Isaiah 63
English Standard Version
The Lord's Day of Vengeance
63 Who is this who comes from (A)Edom,
in crimsoned garments from (B)Bozrah,
he who is splendid in his apparel,
(C)marching in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, speaking in righteousness,
mighty to save.”
3 (F)“I have trodden the winepress alone,
(G)and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath;
their lifeblood[a] spattered on my garments,
and stained all my apparel.
4 (H)For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and my year of redemption[b] had come.
5 I looked, but (I)there was no one to help;
I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold;
so my own arm brought me salvation,
and my wrath upheld me.
6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger;
(J)I made them drunk in my wrath,
and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
The Lord's Mercy Remembered
7 I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
(K)and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely.”
And he became their Savior.
9 (L)In all their affliction he was afflicted,[c]
and the angel of his presence saved them;
(M)in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
(N)he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
10 (O)But they rebelled
(P)and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
and himself fought against them.
11 Then he remembered (Q)the days of old,
of Moses and his people.[d]
(R)Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
his Holy Spirit,
12 who caused his glorious arm
to go at the right hand of Moses,
(S)who divided the waters before them
(T)to make for himself an everlasting name,
13 who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
they did not stumble.
14 Like livestock that go down into the valley,
(U)the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
(V)to make for yourself a glorious name.
Prayer for Mercy
15 (W)Look down from heaven and see,
(X)from your holy and beautiful[e] habitation.
Where are (Y)your zeal and your might?
The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion
are held back from me.
16 For (Z)you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our Father,
(AA)our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways
and (AB)harden our heart, so that we fear you not?
(AC)Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
18 (AD)Your holy people held possession for a little while;[f]
(AE)our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 (AF)We have become like those over whom you have never ruled,
like those who are not called by your name.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 63:3 Or their juice; also verse 6
- Isaiah 63:4 Or the year of my redeemed
- Isaiah 63:9 Or he did not afflict
- Isaiah 63:11 Or Then his people remembered the days of old, of Moses
- Isaiah 63:15 Or holy and glorious
- Isaiah 63:18 Or They have dispossessed your holy people for a little while
Isaiah 63
The Message
Who Goes There?
63 The watchmen call out,
“Who goes there, marching out of Edom,
out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red?
Name yourself, so splendidly dressed,
advancing, bristling with power!”
“It is I: I speak what is right,
I, mighty to save!”
2 “And why are your robes so red,
your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?”
3-6 “I’ve been treading the winepress alone.
No one was there to help me.
Angrily, I stomped the grapes;
raging, I trampled the people.
Their blood spurted all over me—
all my clothes were soaked with blood.
I was set on vengeance.
The time for redemption had arrived.
I looked around for someone to help
—no one.
I couldn’t believe it
—not one volunteer.
So I went ahead and did it myself,
fed and fueled by my rage.
I trampled the people in my anger,
crushed them under foot in my wrath,
soaked the earth with their lifeblood.”
All the Things God Has Done That Need Praising
7-9 I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
love extravagant.
He said, “Without question these are my people,
children who would never betray me.”
So he became their Savior.
In all their troubles,
he was troubled, too.
He didn’t send someone else to help them.
He did it himself, in person.
Out of his own love and pity
he redeemed them.
He rescued them and carried them along
for a long, long time.
10 But they turned on him;
they grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned on them,
became their enemy and fought them.
11-14 Then they remembered the old days,
the days of Moses, God’s servant:
“Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses’ right arm,
divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
and led them through the muddy abyss
as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
the Spirit of God gave them rest.”
14-19 That’s how you led your people!
That’s how you became so famous!
Look down from heaven, look at us!
Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house!
Whatever happened to your passion,
your famous mighty acts,
Your heartfelt pity, your compassion?
Why are you holding back?
You are our Father.
Abraham and Israel are long dead.
They wouldn’t know us from Adam.
But you’re our living Father,
our Redeemer, famous from eternity!
Why, God, did you make us wander from your ways?
Why did you make us cold and stubborn
so that we no longer worshiped you in awe?
Turn back for the sake of your servants.
You own us! We belong to you!
For a while your holy people had it good,
but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.
For a long time now, you’ve paid no attention to us.
It’s like you never knew us.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson