God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(A)
    from Bozrah,(B) with his garments stained crimson?(C)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(D)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(E)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(F)

“I have trodden the winepress(G) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(H) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(I)
their blood spattered my garments,(J)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(K)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(L) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(M) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(N)
I trampled(O) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(P)
    and poured their blood(Q) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(R) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(S)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(T) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(U)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(V)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(W) of his presence(X) saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(Y) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(Z) them
    all the days of old.(AA)
10 Yet they rebelled(AB)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(AC)
So he turned and became their enemy(AD)
    and he himself fought(AE) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[b] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(AF)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(AG)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(AH) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(AI) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(AJ) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(AK)
13 who led(AL) them through the depths?(AM)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(AN)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(AO) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven(AP) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(AQ) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(AR) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(AS) are withheld(AT) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(AU)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(AV) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(AW) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(AX) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(AY) so we do not revere(AZ) you?
Return(BA) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(BB)
18 For a little while(BC) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(BD) down your sanctuary.(BE)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[c] by your name.(BF)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  2. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  3. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called

Who Goes There?

63 The watchmen call out,
“Who goes there, marching out of Edom,
    out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red?
Name yourself, so splendidly dressed,
    advancing, bristling with power!”

“It is I: I speak what is right,
    I, mighty to save!”

“And why are your robes so red,
    your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?”

3-6 “I’ve been treading the winepress alone.
    No one was there to help me.
Angrily, I stomped the grapes;
    raging, I trampled the people.
Their blood spurted all over me—
    all my clothes were soaked with blood.
I was set on vengeance.
    The time for redemption had arrived.
I looked around for someone to help
    —no one.
I couldn’t believe it
    —not one volunteer.
So I went ahead and did it myself,
    fed and fueled by my rage.
I trampled the people in my anger,
    crushed them under foot in my wrath,
    soaked the earth with their lifeblood.”

All the Things God Has Done That Need Praising

7-9 I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
    love extravagant.
He said, “Without question these are my people,
    children who would never betray me.”
So he became their Savior.
    In all their troubles,
    he was troubled, too.
He didn’t send someone else to help them.
    He did it himself, in person.
Out of his own love and pity
    he redeemed them.
He rescued them and carried them along
    for a long, long time.

10 But they turned on him;
    they grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned on them,
    became their enemy and fought them.

11-14 Then they remembered the old days,
    the days of Moses, God’s servant:
“Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
    up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
    his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses’ right arm,
    divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
    and led them through the muddy abyss
    as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
    the Spirit of God gave them rest.”

14-19 That’s how you led your people!
    That’s how you became so famous!
Look down from heaven, look at us!
    Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house!
Whatever happened to your passion,
    your famous mighty acts,
Your heartfelt pity, your compassion?
    Why are you holding back?
You are our Father.
    Abraham and Israel are long dead.
    They wouldn’t know us from Adam.
But you’re our living Father,
    our Redeemer, famous from eternity!
Why, God, did you make us wander from your ways?
    Why did you make us cold and stubborn
    so that we no longer worshiped you in awe?
Turn back for the sake of your servants.
    You own us! We belong to you!
For a while your holy people had it good,
    but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.
For a long time now, you’ve paid no attention to us.
    It’s like you never knew us.

The Lord Judges His People

63 Who is this coming from Edom,
    from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red?
Who is this dressed in fine clothes
    and marching forward with his great power?

He says, “I, the Lord, speak what is right.
    I have the power to save you.”

Someone asks, “Why are your clothes bright red
    as if you had walked on the grapes to make wine?”

The Lord answers, “I have walked in the winepress alone,
    and no one among the nations helped me.
I was angry and walked on the nations
    and crushed them because of my anger.
Blood splashed on my clothes,
    and I stained all my clothing.
I chose a time to punish people,
    and the time has come for me to save.
I looked around, but I saw no one to help me.
    I was surprised that no one supported me.
So I used my own power to save my people;
    my own anger supported me.
While I was angry, I walked on the nations.
    In my anger I punished them
    and poured their blood on the ground.”

The Lord’s Kindness to His People

I will tell about the Lord’s kindness
    and praise him for everything he has done.
I will praise the Lord for the many good things he has given us
    and for his goodness to the people of Israel.
He has shown great mercy to us
    and has been very kind to us.
He said, “These are my people;
    my children will not lie to me.”
    So he saved them.
When they suffered, he suffered also.
    He sent his own angel to save them.
Because of his love and kindness, he saved them.
    Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.
10 But they turned against him
    and made his Holy Spirit very sad.
So he became their enemy,
    and he fought against them.

11 But then his people remembered what happened long ago,
    in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him.
Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea,
    with the leaders of his people?
Where is the one
    who put his Holy Spirit among them,
12 who led Moses by the right hand
    with his wonderful power,
who divided the water before them
    to make his name famous forever,
13 who led the people through the deep waters?
Like a horse walking through a desert,
    the people did not stumble.
14 Like cattle that go down to the valley,
    the Spirit of the Lord gave the people a place to rest.
Lord, that is the way you led your people,
    and by this you won for yourself wonderful fame.

A Prayer for Help

15 Lord, look down from the heavens and see;
    look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven.
Where is your strong love and power?
    Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?
16 You are our father.
    Abraham doesn’t know we are his children,
    and Israel doesn’t recognize us.
Lord, you are our father.
    You are called “the one who has always saved us.”
17 Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways?
    Why do you make us stubborn so that we don’t honor you?
For our sake come back to us,
    your servants, who belong to you.
18 Your people had your Temple for a while,
    but now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.
19 We have become like people you never ruled over,
    like those who have never worn your name.

The Lord Alone Wins His Victory

63 Who is this coming from Bozrah in Edom
with his clothes stained bright red?
Who is this dressed in splendor,
going forward with great strength?

“It is I, the Lord. I am coming to announce my victory.
I am powerful enough to save ⌞you⌟.”

Why are your clothes red
and your garments like those who trample grapes in a winepress?

“I have trampled alone in the winepress.
No one was with me.
In my anger I trampled on people.
In my wrath I stomped on them.
Their blood splattered my clothes
so all my clothing has been stained.
I planned the day of vengeance.
The year for my reclaiming ⌞you⌟ has come.
I looked, but there was no help.
I was astounded that there was no ⌞outside⌟ support.
So with my own power I won a victory.
My anger supported me.
In my anger I trampled on people.
In my wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground.”

The Lord’s People Pray for His Help

I will acknowledge the Lord’s acts of mercy,
and ⌞sing⌟ the praises of the Lord,
because of everything that the Lord has done for us.
He has done many good things for the nation of Israel
because of his compassion and his unlimited mercy.
He said, “They are my people,
children who will not lie to me.”
So he became their Savior.
In all their troubles he was troubled,
and he was the Messenger who saved them.
In his love and compassion he reclaimed them.
He always held them and carried them in the past.
10 But they rebelled and offended his Holy Spirit.
So he turned against them as their enemy; he fought against them.

11 Then his people remembered Moses and the distant past.
Where is the one who brought them out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit in them?
12 Where is the one who sent his powerful arm
to support the right hand of Moses?
Where is the one who divided the water in front of them
to make an everlasting name for himself?
13 Where is the one who led them through the deep water?
Like horses in the wilderness,
they didn’t stumble.
14 Like animals going down into a valley,
they were given rest by the Lord’s Spirit.
In this way you guided your people
to make an honored name for yourself.

15 Look down and see from heaven, from your holy and beautiful dwelling.
Where is your determination and might?
Where is the longing of your heart and your compassion?
Don’t hold back.
16 You are our Father.
Even though Abraham doesn’t know us
and Israel doesn’t pay attention to us,
O Lord, you are our Father.
Your name is our Defender From Everlasting.
17 O Lord, why do you let us wander from your ways
and become so stubborn that we are unable to fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants.
They are the tribes that belong to you.

18 Your holy people possessed the land for a little while.
Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.
19 We have become like those whom you never ruled,
like those who are not called by your name.