Isaiah 50-55
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Helps His Servant
50 Thus says Yahweh,
“Where is the (A)certificate of divorce
By which I have (B)sent your mother away?
Or to which of My creditors did I (C)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (D)iniquities,
And for your (E)transgressions your mother (F)was sent away.
2 Why was there (G)no man when I came?
When I called, why was there none to answer?
Is My (H)hand so short that it cannot ransom?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I (I)dry up the sea with My rebuke;
I (J)make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water
And die of thirst.
3 I (K)clothe the heavens with blackness
And make sackcloth their covering.”
4 Lord Yahweh has given Me the tongue of (L)disciples,
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.
5 Lord Yahweh has (O)opened My ear;
And I did (P)not rebel
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (Q)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not hide My face from dishonor and spitting.
7 Even now Lord Yahweh (R)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (S)not dishonored;
Therefore, I have set My face like (T)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who [a](U)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (V)stand up to each other;
Who has a judgment against Me?
Let him approach Me.
9 Behold, (W)Lord Yahweh helps Me;
(X)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (Y)they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you that fears Yahweh,
That listens to the voice of His (Z)Servant,
That (AA)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (AB)trust in the name of Yahweh and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (AC)kindle a fire,
Who gird yourselves with firebrands,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the brands you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (AD)lie down in torment.
Yahweh’s Righteousness Is Forever
51 “(AE)Listen to Me, you who (AF)pursue righteousness,
Who seek Yahweh:
Look to the (AG)rock from which you were hewn
And to the [b]quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to (AH)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who brought you forth through labor pains;
When he (AI)was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (AJ)Yahweh will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (AK)waste places.
And her (AL)wilderness He will make like (AM)Eden,
And her desert like the (AN)garden of Yahweh;
(AO)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.
4 “(AP)Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My [c]nation;
For a (AQ)law will go forth from Me,
And I will [d]set My (AR)justice for a (AS)light of the peoples.
5 My (AT)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (AU)arms will judge the peoples;
The (AV)coastlands will hope in Me,
And for My (AW)arm they will wait expectantly.
6 (AX)Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (AY)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (AZ)earth will wear out like a garment,
And its inhabitants will die [e]in like manner;
But My (BA)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not be dismayed.
7 (BB)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (BC)heart is My law;
Do not fear the (BD)reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the (BE)moth will eat them like a garment,
And the (BF)grub will eat them like wool.
But My (BG)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (BH)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Yahweh;
Awake as in the (BI)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(BJ)Was it not You who chopped Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (BK)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (BL)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep,
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (BM)redeemed to cross over?
11 So the (BN)ransomed of Yahweh will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And (BO)everlasting gladness will be on their heads.
They will obtain joy and gladness,
And (BP)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who (BQ)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of (BR)man who dies
And of the son of man who is made (BS)like grass,
13 That you have (BT)forgotten Yahweh your Maker,
Who (BU)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (BV)tremble in dread continually all day long because of the wrath of the one who brings distress,
As he makes ready to bring ruin?
But where is the wrath of the (BW)one who brings distress?
14 The (BX)one in chains will soon be set free and will not die in the pit, (BY)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am Yahweh your God, who (BZ)stirs up the sea, and its waves roar—Yahweh of hosts is His name. 16 I have (CA)put My words in your mouth and have (CB)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [f](CC)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (CD)Awaken yourself! Awaken yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have (CE)drunk from the hand of Yahweh the cup of His wrath;
The [g]chalice of reeling you have [h]drained to the dregs.
18 There is (CF)none to guide her among all the sons she has borne,
Nor is there one to take hold of her by the hand among all the sons she has reared.
19 These two things have befallen you;
Who will console you?
The (CG)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted;
They (CH)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (CI)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of Yahweh,
The (CJ)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, now, listen to this, you (CK)afflicted,
Who are (CL)drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, Yahweh, even your God
Who (CM)contends for His people,
“Behold, I have taken out of your hand the (CN)cup of reeling,
The [i]chalice of My wrath;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will (CO)set it into the hand of those who cause you grief,
Who have said to [j]you, ‘(CP)Lie down that we may walk over you.’
You have even set your back down like the ground
And like the street for those who walk over it.”
Hope for Captive Zion
52 (CQ)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your (CR)glorious garments,
O Jerusalem, the (CS)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (CT)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (CU)from the dust, (CV)rise up,
O captive Jerusalem;
(CW)Loose yourself from the chains around your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus says Yahweh, “You were (CX)sold for nothing, and you will be (CY)redeemed (CZ)without money.” 4 For thus says Lord Yahweh, “My people (DA)went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 So now, what do I have here,” declares Yahweh, “since My people have been taken away for nothing?” Yahweh declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (DB)name is continually blasphemed all day long. 6 Therefore My people shall (DC)know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who proclaims (DD)good news,
Who [k]announces [l]peace
And proclaims good news of good things,
Who [m]announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (DE)God [n]reigns!”
8 The voice of Your watchmen! They lift up their (DF)voices;
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [o]with their own eyes
When Yahweh returns to Zion.
9 (DG)Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You (DH)waste places of Jerusalem;
For Yahweh has comforted His people;
He has (DI)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh has bared His holy (DJ)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[p]That (DK)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (DL)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(DM)Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (DN)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
12 But you will not go out in (DO)haste,
Nor will you go as those who flee;
For (DP)Yahweh will go before you,
And (DQ)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The Exalted Servant
13 Behold, My (DR)Servant will prosper;
He will be high and lifted up and [q]greatly (DS)exalted.
14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people,
So His (DT)appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will (DU)sprinkle many nations,
Kings will (DV)shut their mouths on account of Him;
For (DW)what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.
The Suffering Servant
53 (DX)Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a (DY)tender [r]shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has (DZ)no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should desire Him.
3 He was (EA)despised and forsaken of men,
A man of [s]sorrows and (EB)acquainted with [t]grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was (EC)despised, and we did not (ED)esteem Him.
4 Surely our [u]griefs He Himself [v](EE)bore,
And our [w]sorrows He [x]carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
[y]Smitten of (EF)God, and afflicted.
5 But He was [z]pierced through for (EG)our transgressions,
He was crushed for (EH)our iniquities;
The (EI)chastening for our peace fell upon Him,
And by (EJ)His [aa]wounds we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all
To [ab]fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not (EK)open His mouth;
(EL)Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of [ac]the living,
(EM)That for the transgression of my people, striking was due to Him?
9 So His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a (EN)rich man in His death,
(EO)Because He had (EP)done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But [ad]Yahweh was pleased
To (EQ)crush Him, [ae](ER)putting Him to grief;
If You would place His soul as a guilt (ES)offering,
He will see (ET)His seed,
He will prolong His days,
And the [af]good (EU)pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His hand.
11 As a result of the [ag]anguish of His soul,
He will (EV)see [ah]it and be satisfied;
By His (EW)knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will [ai]justify the many,
As He will (EX)bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will divide for Him a (EY)portion with the many,
And He will divide the spoil with the strong;
Because He poured out (EZ)His soul to death,
And was (FA)numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself [aj](FB)bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
The Inheritance of the Slaves of Yahweh
54 “(FC)Shout for joy, O barren woman, who has not given birth;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in [ak]labor;
For (FD)more numerous are the sons of the (FE)desolate one
Than the sons of the married woman,” says Yahweh.
2 “(FF)Enlarge the place of your tent;
[al]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back;
Lengthen your (FG)cords
And strengthen your (FH)pegs.
3 For you will (FI)spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your seed will (FJ)possess nations
And will (FK)resettle the desolate cities.
4 “Do not be afraid, for you will (FL)not be put to shame;
And do not feel dishonored, for you will not be humiliated;
But you will forget the (FM)shame of your virginity,
And the (FN)reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 For your (FO)husband is your Maker,
Whose name is Yahweh of hosts;
And your (FP)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the (FQ)God of all the earth.
6 For Yahweh has called you,
Like a wife (FR)forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “[am]For a (FS)brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will (FT)gather you.
8 In [an]a (FU)flood of fury
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting (FV)lovingkindness I will (FW)have compassion on you,”
Says Yahweh your (FX)Redeemer.
9 “For [ao]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would (FY)not [ap]overflow the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will (FZ)not be furious with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 For the (GA)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My (GB)covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says (GC)Yahweh who has compassion on you.
11 “O (GD)afflicted one, storm-tossed, and (GE)not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will (GF)set in [aq](GG)sapphires.
12 Moreover, I will make your battlements of [ar]rubies,
And your gates of [as]crystal,
And your entire [at]wall of [au]precious stones.
13 (GH)All your sons will be [av]taught of Yahweh;
And the peace of your sons will be (GI)great.
14 In (GJ)righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from (GK)oppression, for you will (GL)not fear,
And from (GM)terror, for it will not come near you.
15 If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me.
(GN)Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.
16 Behold, I Myself have created the craftsman who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for its work;
And I have created the bringer of ruin to wreak destruction.
17 (GO)No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
And (GP)every tongue that [aw]accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the inheritance of the [ax]slaves of Yahweh,
And their (GQ)righteousness is from Me,” declares Yahweh.
Seek Yahweh While He May Be Found
55 “Ho! Every one who (GR)thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have (GS)no [ay]money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy (GT)wine and milk
(GU)Without money and without cost.
2 Why do you [az]spend money for what is (GV)not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and (GW)eat what is good,
And (GX)delight your soul in richness.
3 (GY)Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that your soul may (GZ)live;
And I will cut (HA)an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the (HB)faithful lovingkindnesses of David.
4 Behold, I have given (HC)him as a witness to the peoples,
A (HD)ruler and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you will call a (HE)nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will (HF)run to you,
Because of Yahweh your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has (HG)adorned you with beautiful glory.”
6 (HH)Seek Yahweh while He may be found;
(HI)Call upon Him while He is near.
7 (HJ)Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his (HK)thoughts;
And let him (HL)return to Yahweh,
And He will have (HM)compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will (HN)abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not (HO)your thoughts,
Nor are (HP)your ways My ways,” declares Yahweh.
9 “For (HQ)as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the (HR)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And giving (HS)seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 So will My (HT)word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will (HU)not return to Me empty,
Without (HV)accomplishing what pleases Me,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with (HW)gladness
And be led forth with (HX)peace;
The (HY)mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the (HZ)trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the (IA)thorn bush the (IB)cypress will come up,
And instead of the (IC)nettle the myrtle will come up,
And [ba]it will be to Yahweh for His [bb](ID)renown,
For an everlasting (IE)sign which (IF)will not be cut off.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 50:8 Or justifies, cf. 53:11
- Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
- Isaiah 51:4 Or people
- Isaiah 51:4 Lit cause to rest
- Isaiah 51:6 Or like gnats
- Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit drunk
- Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul
- Isaiah 52:7 Or causes peace to be heard
- Isaiah 52:7 Or well-being
- Isaiah 52:7 Or causes peace to be heard
- Isaiah 52:7 Or is King
- Isaiah 52:8 Lit eye to eye
- Isaiah 52:10 Lit And...earth will see
- Isaiah 52:13 Or very high, exceedingly lofty; cf. 5:16; 7:11
- Isaiah 53:2 Lit suckling
- Isaiah 53:3 Or pains
- Isaiah 53:3 Or sickness
- Isaiah 53:4 Or sickness
- Isaiah 53:4 Or carried
- Isaiah 53:4 Or pains
- Isaiah 53:4 Or bore
- Isaiah 53:4 Or Struck down by
- Isaiah 53:5 Or wounded
- Isaiah 53:5 Lit wound
- Isaiah 53:6 Lit encounter Him
- Isaiah 53:8 Or life
- Isaiah 53:10 Or it was the desire of Yahweh, cf. Ps 40:6
- Isaiah 53:10 Or He put Him to grief; lit He made Him sick
- Isaiah 53:10 Or will of, desire of; cf. Ps 40:6
- Isaiah 53:11 Or toilsome labor
- Isaiah 53:11 Or light
- Isaiah 53:11 Or declare the many righteous, cf. 53:11a; 5:23
- Isaiah 53:12 Or carried
- Isaiah 54:1 Or labor pains
- Isaiah 54:2 Lit Let them stretch out
- Isaiah 54:7 Lit In
- Isaiah 54:8 Lit an overflowing
- Isaiah 54:9 Some mss the waters of Noah this is to Me
- Isaiah 54:9 Lit cross over
- Isaiah 54:11 Or lapis lazuli
- Isaiah 54:12 Bright red
- Isaiah 54:12 Or carbuncles
- Isaiah 54:12 Lit border, boundary
- Isaiah 54:12 Lit desirable
- Isaiah 54:13 Or disciples
- Isaiah 54:17 Lit rises against
- Isaiah 54:17 Or servants
- Isaiah 55:1 Lit silver
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit weigh out silver
- Isaiah 55:13 The transformation of the desert
- Isaiah 55:13 Lit name
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