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Israel Is Not Forgotten

21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
    O Israel, do not forget me.[a](A)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.(B)

23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
    shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
    O forest and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
    and will be glorified in Israel.(C)

24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who by myself spread out the earth;(D)
25 who frustrates the omens of soothsayers
    and makes fools of diviners;
who turns back the wise
    and makes their knowledge foolish;(E)
26 who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the prediction of his messengers;
who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”
    and of the cities of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt,
    and I will raise up their ruins”;(F)
27 who says to the deep, “Be dry—
    I will dry up your rivers”;(G)
28 who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,
    and he shall carry out all my purpose”;
and who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be rebuilt,”
    and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 44.21 Q ms Compare Gk Syr Tg: MT you will not be forgotten by me

21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.

22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

24 Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

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The Lord, the Creator and Savior

21 The Lord says,

“Israel, remember this;
    remember that you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant,
    and I will never forget you.
22 I have swept your sins away like a cloud.
    Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”

23 Shout for joy, you heavens!
    Shout, deep places of the earth!
Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest!
The Lord has shown his greatness
    by saving his people Israel.

24 “I am the Lord, your savior;
I am the one who created you.
I am the Lord, the Creator of all things.
    I alone stretched out the heavens;
    when I made the earth, no one helped me.
25 (A)I make fools of fortunetellers
    and frustrate the predictions of astrologers.
The words of the wise I refute
    and show that their wisdom is foolishness.
26 But when my servant makes a prediction,
    when I send a messenger to reveal my plans,
    I make those plans and predictions come true.
I tell Jerusalem that people will live there again,
    and the cities of Judah that they will be rebuilt.
    Those cities will rise from the ruins.
27 With a word of command I dry up the ocean.
28 (B)I say to Cyrus, ‘You are the one who will rule for me;
    you will do what I want you to do:
    you will order that Jerusalem be rebuilt
    and that the foundations of the Temple be laid.’”

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