Bible in 90 Days
19 I will put[a] the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive oil tree in the wilderness;
I will set the cypress, elm, and box tree together in the desert
20 so that they may see and know,
and take to heart and understand together
that the hand of Yahweh has done this,
and the holy one of Israel has created it.”
21 “Present your legal case,” says Yahweh.
“Bring your evidence,” says the king of Jacob.
22 Let them bring them,
and let them tell us what will happen.
Tell us what the former things are
so that[b] we may take them to our heart
and know their outcome.[c]
Declare to us the things to come;
23 tell us the things coming hereafter,[d]
that[e] we may know that you are gods.
Indeed, do good or[f] do evil,
that[g] we may be afraid and see[h] together.
24 Look! you are nothing,
and your work is something worthless;
whoever chooses you is an abomination.
25 I stirred up one from the north,
and he has come from the rising of the sun.
He shall call on my name,
and he shall come on officials as on mortar,
and as the potter[i] treads clay.
26 Who declared it from the beginning[j] so that[k] we might know,
and beforehand[l] so that[m] we might say, “He is right!”[n]
Indeed, there was no one who declared it;
Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it.
Indeed there was no one who heard your words.
27 First to Zion, look! Look at them!
And I give a herald[o] of good tidings to Jerusalem.
28 But[p] I look and there is no man,
and I look among these and there is no counselor,
that[q] I might ask them and they might answer a word.
29 Look! All of them are deception;
their works are nothing;
their images are wind and emptiness.
The Mission of Yahweh’s Servant
42 Look! here is my servant; I hold him,
my chosen one, in whom my soul delights.
I have put[r] my spirit on him;
he will bring justice forth to the nations.
2 He will not cry out and lift up
and make his voice heard in the street.
3 He will not break a broken reed,
and he not will extinguish a dim wick.
He will bring justice forth in[s] faithfulness.
4 He will not grow faint,
and he will not be broken
until he has established justice in the earth.
And the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 Thus says the God, Yahweh,
who created the heavens
and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and its offspring,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it.
6 “I am Yahweh; I have called you in righteousness,
and I have grasped your hand and watched over you;
and I have given you as a covenant of the people,
as a light of the nations,
7 to open the blind eyes,
to bring the prisoner out from the dungeon,
those who sit in darkness from the house of imprisonment.
8 I am Yahweh; that is my name,
and I do not give my glory to another,
nor[t] my praise to the idols.
9 Look! the former things have come,
and I declare new things.
I announce[u] them to you before they sprout up.”
A Song of Praise to Yahweh
10 Sing a new song to Yahweh;
praise him from the end of the earth,
you[v] who go down to the sea and that which fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
11 Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout loudly from the top[w] of the mountains.
12 Let them give[x] glory to Yahweh
and declare his praise in the coastlands.
13 Yahweh goes forth like a mighty warrior;
he stirs up zeal like a man of war.
He raises the war cry, indeed he raises the battle shout;
he prevails against his foes.
14 I have been silent for a long time;
I have kept silent;
I have restrained myself like one giving birth;
I will moan, pant, and gasp together.
15 I will cause mountains and hills to dry up,
and I will cause all their herbage to wither;
and I will make rivers like islands,
and I will cause pools to dry up.
16 And I will lead the blind by a road they do not know;
I will cause them to tread on paths they have not known.
I will make darkness in their presence[y] into light
and rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.
17 They shall turn back;
they shall be greatly ashamed,[z]
those who trust in an image,
who say to a cast image, “You are our gods.”
Blind and Deaf Israel
18 Deaf people, listen!
And blind people, look to see!
19 Who is blind but my servant
or[aa] deaf like my messenger whom I sent?
Who is blind like the one who is repaid
or[ab] blind like the servant of Yahweh?
20 You see many things, but[ac] you do not observe.
His ears are open, but[ad] he does not hear.
21 Yahweh was willing for the sake of his righteousness;
he showed his teaching to be great and proved it to be glorious.
22 But[ae] this is a people plundered and looted; all of them are trapped in holes,
and they are kept hidden in houses of imprisonment.
They have become like plunder, and there is no one who saves;
like booty, and there is no one who says, “Restore!”
23 Who among you will heed this,
will listen attentively and listen, for the time to come?[af]
24 Who gave Jacob to a plunderer[ag]
and Israel to those who plunder?
Was it not Yahweh, against whom[ah] we have sinned?
And they were not willing to walk in his ways,
and they would not obey[ai] his law.
25 So[aj] he poured the wrath of his anger upon him
and the strength of war.
And it set him afire all around, but[ak] he did not understand;[al]
and it burned him, but[am] he did not take it to heart.
The Restorer of Israel
43 But now thus says Yahweh,
he who created you, Jacob,
and he who formed you, Israel:
“You must not fear, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name; you are mine.[an]
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,
and through the rivers, they shall not flow over you.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not scorch[ao] you.
3 For I am Yahweh, your God,
the holy one of Israel, your savior.
I give you Egypt as ransom,
Cush and Seba in place of you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
you are honored, and I myself love you,
and I give people in place of you,
and nations in place of your life.
5 You must not fear,
for I am with you.
I will bring your offspring[ap] from the east,
and I will gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give!’
and to the south, ‘You must not withhold!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
and whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed,
indeed whom I made.”
8 Bring out the people blind yet[aq] with eyes,
and deaf, though[ar] they have ears.
9 Let all the nations gather together,
and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them has declared this,
and declared[as] the former things to us?
Let them bring[at] their witnesses, that[au] they may be in the right,
and let them hear and say, “It is true!”
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares[av] Yahweh,
“and my servant whom I have chosen
so that you may know and believe in[aw] me
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me[ax],
and none shall be after me.
11 I myself am Yahweh,
and there is no savior besides me!
12 I myself declared and saved,
and I proclaimed.[ay] And there was no strange god[az] among you.
And you are my witnesses,” declares[ba] Yahweh,
“and I am God.
13 Indeed, from this day I am the one,
and no one can deliver from my hand.
I perform,[bb] and who can cancel it?”[bc]
Yahweh Rescues His People
14 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer,
the holy one of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,
and I will cause all of them to fall down as fugitives,
and the Chaldeans,[bd] their rejoicing on the ships.
15 I am Yahweh, your holy one,
the creator of Israel, your king.”
16 Thus says Yahweh, who makes[be] a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
army and mighty one.
Together they lie down;
they cannot rise.
They are extinguished,
quenched like a wick.
18 “You must not remember the former things,
and you not must consider the former things.
19 Look! I am about to do a new thing! Now it sprouts!
Do you not perceive[bf] it?
Indeed, I will make[bg] a way in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will honor me,
jackals and daughters of the ostrich,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give a drink to my chosen people,
21 this people whom I formed for myself,
so they might make known[bh] my praise.
22 But[bi] you did not call me, Jacob;
for you have become weary of me, Israel.
23 You have not brought me your sheep for a burnt offering
nor[bj] honored me with your sacrifice.
I have not made you serve with offerings,[bk]
nor have I made you weary with frankincense.
24 You have not bought me spice reed with money
or[bl] satisfied me with the fat of sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have made me weary with your iniquities.
25 I, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
26 Take me to court; let us enter into judgment together.
You, make an account[bm] so that you may be in the right.
27 Your first ancestor[bn] sinned,
and your representatives[bo] transgressed against me.
28 And I profaned the princes of the sanctuary,
and I gave Jacob to destruction, and Israel to reviling.
Yahweh Blesses Chosen Israel
44 “But now hear, Jacob my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says Yahweh, who made you,
and who formed you in[bp] the womb and will help you:
you must not fear, my servant Jacob,
and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour out water on a thirsty land
and streams on dry ground.
I will pour my spirit out on your descendants[bq]
and my blessing on your offspring.
4 And they shall sprout among[br] the grass
like willows by a watercourse of water.
5 This one will say, ‘I belong to Yahweh!’
And that one will be called by the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand ‘Yahweh’s’
and take the name[bs] of Israel.”
Yahweh the Only God
6 Thus says Yahweh, the king of Israel,
and its redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:
“I am the first, and I am the last,
and there is no god besides me.
7 And who is like me? Let him proclaim[bt] it!
And let him declare it and set it in order for me
since I established an eternal people[bu] and things that are to come,
and let them tell them the things that are coming.
8 You must not tremble,[bv]
and you must not be paralyzed with fear.
Have I not made you hear from of old[bw]
and declared it, and you are my witnesses?
Is there a god besides me?
And there is no rock! I know none!”
Idolatry Is Ridiculous
9 All those who form an idol are nothing,
and their delightful things do not profit.
And their witnesses do not see or know,
so they will be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god
and cast an image of which he cannot profit?
11 Look! all his companions shall be ashamed,
and the artisans are human!
Let all of them assemble;
let them stand up.
They shall tremble;[bx]
they shall be ashamed together.
12 The ironsmith[by] works in the coals with his tool
and forms it with hammers.
And he makes it with his strong arm;[bz]
indeed, he becomes hungry, and he lacks[ca] strength;
he does not drink water, and he is faint.
13 The woodworker[cb] stretches out a line;
he makes an outline of it with a marker.
He makes it with a knife
and makes an outline of it with a compass.
He makes it like the image of a man,
like the beauty of a human, to dwell in a temple.[cc]
14 Cutting down cedars for himself,
he chooses[cd] a holm tree and an oak,
and he lets it grow strong for him among the trees of the forest.
He plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow.
15 And it becomes fuel for a human,[ce]
and he takes some of it and grows warm;
also, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Also, he makes a god and bows in worship;
he makes himself an image and bows down to it!
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
he eats meat over half of it;
he roasts a roast and is satisfied.
Also he grows warm and says, “Ah!
I am warm! I see the fire!”
17 And he makes the remainder of it into a god!
He bows down to his idol,
and he bows in worship and prays to him,
and he says, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18 They do not know,
and they do not understand,
for their eyes are besmeared so that they cannot see,[cf]
their minds[cg] so that they have no insight.[ch]
19 And no one takes it to heart,[ci] and there is no knowledge
and no understanding to say, “I burned half of it in the fire
and also I baked bread on its coals;
I roasted meat, and I have eaten.
And I shall make the rest of it into an abomination!
I shall bow down to a block of wood!”
20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived mind[cj] misleads him.
And he cannot save himself,[ck] and he cannot say,
“Is this not an illusion in my right hand?”
Yahweh Remembers Israel
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant:
I formed you; you are my servant;
Israel, you will not be forgotten by me!
22 I have wiped your transgressions out like a cloud
and your sins like mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you!”
23 Sing for joy, heavens, for Yahweh has done it!
Shout, depths of the earth!
Break forth, mountains, in rejoicing,
forest and every tree in it,
for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob,
and he will show his glory in Israel!
Jerusalem Restored through Cyrus
24 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer,
and he who formed you in[cl] the womb:
“I am Yahweh, who made everything,
who stretched out the heavens alone,
who spread out the earth—who was with me?—
25 who frustrates[cm] the signs of oracle priests
and makes a fool of diviners,
who drives the wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 who keeps[cn] the word of his servant
and carries out the plan of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’
and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,
and I will restore its ruins’;
27 who says to the deep, ‘Dry up!
And I will cause your rivers to dry up’;
28 who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd,’
and he shall carry out all my wishes[co];
and saying of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be rebuilt,’
and the temple, ‘It shall be founded.’”
45 Thus says Yahweh to his anointed one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped
to subjugate nations before him,
and I uncover[cp] the loins of kings
to open doors before him,
and the gates shall not be shut:
2 “I myself will go before you,
and I will level the mountains.[cq]
I will break the doors of bronze
and cut throughthe bars of iron.
3 And I will give you the treasures of darkness
and treasures of secret places
so that you may know that I am Yahweh,
the one who calls you by your name, the God of Israel,
4 for the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen one.
And I call you by your name;
I give you a name of honor, though[cr] you do not know me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is none besides me;
besides me there is no god.
I gird you though[cs] you do not know me,
6 so that they may know from the rising of the sun
and from the west that there is none besides me;
I am Yahweh and there is none besides me.
7 I form light and I create darkness;
I make peace and I create evil;
I am Yahweh; I do all these things.
8 Trickle, O heavens, from above,
and let clouds trickle with righteousness;
let the earth open so that[ct] salvation may be fruitful,
and let it cause righteousness to sprout along with it.[cu]
I myself, Yahweh, have created it.
9 Woe to the one who strives with his maker,[cv]
a potsherd among[cw] potsherds of earth!
Does the clay say to the one who fashions it,
‘What are you making?’
and ‘Your work has no hands’?
10 Woe to the one who says to a father, ‘What you are begetting?’
or[cx] to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
11 Thus says Yahweh, the holy one of Israel,
and its maker:[cy]
“Ask me of the things to come about[cz] my children,
and you command me about the work of my hands.
12 I myself made the earth,
and I created humankind upon it.
I, my hands, stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.
13 I myself have stirred him up in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths smooth.
He himself shall build my city,
and he shall set my exiles free,
not for price or a gift,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Yahweh the Only Savior
14 Thus says Yahweh:
“The acquisition of Egypt
and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, tall men,
shall pass over to you;
they shall be yours,
and they shall walk behind you.
They shall pass over in chains,
and they shall bow down to you;
they will pray to you:
‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other.
Besides him there is no God.’”
15 Surely you are a God who keeps yourself hidden,
God of Israel, the savior.
16 All of them are ashamed and indeed humiliated;
the craftsmen of idols go together in insult.
17 Israel is saved by Yahweh with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be ashamed,
and you shall not be humiliated to all eternity.[da]
18 For thus says Yahweh, who created[db] the heavens,
he is God, who formed[dc] the earth
and who made[dd] it.
He himself established it;
he did not create it as emptiness—
he formed it for inhabiting.
“I am Yahweh and there is none besides me.
19 I have spoken not in secrecy, in a place, a land, of darkness,
I have not said to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain!’[de]
I, Yahweh, am speaking righteousness,
declaring uprightness.
20 Assemble and come;
draw near together, survivors of the nations!
They do not know, those who carry their wooden idols[df]
and pray to a god who cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case,
also let them consult together!
Who made this known[dg] from former times,[dh]
declared it from of old?[di]
Was it not I, Yahweh?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God besides me,
and no savior besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth,
for I am God and there is none besides me.
23 I have sworn by myself;
a word that[dj] shall not return has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness:
‘Every knee shall kneel down to me;
every tongue shall swear.’
24 ‘Only in Yahweh,’ one shall say to me, ‘are righteousness and strength.’
He shall come to him, and all those who were angry with him shall be ashamed.
25 In Yahweh all the offspring of Israel shall be in the right,
and they shall boast.”
Babylon’s Idols
46 Bel bows down;
Nebo is stooping.
Their idols are on[dk] animals[dl] and on[dm] cattle;
your cargo[dn] is carried as a burden on[do] weary animals.
2 They stoop;
they bow down together.
They are not able to save the burden,
but[dp] they themselves go[dq] in captivity.
3 “Listen to me, house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel
who have been carried from the belly,
who have been carried from the womb:
4 Even[dr] to your old age I am he;
even[ds] to your advanced age I myself will support you.
I myself have made you,
and I myself will carry you,
and I myself will support you,
and I will save you.
5 To whom will you liken me,
and count as equal,
and compare with me,
as though[dt] we were alike?
6 Those who lavish gold from the purse
and weigh out silver in the balance scales;
hire a goldsmith[du]
and he makes him a god;
they bow down,
indeed they bow in worship.
7 They carry it on their shoulder;
they support it and they set it in its place,
and it stands in position.
It cannot be removed from its place;
even when he cries out to it, it does not answer.
It does not save him from his trouble.
8 Remember this and pluck up courage!
Call to mind,[dv] you transgressors!
9 Remember the former things from a long time ago,[dw]
for I am God and there is none besides me,
God and there is none like me,
10 who from the beginning declares the end,
and from before, things that have not been done,
who says, ‘My plan shall stand,’
and, ‘I will accomplish[dx] all my wishes,’[dy]
11 who calls a bird of prey from the east,
the man of his[dz] plan from a country from afar.
Indeed I have spoken; indeed I will bring it to being.
I have formed it; indeed I will do it.
12 Listen to me, strong of heart,
far from righteousness!
13 I bring my righteousness near; it is not far.
And my salvation will not delay;
and I will put[ea] salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.”
Babylon’s Fall
47 Come down and sit on the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon!
Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of Chaldea!
For they shall no longer call[eb] you tender and delicate.
2 Take the pair of mill stones and grind flour!
Uncover your veil,
strip off your skirt,
uncover your thigh,
pass through the rivers!
3 Your nakedness shall be exposed;
indeed, your shame shall become visible.
I will take vengeance
and I will not spare[ec] a person.
4 Our redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the holy one of Israel.
5 Sit silently and go into the darkness, daughter of Chaldea,
for they shall no longer call[ed] you mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my inheritance,
and I gave them into your hand.
You did not give[ee] them mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 And you said, “I shall be an eternal mistress forever!”
You did not set these things upon your heart;
you did not remember its end.
8 Therefore now hear this, luxuriant one who sits[ef] in security,
who says[eg] in her heart, “I am, and besides me there is no one.
I shall not sit as a widow,
and I shall not know the loss of children.”
9 And these two shall come to you in a moment, in one day:
the loss of children and widowhood shall come on you completely,[eh]
in spite of your many sorceries,
in spite of the power of your great enchantments.
10 And you felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one[ei] sees[ej] me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart, “I am, and besides me there is no one.”
11 And evil shall come upon you, you will not know;
it will be on the lookout for her.
And disaster shall fall upon you; you will not be able to avert[ek] it.
And ruin shall come on you suddenly; you do not know.
12 Stand, now, in your enchantments,
and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you may be able to benefit;
perhaps you may scare away.[el]
13 You struggle with your many consultations;[em]
let them stand, now, and save you—
those who see the stars, divide the celestial sphere,[en]
who inform by new moons—
from those things that are coming upon you.
14 Look! They are like stubble;
the fire burns them completely.
They cannot deliver themselves[eo] from the power[ep] of the flame;
there is no coal for warming oneself,[eq]
no fire before which to sit.
15 So are to you those with whom you have labored,
your traders from your youth.
They wander, each to his side;
there is no one who can save you.
Yahweh Refines Stubborn Israel
48 Hear this, house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel
and came out from the waters of Judah,
who swear by the name of Yahweh,
and invoke[er] the God of Israel,
but not in truth
and not in righteousness.
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,[es]
and they lean on the God of Israel—
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
3 “I declared the former things from of old,[et]
and they went out from my mouth.
And I announced[eu] them suddenly;
I acted,[ev] and they came to pass,
4 because I know[ew] that you are obstinate,
and your neck an iron sinew,
and your forehead bronze.
5 And I declared them to you from of old;
I announced[ex] them to you before they came to pass
so that you would not say, ‘My idol did them,
and my image and my cast image commanded them.’
6 You have heard; see it all.
And will you not declare it?
I announce[ey] new things to you from this time
and hidden things that[ez] you have not known.
7 Now they are created, and not from of old,[fa]
and before today, and you have not heard them
so that you could not say, “Look! I knew them.”
8 Neither have you heard, nor have you known,
nor from of old[fb] has your ear been opened.
For I knew you would deal treacherously, very treacherously,
and you are called a rebel from the womb.
9 For the sake of my name I refrain from[fc] my anger,
and for my praise I restrain it for you
so as not to cut you off.
10 Look! I have refined you, but[fd] not like[fe] silver;
I have chosen you in the furnace of misery.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake I do it;
for why should it[ff] be defiled?
And I will not give my glory to another.”
Yahweh Frees Israel
12 “Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:[fg]
I am he. I am the first;
also I am the last.
13 Indeed, my hand founded the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon[fh] them, they stand in position together.
14 Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them declared these things?
Yahweh loves him;
he shall perform[fi] his wish against Babylon
and his arm against the Chaldeans.[fj]
15 I, I myself, I have spoken!
Indeed, I have called him.
I have brought him,
and he will be successful in his way.
16 Draw near to me; hear this! I have not spoken in secrecy from the beginning;[fk]
from the time it came to be,[fl] there I have been;
And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me and his Spirit.”
17 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel:
“I am Yahweh your God, who teaches[fm] you to profit,
leads you in the way you should go.
18 O that you had listened attentively to my commandments!
Then[fn] your prosperity would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 And your offspring would have been like the sand,
and the descendants of your body[fo] like its grains.[fp]
It would not be cut off,
and its name would not be destroyed from my presence.”
20 Go out from Babylon!
Flee from Chaldea!
Proclaim[fq] it with a shout[fr] of rejoicing; proclaim[fs] this!
Send it forth[ft] to the end of the earth;
say, “Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 And when he led them through the deserts, they were not thirsty;
he made water flow from the rock for them,
and he split the rock,
and the water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace,” says Yahweh, “for the wicked.”
Yahweh’s Servant Brings Salvation
49 Listen to me, coastlands,
and listen attentively, peoples from far away!
Yahweh called me from the womb;
from the body[fu] of my mother he made my name known.
2 And he made[fv] my mouth like a sharp sword;
he hid me in the shadow of his hand,
and he made[fw] me like an sharpened arrow;
he hid me in his quiver.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will show my glory.”
4 But[fx] I myself said, “I have labored in[fy] vain;
I have used up my strength for nothing and vanity!
Nevertheless, my justice is with Yahweh,
and my reward is with my God.”
5 And now Yahweh says,
who formed me from the womb as a servant for him,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might not[fz] be gathered,
for[ga] I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh,
and my God has become my strength.
6 And he says, “It is trivial for you to be[gb] a servant for me,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel.
I will give you as a light to the nations,
to be my salvation to the end of the earth.”
7 Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one,
to the one who despises[gc] life,
to the one who abhors the nation,
to the slave of rulers:
“Kings shall see and stand up;
princes, and they shall bow down,
for the sake of Yahweh, who is faithful,
the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you.”
Yahweh Restores the Afflicted
8 Thus says Yahweh:
“I have answered you in a time of favor,
and helped you on a day of salvation,
and watched over you,
and given you as a covenant of the people,
to raise up the land,
to give the desolate hereditary property as an inheritance,
9 saying to the prisoners,[gd] “Come out!”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves!”
they shall feed along[ge] the ways,
and their pasturage shall be on all the barren heights.
10 They shall not be hungry or thirsty,
and heat and sun shall not strike them,
for he who takes pity on them will lead them,
and he will guide them to springs of water.
11 And I will make[gf] all my mountains like a road,
and my highways shall lead up.[gg]
12 Look! These shall come from afar,
And look! These from the north and from the west
and these from the land of Sinim.”
13 Sing for joy, heavens, and rejoice, earth!
Mountains must break forth in rejoicing!
For Yahweh has comforted his people,
and he will take pity on his afflicted ones.
Yahweh Remembers Zion
14 But[gh] Zion said, “Yahweh has forsaken me,
and the Lord has forgotten me!”
15 Can a woman forget her suckling,
refrain from having compassion on the child of her womb?
Indeed, these may forget,
but[gi] I, I will not forget you!
16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
17 Your children hasten;
your destroyers and those who laid you waste depart[gj] from you.
18 Lift your eyes up all around and see;
all of them gather; they come to you.
As surely as I live,[gk]
declares[gl] Yahweh,
surely you shall put on all of them like an ornament,
and you shall bind them on like a bride.
19 Surely your sites of ruins and desolate places and land of ruins,[gm]
surely now you will be too cramped for your[gn] inhabitants,[go]
and those who engulfed you will be far away.
20 Yet the children born when you were bereaved[gp] will say in your hearing,[gq]
“The place is too cramped for me;
make room[gr] for me so that I can dwell.”
21 Then[gs] you will say in your heart,
“Who has borne me these?”
And, “I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and thrust away;
so[gt] who raised these?
Look at me! I was left alone;
where have these come from?”[gu]
22 Thus says the Lord Yahweh:
“Look! I will lift my hand up to the nations,
and I will raise my signal to the peoples,
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.[gv]
23 And kings shall be your guardians,[gw]
and their queens your nurses.
They shall bow down, faces[gx] to the ground, to you,
and they will lick up the dust of your feet.
Then[gy] you will know that I am Yahweh;
those who await me shall not be ashamed.
24 Can war-booty be taken from the mighty?
or can a captive of a righteous[gz] person be rescued?
25 But thus says Yahweh:
“Indeed a captive of the mighty shall be taken,
and the war-booty of the tyrant shall be rescued,
for[ha] I myself will dispute with your opponent,
and I myself will save your children.
26 And I will feed your oppressors their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk with their blood as with wine.
Then[hb] all flesh shall know that I am Yahweh,
your savior and redeemer, the strong one of Jacob.”
50 Thus says Yahweh:
“Where is this divorce document of your mother’s divorce, with which I dismissed her?
or to whom of my creditors did I sell you?
Look! you were sold because of your sin,
and your mother was dismissed because of your transgressions.
2 Why was there no man when I came,
no one who answered when I called?
Do I lack the strength to save?[hc]
Or is there no power in me to deliver?
Look! by my rebuke I dry up the sea;
I make[hd] the rivers a desert;
their fish stink because there is no water,
and they[he] die because of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with darkness,
and I make[hf] their covering sackcloth.”
The Servant’s Vindication
4 The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of a pupil,
to know how to help the weary with a word.
He awakens morning by morning,[hg]
awakens an ear for me to listen as do the pupils.
5 The Lord Yahweh has opened an ear for me,
and I, I was not rebellious.
I did not turn backwards;
6 I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;[hh]
I did not hide my face from insults and spittle.
7 And the Lord Yahweh helps me,
therefore I have not been put to shame;
therefore I have set my face like flint.
And I know that I shall not be ashamed;
8 he who obtains rights for me is near.
Who will contend with me? Let us stand together.
Who is the master of my judgment? Let him approach me.
9 Look! The Lord Yahweh helps me.
Who is the one who will declare me guilty?
Look! All of them will be worn out like a garment;
the moth will eat them.
10 Who among you is in fear of Yahweh,
obeys[hi] the voice of his servant?
Who walks in darkness
and has no light,
trusts in the name of Yahweh
and depends on his God?
11 Look! All of you are kindlers of fire,
who gird yourselves with flaming arrows.
Walk in the light of your fire,
and among the flaming arrows you have kindled!
You shall have this from my hand:
you shall lie down in[hj] a place of torment.
Yahweh Comforts Zion
51 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
who seek Yahweh.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the excavation of the pit from which you were quarried.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah; she brought you forth.
For I called him alone,[hk]
but[hl] I blessed him and made him numerous.”
3 For Yahweh will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all its sites of ruins.
And he will make[hm] its wilderness like Eden,
and its desert like the garden of Yahweh.
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
thanksgiving and the sound[hn] of song.
4 “Listen attentively to me, my people,
and my nation, listen to me!
For a teaching will go out from me,
and I will cause my justice to rest for a light to the peoples.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples.
The coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens
and look to the earth beneath,
for the heavens will be torn to pieces like smoke,
and the earth will be worn out like a garment,
and those who inhabit her will die like gnats.
But[ho] my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will not be broken to pieces.
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
people who have my teaching in their heart;
you must not fear the reproach of men,
or be terrified because of their abuse.
8 For a moth will eat them like garments;
a moth will devour[hp] them like wool,
but[hq] my righteousness will be forever,
and my salvation for generation after generation.[hr]”
9 Awake! Awake; put on strength, O arm of Yahweh!
Awake as in days of long ago,
the generations of a long time back!
Are you not the one who cut Rahab in pieces,
the one who pierced the sea-dragon?
10 Are you not the one who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
the one who made[hs] the depths of the sea a way
for those who are redeemed to cross over?
11 So[ht] the redeemed ones of Yahweh shall return,
and they shall come to Zion with singing,
and everlasting joy shall be on their heads.[hu]
Joy and gladness shall appear;[hv]
sorrow and sighing shall flee away!
12 “I, I am he who comforts you;
who are you that[hw] you are afraid of man? He dies!
And of the son of humankind? He is sacrificed[hx] as grass!
13 And you have forgotten Yahweh, your maker,
who stretched out the heavens,
and founded the earth.
And you tremble continually, all day,
because of the wrath of the oppressor
when he takes aim[hy] to destroy.
But[hz] where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 The fettered one shall make haste to be freed.
And he shall not die in[ia] the pit,
and he shall not lack his bread.
15 For[ib] I am Yahweh, your God,
who stirs up[ic] the sea, so that[id] its waves roar;
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in your mouth,
and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand,
to plant the heavens
and to found the earth,
saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
17 Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself!
Stand up, Jerusalem, who have drunk from the hand of Yahweh the cup of his wrath;
you have drunk the goblet, the cup of staggering;
you have drained it out.
18 There is no one who guides her among[ie] all the children she has borne,
and there is no one who grasps her by the hand among[if] all the children she raised.
19 Two things here have happened to you—who will show sympathy[ig] for you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword—who will comfort you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of all the streets, like an antelope in[ih] a snare,
those who are full of the wrath of Yahweh,
the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore hear now this afflicted one
and drunken one but[ii] not from wine.
22 Thus says your Lord, Yahweh,
and your God pleads the cause of his people:
“Look! I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering.
You shall not continue[ij] to drink the goblet, the cup of my wrath, any longer.
23 And I will put it in the hand of your tormenters,
who have said to you,[ik] ‘Bow down that[il] we may pass[im] over you!’
And you have made[in] your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who pass[io] over you.”
Yahweh Redeems Zion
52 Awake! Awake; put on your strength, Zion!
Put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem, holy city![ip]
For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall not continue to[iq] enter you any longer.
2 Shake yourself free from the dust! Rise up; sit, Jerusalem!
Free yourselves from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!
3 For thus says Yahweh:
“You were sold for nothing,
and you shall be redeemed without money.”
4 For thus says the Lord Yahweh:
“My people went down to Egypt in the beginning, to dwell as aliens there, and Assyria oppressed him without cause.[ir] 5 And now what do I have here?”declares[is] Yahweh, “for my people is taken without cause. Its rulers howl,” declares[it] Yahweh—“and my name is reviled continually, all day. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name, therefore in that day, that I am the one who speaks. Here am I.”[iu]
7 How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns as a king.”
8 The voices[iv] of your watchmen! They lift up their voices;[iw]
together they sing for joy;
for they clearly[ix] see Yahweh’s return to Zion.
9 Break forth,
sing for joy together, ruins of Jerusalem,
for Yahweh has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh has bared his holy arm[iy] to the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends[iz] of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from there! You must not touch any unclean thing.
Go out from the midst of it, keep clean, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for Yahweh is going before you,
and your rear guard is the God of Israel.
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