the Messiah
  18. Isaiah 51:9 So 1QIsaa 4QIsac Vulg (cf. Job 26:12). MT LXXmss read cut in pieces
  19. Isaiah 51:9 So 1QIsaa MT qere reads Rahab
  20. Isaiah 51:9 So 1QIsaa 4QIsac MT Vulg; LXX lacks Was it…through?
  21. Isaiah 51:10 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack in
  22. Isaiah 51:11 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read ransomed ones; 1QIsaa corrector wrote redeemed then erased and wrote scattered ones
  23. Isaiah 51:11 So 1QIsaa 4QIsac LXX; MT LXX lack and
  24. Isaiah 51:11 So 1QIsaa MTms (sing.); cf Isa 51:3; MT (pl.)
  25. Isaiah 51:12 1QIsaa MT LXX lack mere
  26. Isaiah 51:12 So 1QIsaa; MT reads are made; LXX reads will be dried up
  27. Isaiah 51:13 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsaa omitted oppressor’s…the then inserted the missing lines at the top of column 43
  28. Isaiah 51:14 So 1QIsaa; MT reads The cowering one; LXX lacks Distress
  29. Isaiah 51:14 I.e. the realm of punishment in the afterlife
  30. Isaiah 51:17 Lit. hand, the cup of
  31. Isaiah 51:17 Lit. the cup of staggering
  32. Isaiah 51:18 So 1QIsaa; MT reads no one to guide her; LXX reads no one who comforted you
  33. Isaiah 51:22 1QIsaa MT; MTms lacks Lord
  34. Isaiah 51:22 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and your
  35. Isaiah 51:22 Lit. the cup of staggering
  36. Isaiah 51:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads tormented you; LXX reads harmed you and humiliated you
  37. Isaiah 51:23 Lit.bow down