Isaiah 43
1599 Geneva Bible
43 1 The Lord comforteth his people. He promiseth deliverance to the Jews. 11 There is no God but one alone.
1 But now thus saith the Lord, [a]that created thee, O Jacob: and he that formed thee, O Israel, [b]Fear not: for I have redeemed thee: I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the [c]waters, I will be with thee, and through the floods, that they do not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the very fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, thy Savior: I gave [d]Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia, and Seba for thee.
4 Because thou wast precious in my sight, and thou wast honorable, and I loved thee, therefore will I give [e]man for thee, and people for thy sake.
5 Fear not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the [f]East, and gather thee from the West.
6 I will say to the North, Give: and to the South, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.
7 Everyone shall be called by my [g]Name: for I created him for my glory, formed him and made him.
8 I will bring forth the blind people, and they shall have eyes, and the deaf, and they shall have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered [h]together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their [i]witnesses, that they may be justified: but let them [j]hear, and say, It is truth.
10 You [k]are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my [l]servant, whom I have chosen: therefore ye shall know and believe me, and ye shall understand that I am: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior.
12 I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore you are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was, I am, and there is none that can deliver out of mine hand: I will do it, and who shall let it?
14 Thus saith the Lord your redeemer, the holy one of Israel, For your sake I have sent to Babel, and [m]brought it down: they are all fugitives, and the Chaldeans cry in [n]the ships.
15 I am the Lord your holy one, the creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith the Lord which maketh a way in [o]the Sea, and a path in the mighty [p]waters.
17 When he [q]bringeth out the [r]chariot and horse, the army and the power lie together, and shall not rise, they are extinct, and quenched as tow.
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither regard the things of old.
19 Behold, I do a new thing: now shall it come forth: shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the [s]desert, and floods in the wilderness.
20 The wild [t]beasts shall honor me, the dragons and the ostriches, because I gave water in the desert, and floods in the wilderness to give drink to my people, even to mine elect.
21 This people have I formed for myself: they shall show forth my praise.
22 And thou hast not [u]called upon me, O Jacob, but thou hast [v]wearied me, O Israel.
23 Thou [w]hast not brought me the sheep of thy burnt offerings, neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
24 Thou broughtest me no sweet [x]savor with money, neither hast thou made me drunk with the fat of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made me to [y]serve with thy sins, and wearied me with thine iniquities.
25 I, even I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in [z]remembrance: let us be judged together: count thou that thou mayest be justified.
27 Thy [aa]first father hath sinned, and thy [ab]teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I have [ac]profaned the rulers of the Sanctuary, and have made Jacob a curse, and Israel a reproach.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 43:1 After these threatenings he promiseth deliverance to his Church, because he hath regenerated them, adopted them, and called them.
- Isaiah 43:1 When thou seest dangers and conspiracies on all sides, remember this benefit and the love of thy God, and it shall encourage thee.
- Isaiah 43:2 By water and fire he meaneth all kind of troubles and perils.
- Isaiah 43:3 I turned Sennacherib’s power against these countries, and made them to suffer that affliction which thou shouldest have done, and so were as the payment of thy ransom, Isa. 37:9.
- Isaiah 43:4 I will not spare any man, rather than thou shouldest perish, for God more esteemeth one of his faithful than all the wicked in the world.
- Isaiah 43:5 He prophesieth of their deliverance from the captivity of Babylon, and so of the calling of the universal Church, alluding to that which is written, Deut. 30:3.
- Isaiah 43:7 Meaning, that he could not be unmindful of them, except he would neglect his own Name and glory.
- Isaiah 43:9 Signifying, that no power can resist him in doing this miraculous work, nor all their idols are able to do the like, as Isa. 41:22.
- Isaiah 43:9 To prove that the things which are spoken of them, are true.
- Isaiah 43:9 Showing, that the malice of the wicked hindereth them in the knowledge of the truth, because they will not hear when God speaketh by his word.
- Isaiah 43:10 The Prophets and people to whom I have given my Law.
- Isaiah 43:10 Meaning specially Christ, and by him all the faithful.
- Isaiah 43:14 By Darius and Cyrus.
- Isaiah 43:14 They shall cry when they would escape by my water, seeing that the course of Euphrates is turned another way by the enemy.
- Isaiah 43:16 When he delivered Israel from Pharaoh, Exod. 14:22.
- Isaiah 43:16 When the Israelites passed through Jordan, Josh. 3:17.
- Isaiah 43:17 When he delivered his people out of Egypt.
- Isaiah 43:17 Pharaoh and his mighty army.
- Isaiah 43:19 Meaning, that their deliverance out of Babylon should be more famous than that from Egypt was, Jer. 23:7; Hag. 2:10; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:5, 7.
- Isaiah 43:20 They shall have such abundance of all things as they return home, even in the dry and barren places, that the very beasts shall feel my benefits, and shall acknowledge them: much more men ought to be thankful for the same.
- Isaiah 43:22 Thou hast not worshipped me as thou oughtest to have done.
- Isaiah 43:22 Because thou hast not willingly received that which I did command thee, thou didst grieve me. Whereby he showeth that his mercies were the only cause of their deliverance, forasmuch as they had deserved the contrary.
- Isaiah 43:23 Meaning, in true faith and obedience.
- Isaiah 43:24 Either for the composition of the sweet ointment, Exod. 30:34, or for the sweet incense, Exod. 30:7.
- Isaiah 43:24 Thou hast made me to bear an heavy burden by thy sins.
- Isaiah 43:26 If I forget anything that may make for thy justification, put me in remembrance and speak for thyself.
- Isaiah 43:27 Thine ancestors.
- Isaiah 43:27 Thy Priests and thy Prophets.
- Isaiah 43:28 That is, rejected, abhorred, and destroyed them in the wilderness and at other times.
Isaiah 43
New English Translation
The Lord Will Rescue His People
43 Now, this is what the Lord says,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
and formed you, O Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect[a] you.
I call you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass[b] through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harm[c] you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,[d] your deliverer.
I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,
Ethiopia and Seba[e] in place of you.
4 Since you are precious and special in my sight,[f]
and I love you,
I will hand over people in place of you,
nations in place of your life.
5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
From the east I will bring your descendants;
from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’
and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’
Bring my sons from distant lands,
and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,
7 everyone who belongs to me,[g]
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed—yes, whom I made.
The Lord Declares His Sovereignty
8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
those who are deaf, even though they have ears!
9 All nations gather together,
the peoples assemble.
Who among them announced this?
Who predicted earlier events for us?[h]
Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;
let them listen and affirm, “It is true.”
10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider[i] and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me.[j]
11 I, I am the Lord,
and there is no deliverer besides me.
12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,
and there was no other god among you.
You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.
13 From this day forward I am he;
no one can deliver from my power;[k]
I will act, and who can prevent it?”
The Lord Will Do Something New
14 This is what the Lord says,
your Protector,[l] the Holy One of Israel:[m]
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives,[n]
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.[o]
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,[p]
the one who created Israel, your king.”
16 This is what the Lord says,
the one who made a road through the sea,
a pathway through the surging waters,
17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction,[q]
together with a mighty army.
They fell down,[r] never to rise again;
they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:
18 “Don’t remember these earlier events;[s]
don’t recall these former events.
19 Look, I am about to do something new.
Now it begins to happen![t] Do you not recognize[u] it?
Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness
and paths[v] in the wastelands.
20 The wild animals[w] honor me,
the jackals and ostriches,
because I put water in the wilderness
and streams in the wastelands,
to quench the thirst of my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself,
so they might praise me.[x]
The Lord Rebukes His People
22 “But you did not call for me, O Jacob;
you did not long[y] for me, O Israel.
23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you with offerings;
I did not make you weary by demanding[z] incense.
24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds;[aa]
you did not present to me[ab] the fat of your sacrifices.
Yet you burdened me with your sins;
you made me weary with your evil deeds.[ac]
25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;
your sins I do not remember.
26 Remind me of what happened. Let’s debate!
You, prove to me that you are right![ad]
27 The father of your nation[ae] sinned;
your spokesmen[af] rebelled against me.
28 So I defiled your holy princes,
and handed Jacob over to destruction,
and subjected[ag] Israel to humiliating abuse.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 43:1 tn Or “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. Cf. NCV “saved you”; CEV “rescued you”; NLT “ransomed you.”
- Isaiah 43:2 tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
- Isaiah 43:2 tn Heb “burn” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV, NLT “consume”; NIV “set you ablaze.”
- Isaiah 43:3 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 43:3 sn Seba is not the same as Sheba in southern Arabia; cf. Gen 1:10; 1 Chr 1:9.
- Isaiah 43:4 tn Heb “Since you are precious in my eyes and you are honored.”
- Isaiah 43:7 tn Heb “everyone who is called by my name” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 43:9 tn Heb “and the former things he was causing us to hear?”
- Isaiah 43:10 tn Or “know” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 43:10 tn Heb “and after me, there will not be”; NASB “there will be none after Me.”
- Isaiah 43:13 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”
- Isaiah 43:14 tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
- Isaiah 43:14 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 43:14 tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”
- Isaiah 43:14 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.
- Isaiah 43:15 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 43:17 tn Heb “led out chariots and horses.” The words “to destruction” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The verse refers to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.
- Isaiah 43:17 tn Heb “lay down”; NAB “lie prostrate together”; CEV “lie dead”; NRSV “they lie down.”
- Isaiah 43:18 tn Heb “the former things” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “forget all that.”
- Isaiah 43:19 tn Heb “sprouts up”; NASB “will spring forth.”
- Isaiah 43:19 tn Or “know” (KJV, ASV); NASB “be aware of”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “perceive.”
- Isaiah 43:19 tn The Hebrew text has “streams,” probably under the influence of v. 20. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has נתיבות (“paths”).
- Isaiah 43:20 tn Heb “animals of the field.”
- Isaiah 43:21 tn Heb “[so] they might declare my praise.”
- Isaiah 43:22 tn Or “strive”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “been weary of me.”
- Isaiah 43:23 tn Heb “with.” The words “by demanding” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Isaiah 43:24 tn That is, “calamus” (so NIV); NCV, TEV, NLT “incense”; CEV “spices.”
- Isaiah 43:24 tn Heb “you did not saturate me”; NASB “Neither have you filled Me.”
- Isaiah 43:24 sn In vv. 22-24 the Lord appears to be condemning his people for failure to bring the proper sacrifices. However, this is problematic. If this refers to the nation’s behavior while in exile, such cultic service was impossible and could hardly be expected by the Lord. If this refers to the nation’s conduct before the exile, it contradicts other passages that depict Israel as bringing excessive sacrifices (see, e.g., Isa 1:11-14; Jer 6:20; Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-23). Rather than being a condemnation of Israel’s failure to bring sacrifices, these verses are better taken as a highly rhetorical comment on the worthlessness of Israel’s religious ritual. They may have brought sacrifices, but not to the Lord, for he did not accept them or even want them. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 127, and R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 91.
- Isaiah 43:26 tn Heb “you, tell in order that you may be right”; NAB “prove your innocence.”
- Isaiah 43:27 tn Heb “your first father.” This could refer to Abraham (see 51:2), but elsewhere in Isaiah he does not appear in a negative light (see 29:22; 41:8; 63:16). A more likely candidate is Jacob/Israel, also referred to as the nation’s “father” elsewhere (see 58:14; 63:16).
- Isaiah 43:27 tn On the meaning of the term לִיץ (lits), see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ. This may refer to the nation’s prophets, priests, and/or kings.
- Isaiah 43:28 tn The word “subjected” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
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