Isaiah 41:21-43:13
Legacy Standard Bible
21 “Bring near your case,” Yahweh says.
“Bring forward your mighty arguments,”
The (A)King of Jacob says.
22 (B)Let them bring it forth and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the (C)former events, declare what they were,
That we may establish our heart on them and know their outcome.
Or cause us to hear of what is coming;
23 (D)Declare the things that are to come afterward,
That we may know that you are gods;
Indeed, (E)do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.
24 Behold, (F)you are nothing,
And (G)your work is non-existent;
He who chooses you is an (H)abomination.
25 “I have awakened (I)one from the north, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon officials as upon (J)mortar,
Even as the potter treads clay.”
26 Who has (K)declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”?
Surely there was (L)no one who declared;
Surely there was no one who caused those words to be heard;
Surely there was no one who heard your words.
27 “(M)Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a (N)messenger of good news.’
28 But (O)I look, and there is no one,
And there is no (P)counselor [a]among them
Who, if I ask, can (Q)respond with a word.
29 Behold, all of them are [b]false;
Their (R)works are (S)non-existent;
Their molten images are (T)wind and utter formlessness.
Yahweh’s Chosen Servant
42 “(U)Behold, My (V)Servant, whom I [c]uphold;
My (W)chosen one in whom My (X)soul is well-pleased.
I have put My (Y)Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth (Z)justice to the [d]nations.
2 He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 A crushed reed He will not break
And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will bring forth (AA)justice in truth.
4 He will not be (AB)faint or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the (AC)coastlands will wait expectantly for His [e]law.”
5 Thus says the God, Yahweh,
Who (AD)created the heavens and (AE)stretched them out,
Who spread out the (AF)earth and its [f]offspring,
Who (AG)gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am Yahweh, I have (AH)called You in righteousness;
I will also (AI)take hold of You by the hand and (AJ)guard You,
And I will give You as a (AK)covenant to the people,
As a (AL)light to the nations,
7 To (AM)open blind eyes,
To (AN)bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who inhabit darkness from the prison.
8 (AO)I am Yahweh, that is (AP)My name;
I will not give My (AQ)glory to another,
Nor My praise to [g]graven images.
9 Behold, the (AR)former things have come to pass;
Now I declare (AS)new things;
Before they spring forth I cause you to hear them.”
10 Sing to Yahweh a (AT)new song,
Sing His praise from the (AU)end of the earth!
(AV)You who go down to the sea, (AW)as well as its fullness.
You (AX)coastlands, and those who inhabit them.
11 Let the (AY)wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The villages where (AZ)Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of (BA)Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the (BB)mountains.
12 Let them (BC)give glory to Yahweh
And declare His praise in the (BD)coastlands.
13 (BE)Yahweh will go forth like a warrior;
He will awaken His (BF)zeal like a man of war.
He will make a loud shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry.
He will (BG)prevail against His enemies.
Israel’s Blindness and Deafness
14 “(BH)I have kept silent for a long time;
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan;
I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will (BI)lay waste the mountains and hills
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will (BJ)make the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the pools of waters.
16 I will (BK)lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will (BL)make darkness into light before them
And (BM)rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (BN)not forsake them.”
17 They will be turned back and be (BO)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in graven images,
Who say to molten images,
“You are our gods.”
18 (BP)Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My (BQ)servant,
Or so deaf as My (BR)messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as he that is [h](BS)at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of Yahweh?
20 (BT)You have seen many things, but you do not keep them;
Your ears are open, but none hears.
21 Yahweh was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
That He make the law (BU)great and majestic.
22 But this is a people plundered and pillaged as spoil;
All of them are (BV)trapped in [i]caves,
Or are (BW)hidden away in prisons;
They have become a plunder with none to deliver them,
And a spoil, with none to say, “Have them return!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will give heed and hear hereafter?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers?
Was it not Yahweh, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they (BX)were not willing to walk,
And whose law they did not (BY)obey?
25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the (BZ)fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not know it;
And it burned him, but he did not (CA)set it upon his heart.
The Redemption of Israel
43 But now, thus says Yahweh, your (CB)Creator, O Jacob,
And He who (CC)formed you, O Israel,
“Do not (CD)fear, for I have (CE)redeemed you;
I have (CF)called you by name; you are (CG)Mine!
2 When you (CH)pass through the waters, (CI)I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you (CJ)walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 For (CK)I am Yahweh your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your (CL)Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
[j](CM)Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you are (CN)precious in My sight,
Since you are (CO)honored and I (CP)love you,
I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for (CQ)I am with you;
I will bring (CR)your seed from the east,
And (CS)gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the (CT)north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My (CU)sons from afar
And My daughters from the (CV)ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is (CW)called by My name,
And whom I have (CX)created for My (CY)glory,
(CZ)Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is Yahweh’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are (DA)blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have (DB)gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can (DC)declare this
And make us hear the former things?
Let them present (DD)their witnesses (DE)that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are (DF)My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,
“And (DG)My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that (DH)I am He.
(DI)Before Me there was no god formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 I, even I, am Yahweh,
And there is no (DJ)savior (DK)besides Me.
12 It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard,
And there was no (DL)strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,
“And I am God.
13 Even [k](DM)from eternity (DN)I am He,
And there is (DO)none who can deliver out of My hand;
(DP)I act and who can reverse it?”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:28 Lit out of those
- Isaiah 41:29 Or nothing
- Isaiah 42:1 Or hold fast
- Isaiah 42:1 Or Gentiles
- Isaiah 42:4 Or instruction
- Isaiah 42:5 Or vegetation
- Isaiah 42:8 Or idols
- Isaiah 42:19 Or the devoted one
- Isaiah 42:22 Or holes
- Isaiah 43:3 Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6
- Isaiah 43:13 As in Gr; Heb from the day
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