Beginning
42 1 The obedience and humility of Christ. 6 Why he was sent into the world. 11 The vocation of the Gentiles.
1 Behold, [a]my servant: [b]I will stay upon him: mine elect, in whom my soul [c]delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth [d]judgment to the Gentiles.
2 He shall not [e]cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
3 A [f]bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking [g]flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment in [h]truth.
4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have [i]set judgment in the earth: and the [j]isles shall wait for his Law.
5 Thus saith God the Lord (he that created the heavens and spread them abroad: he that stretched forth the earth, and the buds thereof: he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein)
6 I the Lord have called thee in [k]righteousness, and will hold [l]thine hand, and I will keep thee, and give thee for a [m]covenant of the people, and for a light of the Gentiles,
7 That thou mayest open the eyes of the blind, and bring out the prisoners from the prison: and them that sit in darkness, out of the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, this is my Name, and my [n]glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
9 Behold, the former things are [o]come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they come forth, I tell you of them.
10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth: ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles and the inhabitants thereof.
11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the towns that [p]Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rocks sing: let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord shall go forth as a [q]giant; he shall stir up his courage like a man of war: he shall shout and cry, and shall prevail against his enemies.
14 I have a long time held my peace: I have been still and refrained myself; now will I cry like a [r]travailing woman: I will destroy and devour at once.
15 I will make waste mountains, and hills, and dry up all their herbs, and I will make the floods islands, and I will dry up the pools.
16 ¶ And I will bring the [s]blind by a way, that they knew not, and lead them by paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back: they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, and say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
18 ¶ Hear, ye deaf: and ye blind, regard, that ye may see.
19 Who is blind but my [t]servant? or deaf as my [u]messenger, that I sent? who is blind as the [v]perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant?
20 Seeing many things, but thou keepest them not? opening the ears, but he heareth not?
21 The Lord is willing for his righteousness sake, that he may magnify the Law and exalt it.
22 But this people is [w]robbed and spoiled, and shall be all snared in dungeons, and they shall be hid in prison houses; they shall be for prey, and none shall deliver: a spoil, and none shall say, [x]Restore.
23 Who among you shall hearken to this, and take heed, and hear for [y]afterwards?
24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, because we have sinned against him? for they would not walk in his ways, neither be obedient unto his Law.
25 Therefore he hath poured upon him his fierce wrath, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, and he knew not, and it burned him up, yet he considered not.
43 1 The Lord comforteth his people. He promiseth deliverance to the Jews. 11 There is no God but one alone.
1 But now thus saith the Lord, [z]that created thee, O Jacob: and he that formed thee, O Israel, [aa]Fear not: for I have redeemed thee: I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the [ab]waters, I will be with thee, and through the floods, that they do not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the very fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, thy Savior: I gave [ac]Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia, and Seba for thee.
4 Because thou wast precious in my sight, and thou wast honorable, and I loved thee, therefore will I give [ad]man for thee, and people for thy sake.
5 Fear not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the [ae]East, and gather thee from the West.
6 I will say to the North, Give: and to the South, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.
7 Everyone shall be called by my [af]Name: for I created him for my glory, formed him and made him.
8 I will bring forth the blind people, and they shall have eyes, and the deaf, and they shall have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered [ag]together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their [ah]witnesses, that they may be justified: but let them [ai]hear, and say, It is truth.
10 You [aj]are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my [ak]servant, whom I have chosen: therefore ye shall know and believe me, and ye shall understand that I am: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior.
12 I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore you are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was, I am, and there is none that can deliver out of mine hand: I will do it, and who shall let it?
14 Thus saith the Lord your redeemer, the holy one of Israel, For your sake I have sent to Babel, and [al]brought it down: they are all fugitives, and the Chaldeans cry in [am]the ships.
15 I am the Lord your holy one, the creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith the Lord which maketh a way in [an]the Sea, and a path in the mighty [ao]waters.
17 When he [ap]bringeth out the [aq]chariot and horse, the army and the power lie together, and shall not rise, they are extinct, and quenched as tow.
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither regard the things of old.
19 Behold, I do a new thing: now shall it come forth: shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the [ar]desert, and floods in the wilderness.
20 The wild [as]beasts shall honor me, the dragons and the ostriches, because I gave water in the desert, and floods in the wilderness to give drink to my people, even to mine elect.
21 This people have I formed for myself: they shall show forth my praise.
22 And thou hast not [at]called upon me, O Jacob, but thou hast [au]wearied me, O Israel.
23 Thou [av]hast not brought me the sheep of thy burnt offerings, neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
24 Thou broughtest me no sweet [aw]savor with money, neither hast thou made me drunk with the fat of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made me to [ax]serve with thy sins, and wearied me with thine iniquities.
25 I, even I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in [ay]remembrance: let us be judged together: count thou that thou mayest be justified.
27 Thy [az]first father hath sinned, and thy [ba]teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I have [bb]profaned the rulers of the Sanctuary, and have made Jacob a curse, and Israel a reproach.
44 1 The Lord promiseth comfort, and that he will assemble his Church of divers nations. 9 The vanity of Idols. 17 The beastliness of idolaters.
1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus saith the Lord, that made thee, and formed [bc]thee from the womb: he will help thee. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, and thou righteous [bd]whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water upon the [be]thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy buds.
4 And they [bf]shall grow as among the grass, and as the willows by the rivers of waters.
5 One shall say, I am the Lord’s: another [bg]shall be called by the name of Jacob: and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and name himself by the name of Israel.
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his redeemer, the Lord of hosts, [bh]I am the first, and I am the last, and without me is there no God.
7 And who is like me, that shall [bi]call and shall declare it, and set [bj]it in order before me, since I appointed the [bk]ancient people? and what is at hand, and what things are to come? let [bl]them show unto them.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee of old, and have declared it? [bm]you are even my witnesses, whether there be a God beside me, and that there is no God that I know not.
9 All they that make an image, are vanity, and [bn]their delectable things shall nothing profit: and they are their own witnesses, [bo]that they see not nor know: therefore they shall be confounded.
10 Who hath made a [bp]god, or molten an image, that is [bq]profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all that are of the [br]fellowship thereof, shall be confounded: for the workmen themselves are men: let them all be gathered together, and [bs]stand up, yet they shall fear, and be confounded together.
12 The smith taketh an instrument, and worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms, yea, he is [bt]an hungered, and his strength faileth, he drinketh no water, and is faint.
13 The carpenter stretcheth forth a line, he fashioneth it with a red thread, he planeth it, and he portrayeth it with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, and according to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in [bu]an house.
14 He will hew him down cedars, and take the pine tree and the oak, and taketh courage among the trees of the forest; he planteth a fir tree, and the rain doth nourish it.
15 And man burneth thereof; for he will take thereof, and [bv]warm himself: he also kindleth it, and baketh bread, yet he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it an idol, and boweth unto it.
16 He burneth the half thereof even in the fire, and upon the half thereof he [bw]eateth flesh; he roasteth the roast, and is satisfied; also he warmeth himself and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have been at the fire.
17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his idol; he boweth unto it, and worshippeth and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
18 They have not known, nor understood: [bx]for God hath shut their eyes that they cannot see, and their heart, that they cannot understand.
19 And none [by]considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burnt half of it, even in the fire, and have baked bread also upon the coals thereof: I have roasted flesh, and eaten it, and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I bow to the stock of a tree?
20 He feedeth [bz]of ashes: a seduced heart hath deceived him, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
21 [ca]Remember these (O Jacob and Israel) for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel forget me not.
22 I have put away thy transgressions like a cloud, and thy sins as a mist; turn unto me, for I have redeemed thee.
23 [cb]Rejoice ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; burst forth into praises, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.
24 Thus saith the Lord thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that made all things, that spread out the heavens alone, and stretched out the earth by myself.
25 I destroy the [cc]tokens of the soothsayers, and make them that conjecture, fools, and turn the wise men backward, and make their knowledge foolishness.
26 ¶ He confirmeth the word of his [cd]servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers, saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited: and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built up, and I will repair the decayed places thereof.
27 He saith to the [ce]deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy floods.
28 He saith to [cf]Cyrus, Thou art my shepherd, and he shall perform all my desire: saying also to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be surely laid.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.