God Helps His Servant

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is the (A)certificate of divorce
By which I have (B)sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I (C)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (D)wrongdoings,
And for your (E)wrongful acts your mother (F)was sent away.
Why was there (G)no one when I came?
When I called, why was there no one to answer?
Is My (H)hand so short that it cannot redeem?
Or do I have no power to rescue?
Behold, I (I)dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I (J)turn rivers into a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water,
And die of thirst.
I (K)clothe the heavens with blackness,
And make sackcloth their covering.”

The Lord [a]God has given Me the tongue of (L)disciples,
So that I may know how to (M)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (N)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord God has (O)opened My ear,
And I was (P)not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
I (Q)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard;
I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
For the Lord God (R)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (S)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have made My face like (T)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
He who (U)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (V)stand up to each other.
Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me.
Behold, (W)the Lord God helps Me;
(X)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (Y)they will all wear out like a garment;
A moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His (Z)servant,
Who (AA)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (AB)trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (AC)kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with flaming arrows,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the flaming arrows you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (AD)lie down in torment.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 50:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch

Israel Was Punished for Its Sin

50 This is what the Lord says:

“People of Israel, you say I divorced your mother.
    Then where is the paper that proves it?
Or do you think I sold you to pay a debt?
No! It was because of the evil things you did that I sold you.
    It was because of the times she turned against me that your mother was sent away.
I came home and found no one there.
    I called, but no one answered.
Do you think I am not able to save you?
    Do I not have the power to save you?
Look, I need only to shout, and the sea becomes dry.
    I change rivers into a desert.
Their fish rot because there is no water.
    The fish die of thirst.
I can make the skies dark.
    I can make them black like clothes of sadness.”

God’s Servant Obeys

The Lord God gave me the ability to teach.
    He has taught me what to say to make the weak strong.
Every morning he wakes me.
    He teaches me to listen like a student.
The Lord God helps me learn.
    And I have not turned against him.
    I have not stopped following him.
I offered my back to those who beat me.
    I offered my cheeks to those who pulled my beard.
I won’t hide my face from them
    when they make fun of me and spit at me.
The Lord God helps me.
    So I will not be ashamed.
I will be determined.
    I know I will not be disgraced.
The Lord shows that I am innocent, and he is close to me.
    So who can accuse me?
    If there is someone, let us go to court together.
If someone wants to prove I have done wrong,
    he should come and tell me.
It is the Lord God who helps me.
    So who can prove me guilty?
All those who try will become useless like old clothes.
    Moths will eat them.

10 Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys his servant?
That person may walk in the dark
    and have no light.
Then let him trust in the Lord.
    Let him depend on his God.
11 But instead, some of you want to light your own fires.
    You want to make your own light.
So, go, walk in the light of your fires.
    Trust your own light to guide you.
But this is what you will receive from me:
    You will lie down in a place of pain.