Isaiah 49:2-4

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

²And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He hid me and made me a polished arrow; in His quiver has He kept me close and concealed me.

³And [the Lord] said to me, You are My ^[a]servant, Israel [you who strive with God and with men and prevail], in whom I will be glorified.^(A)

⁴Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in empty futility; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense is with my God.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 49:3 It is difficult to know positively to whom the Lord is speaking in these next verses—whether (1) to the Messiah, (2) to Israel, or (3) to Isaiah. The large majority of early authorities favored interpretation (1); later scholars incline toward interpretation (2). See also footnote on Isa. 42:1.