Isaiah 43:1-21

Common English Bible

Don’t fear

43 But now, says the Lord—
the one who created you, Jacob,
    the one who formed you, Israel:
Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched
    and flame won’t burn you.
³I am the Lord your God,
    the holy one of Israel, your savior.
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your place.
⁴Because you are precious in my eyes,
    you are honored, and I love you.
    I give people in your place,
        and nations in exchange for your life.
⁵Don’t fear,
    I am with you.
From the east I’ll bring your children;
    from the west I’ll gather you.
⁶I’ll say to the north, “Give them back!”
    and to the south, “Don’t detain them.”
Bring my sons from far away,
    and my daughters from the end of the earth,
⁷    everyone who is called by my name
    and whom I created for my glory,
    whom I have formed and made.

⁸Bring out the blind people who have eyes,
    the deaf ones who have ears.
⁹All the nations are gathered together;
    the peoples are assembled.
Which of them announced this?
    Who predicted to us the past events?
Let them bring their witnesses as a defense;
    let them hear and say, “It’s true!”
¹⁰You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
    my servant, whom I chose,
    so that you would know and believe me
    and understand that I am the one.
Before me no god was formed;
    after me there has been no other.
¹¹I, I am the Lord,
    and there is no savior besides me.
¹²I announced, I saved, I proclaimed,
not some stranger among you.
You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
    and I am God.
¹³From the dawn of time, I am the one.
    No one can escape my power.
    I act, and who can undo it?

Don’t remember

¹⁴The Lord your redeemer,
    the holy one of Israel, says,
For your sake, I have sent an army^[a] to Babylon,
    and brought down all the bars,
    turning the Chaldeans’ singing into a lament.^[b]
¹⁵I am the Lord, your holy one,
    Israel’s creator, your king!
¹⁶The Lord says—who makes a way in the sea
    and a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷    who brings out chariot and horse,
    army and battalion;
    they will lie down together and will not rise;
    they will be extinguished, extinguished like a wick.
¹⁸Don’t remember the prior things;
    don’t ponder ancient history.
¹⁹Look! I’m doing a new thing;
    now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
    paths^[c] in the wilderness.
²⁰The beasts of the field,
        the jackals and ostriches, will honor me,
    because I have put water in the desert
    and streams in the wilderness
    to give water to my people,
    my chosen ones,
²¹    this people whom I formed for myself,
        who will recount my praise.