Isaiah 51
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Blessings in Store for God’s People
51 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.(A)
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who bore you,
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.(B)
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.(C)
4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.(D)
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.(E)
6 Lift up your eyes 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 those who live on it will die like gnats,[a]
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.(F)
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.(G)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my deliverance will be forever
and my salvation to all generations.(H)
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago!
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the dragon?(I)
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep;
who made the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to cross over?(J)
11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with rejoicing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.(K)
12 I, I am he who comforts you;
why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die,
a human being who fades like grass?(L)
13 You have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.
You fear continually all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?(M)
14 The oppressed shall speedily be released;
they shall not die and go down to the Pit,
nor shall they lack bread.(N)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name.(O)
16 I have put my words in your mouth
and hidden you in the shadow of my hand,
stretching out[b] the heavens
and laying the foundations of the earth
and saying to Zion, “You are my people.”(P)
17 Rouse yourself, rouse yourself!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the cup of staggering.(Q)
18 There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has borne;
there is no one to take her by the hand
among all the children she has brought up.(R)
19 These two things have befallen you
—who will grieve with you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword.
Who will comfort you?[c](S)
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net;
they are full of the wrath of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.(T)
21 Therefore hear this, you who are wounded,[d]
who are drunk but not with wine:(U)
22 Thus says your Sovereign, the Lord,
your God who pleads the cause of his people:
See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;
you shall drink no more
from the cup of my wrath.(V)
23 And I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
who have said to you,
“Bow down, that we may walk on you,”
and you have made your back like the ground
and like the street for them to walk on.(W)
Isaiah 51
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh Comforts Zion
51 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
who seek Yahweh.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the excavation of the pit from which you were quarried.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah; she brought you forth.
For I called him alone,[a]
but[b] I blessed him and made him numerous.”
3 For Yahweh will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all its sites of ruins.
And he will make[c] its wilderness like Eden,
and its desert like the garden of Yahweh.
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
thanksgiving and the sound[d] of song.
4 “Listen attentively to me, my people,
and my nation, listen to me!
For a teaching will go out from me,
and I will cause my justice to rest for a light to the peoples.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples.
The coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens
and look to the earth beneath,
for the heavens will be torn to pieces like smoke,
and the earth will be worn out like a garment,
and those who inhabit her will die like gnats.
But[e] my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will not be broken to pieces.
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
people who have my teaching in their heart;
you must not fear the reproach of men,
or be terrified because of their abuse.
8 For a moth will eat them like garments;
a moth will devour[f] them like wool,
but[g] my righteousness will be forever,
and my salvation for generation after generation.[h]”
9 Awake! Awake; put on strength, O arm of Yahweh!
Awake as in days of long ago,
the generations of a long time back!
Are you not the one who cut Rahab in pieces,
the one who pierced the sea-dragon?
10 Are you not the one who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
the one who made[i] the depths of the sea a way
for those who are redeemed to cross over?
11 So[j] the redeemed ones of Yahweh shall return,
and they shall come to Zion with singing,
and everlasting joy shall be on their heads.[k]
Joy and gladness shall appear;[l]
sorrow and sighing shall flee away!
12 “I, I am he who comforts you;
who are you that[m] you are afraid of man? He dies!
And of the son of humankind? He is sacrificed[n] as grass!
13 And you have forgotten Yahweh, your maker,
who stretched out the heavens,
and founded the earth.
And you tremble continually, all day,
because of the wrath of the oppressor
when he takes aim[o] to destroy.
But[p] where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 The fettered one shall make haste to be freed.
And he shall not die in[q] the pit,
and he shall not lack his bread.
15 For[r] I am Yahweh, your God,
who stirs up[s] the sea, so that[t] its waves roar;
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in your mouth,
and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand,
to plant the heavens
and to found the earth,
saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
17 Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself!
Stand up, Jerusalem, who have drunk from the hand of Yahweh the cup of his wrath;
you have drunk the goblet, the cup of staggering;
you have drained it out.
18 There is no one who guides her among[u] all the children she has borne,
and there is no one who grasps her by the hand among[v] all the children she raised.
19 Two things here have happened to you—who will show sympathy[w] for you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword—who will comfort you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of all the streets, like an antelope in[x] a snare,
those who are full of the wrath of Yahweh,
the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore hear now this afflicted one
and drunken one but[y] not from wine.
22 Thus says your Lord, Yahweh,
and your God pleads the cause of his people:
“Look! I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering.
You shall not continue[z] to drink the goblet, the cup of my wrath, any longer.
23 And I will put it in the hand of your tormenters,
who have said to you,[aa] ‘Bow down that[ab] we may pass[ac] over you!’
And you have made[ad] your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who pass[ae] over you.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 51:2 Literally “one”
- Isaiah 51:2 Or “and”
- Isaiah 51:3 Literally “put”
- Isaiah 51:3 Literally “voice”
- Isaiah 51:6 Or “And”
- Isaiah 51:8 Or “eat”
- Isaiah 51:8 Or “and”
- Isaiah 51:8 Literally “generation of generations”
- Isaiah 51:10 Literally “placed”
- Isaiah 51:11 Or “And”
- Isaiah 51:11 Hebrew “head”
- Isaiah 51:11 Literally “reach”
- Isaiah 51:12 Or “and”
- Isaiah 51:12 Literally “given”
- Isaiah 51:13 Literally “sets up”
- Isaiah 51:13 Or “And”
- Isaiah 51:14 Or “to”
- Isaiah 51:15 Or “And”
- Isaiah 51:15 Or “stirring up”
- Isaiah 51:15 Or “and”
- Isaiah 51:18 Or “from”
- Isaiah 51:18 Or “from”
- Isaiah 51:19 Literally “wander”
- Isaiah 51:20 Or “of”
- Isaiah 51:21 Or “and”
- Isaiah 51:22 Literally “do again”
- Isaiah 51:23 Literally “your inner self”
- Isaiah 51:23 Or “and”
- Isaiah 51:23 Or “stride”
- Isaiah 51:23 Literally “placed”
- Isaiah 51:23 Or “stride”
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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