Isaiah 53-54

English Standard Version

53 ^(A)Who has believed what he has heard from us?^[a]
    And to whom has ^(B)the arm of the Lord been revealed?
²For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    ^(C)and like a root out of dry ground;
^(D)he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
³^(E)He was despised and rejected^[b] by men,
    a man of sorrows^[c] and acquainted with^[d] grief;^[e]
and as one from whom men hide their faces^[f]
    he was despised, and ^(F)we esteemed him not.

⁴^(G)Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    ^(H)smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵^(I)But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    ^(J)and with his wounds we are healed.
⁶^(K)All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
^(L)and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    ^(M)yet he opened not his mouth;
^(N)like a ^(O)lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
⁸By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, ^(P)who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹And they made his grave with the wicked
    ^(Q)and with a rich man in his death,
although ^(R)he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet ^(S)it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;^[g]
^(T)when his soul makes^[h] an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
^(U)the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
¹¹Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see^[i] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall ^(V)the righteous one, my servant,
    ^(W)make many to be accounted righteous,
    ^(X)and he shall bear their iniquities.
¹²^(Y)Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,^[j]
    ^(Z)and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,^[k]
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
^(AA)yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

54 ^(AB)“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
    break forth into singing and cry aloud,
    you who have not been in labor!
For the children of ^(AC)the desolate one ^(AD)will be more
    than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
²^(AE)“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
    and strengthen your stakes.
³^(AF)For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
    and your offspring will possess the nations
    and will people the desolate cities.

⁴“Fear not, ^(AG)for you will not be ashamed;
    be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
    and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
⁵^(AH)For your Maker is your husband,
    the Lord of hosts is his name;
^(AI)and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    ^(AJ)the God of the whole earth he is called.
⁶^(AK)For the Lord has called you
    like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
    says your God.
⁷^(AL)For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.
⁸^(AM)In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
^(AN)but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹“This is like ^(AO)the days of Noah^[l] to me:
    as I swore that the waters of Noah
    should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
    and will not rebuke you.
¹⁰For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and ^(AP)my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

¹¹^(AQ)“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
    behold, ^(AR)I will set your stones in antimony,
    ^(AS)and lay your foundations with sapphires.^[m]
¹²I will make your pinnacles of agate,^[n]
    your gates of carbuncles,^[o]
    and all your wall of precious stones.
¹³^(AT)All your children ^(AU)shall be taught by the Lord,
    ^(AV)and great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴In righteousness you shall be established;
    you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
    and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵^(AW)If anyone stirs up strife,
    it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
    shall fall because of you.
¹⁶Behold, I have created the smith
    who blows the fire of coals
    and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
¹⁷    no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
    and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
    ^(AX)and their vindication^[p] from me, declares the Lord.”