Chronological
God Comforts His People
40 “Comfort! Yes, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her heavy service has been completed,
that her penalty has been paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”
3 A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
and[a] in the desert a straight highway for our God.’
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be lowered;
the rough ground will become level,
and the mountain ridges made a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all humanity will see it at once;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Endures Forever
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
So I[b] asked, “What am I to cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,
and all its loyalty[c] is like the flowers of the field.
7 Grass withers and flowers fade away
when the Lord’s breath blows on them;
surely the people are like grass.[d]
8 Grass withers and flowers fade away,
when the Lord’s breath blows on them,
but the word of[e] our God will stand forever.”
Here is Your God
9 “Climb up a high mountain,
you messenger of good news to Zion!
Lift up your voice with strength,
you messenger to Jerusalem!
Lift it up!
Don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
10 Look! The Lord God comes with strength,
and his arm[f] rules for him.
Look! His reward is with him,
and his payment accompanies him.
11 Like a shepherd, he tends his flock.
He gathers the lambs in his arms,
carries them close to his heart,
and gently leads the mother sheep.”
Who is Like the Lord?
12 “Who has measured the waters of the sea[g]
in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens
by the width of his hand?[h]
Who has enclosed the dust of the earth
in a measuring bowl,
or weighed the mountains
in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has fathomed the Spirit of the Lord,
or as his counselor has taught him?[i]
14 With whom did he consult
to enlighten and instruct him on the path of justice?
Or who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of wisdom?
15 “Look! The nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are reckoned as dust on the scales.
Look! He even lifts up the islands like powder!
16 Lebanon would not provide enough fuel,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.[j]
17 All the nations are as nothing before him—
they are reckoned by him as[k] nothing and chaos.
18 “To whom, then, will you compare me,[l] the One who is[m] God?
Or to what image will you liken me?[n]
19 To an idol? A craftsman makes[o] the image,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts silver chains.
20 To the impoverished person?
He prepares[p] an offering—[q]
wood that won’t rot—
Or to the one who chooses a skilled craftsman[r]
and[s] seeks[t] to erect an idol that won’t topple?”
The Majesty of the Lord
21 “You know, don’t you?
You have heard, haven’t you?
Hasn’t it been told you from the beginning?
Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the[u] earth?
22 He’s the one who sits above the disk of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He’s the one who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in,
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes void the rulers of the earth.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner have[v] their stems taken root in the earth,
than[w] he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest sweeps them away like stubble.
25 “To[x] whom, then, will you compare me,
and to whom should I be equal?”
asks the Holy One.
26 “Lift your eyes up to heaven and see
who created all these—
the one who leads out their vast array of stars by number,
calling them all by name—
because of his great might
and his[y] powerful strength[z]—
and[aa] not one is missing.”
The Lord Watches Israel
27 “Jacob, why do you say—
and Israel, why do you complain—
‘My predicament is hidden from the Lord,
and my cause is ignored by my God.’?
28 Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the eternal God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not grow tired or weary;
and[ab] his understanding cannot be fathomed.
29 He’s the[ac] one who gives might to the faint,
renewing strength for the powerless.
30 Even boys grow tired and weary,
and young men collapse and fall,
31 but those who keep waiting for the Lord will renew their strength.
Then[ad] they’ll soar on wings like eagles;
they’ll run and not grow weary;
they’ll walk and not grow tired.”
The Lord Comes as Judge
41 “Be silent before me, you coastlands,
and let the people renew their strength!
Let them come forward,
then let them speak together—
let’s draw near for a ruling.
2 Who has aroused victory from the east,
and[ae] has summoned it to his service,
and[af] has handed over nations to him?
Who brings down kings,
and[ag] turns them into dust with his sword,
into windblown stubble with his bow?
3 And[ah] who pursues them
and[ai] moves on unscathed
by a path that his feet don’t know?[aj]
4 Who has performed and carried this out,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord—the first
and will be with the last
—I am the One!”
Idolaters Encourage Each Other
5 “The coastlands have looked and are afraid;
the ends of the earth have drawn near together[ak]
and come forward.
6 Each helps his neighbor,
saying[al] to each other, ‘Be strong!’
7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
and the hammersmith[am] encourages the one who strikes the anvil.
He says[an] about the welding, ‘It’s good!’
and he reinforces it with nails so that it won’t topple.”
The Lord Encourages Israel
8 “But as for you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I’ve chosen,
the offspring of my friend Abraham—
9 you whom I encouraged from the ends of the earth
and called from its farthest corners,
and told you, ‘You’re my servant,
I’ve chosen you
and haven’t cast you aside.’
10 Don’t be afraid,
because I’m with you;
don’t be anxious,
because I am your God.
I keep on strengthening you;
I’m truly helping you.
I’m surely upholding you
with my victorious right hand.”
The Coming Defeat of God’s Enemies
11 “Look! All who are enraged at you
will be put to shame and disgraced;
those who contend with you
will all die.[ao]
12 Those who quarrel with you[ap]
will be as nothing;
those who fight you
like nothing at all!”
A Call to Courage
13 “For I am the Lord your God,
who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid.
I’ll help you.
14 Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob,
and[aq] you insects of Israel!
I myself will help you,’[ar] declares the Lord,
your[as] Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
A Promise of Victory
15 “See, I’m making you[at] into
a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge.
You’ll thresh and crush the mountains,
and make the hills like chaff.
16 You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up,
and a tempest will blow them away.
Then you’ll rejoice in the Lord,
and[au] you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.”
17 “As for the poor, the needy, those seeking[av] water—
when there is none
and their tongues are parched from thirst—
I, the Lord, will answer them.
I, the God of Israel, won’t abandon them.
18 I’ll open up rivers on the barren heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I’ll turn the[aw] desert into a pool of water,
and the parched land into springs of water.
19 I’ll put cedar trees in the wilderness,
along with acacia, myrtle, and olive trees.
I’ll plant cypresses in the desert—
box[ax] trees, and pine trees together—
20 all so that people may see and recognize,
perceive,[ay] consider, and comprehend at the same time,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
Can God’s Enemies Predict the Future?
21 “Put forward your case!” says the Lord.
“Submit your arguments!” says Jacob’s King.
22 Let them approach and ask us,
‘What will happen?
As to the former things, what were they?
Tell us, so that we may consider them and know.
Or[az] the latter things or the things to come—
let us hear.
23 Tell us what the future holds,
so we may know that you are gods!
Yes, do something good or something bad,
so we may hear[ba] and gaze at it together.’”
24 “Look! You and your work are less than nothing;[bb]
whoever finds you pleasing is disgusting.”
25 “You are stirring up[bc] one from the north,
and they are coming[bd] from the rising of the sun;
and[be] he will be called by his[bf] name.
Rulers will arrive like mud;[bg]
just[bh] like a potter, he will trample the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,
so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could ask,
‘Is it right?’[bi]
Indeed, no one told of this,
no one made an announcement,
and no one heard your words:
27 First, to Zion: “There is slumber.”[bj]
And to Jerusalem: “I’ll send a messenger with good news.”
28 But when I look, there is no one—
among them there’s no one to give counsel,
no one to give an answer when I ask them.
29 See, none of them exist, and their deeds are nothing.[bk]
Their metal images are only wind and confusion.’”
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant, whom I support,
my chosen one, in whom I delight.[bl]
I’ve placed my Spirit upon him;
and[bm] he’ll deliver his[bn] justice throughout the world.[bo]
2 He won’t shout,
or raise his voice,
or make it heard in the street.
3 A crushed reed he will not break,
and a fading candle[bp] he won’t snuff out.[bq]
He’ll bring forth[br] justice for the truth.
4 And[bs] he won’t grow faint or be crushed
until he establishes justice on the mainland,
and the coastlands take ownership of[bt] his Law.”
God Speaks about the Servant
5 This is what God says—
the God[bu] who created the heavens
and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and its produce,
who gives breath to the people on it
and life[bv] to those who walk in it:
6 “I’ve[bw] called you in righteousness.
I’ll take hold of your hand.
I’ll preserve you and appoint you
as a covenant to the people,[bx]
as a light for the nations,
7 to open blind eyes
and to bring out those who are bound[by] from their cells,
and[bz] those sitting in darkness from prison.
8 I, the Lord, am the one,
and I won’t give my name and[ca] glory to another,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and I’m announcing the[cb] new things—
before they spring into being
I’m telling you about them.”
Praise in Song to God
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
and[cc] his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who sail down the sea and by everything in it,
you coastlands and their inhabitants.
11 Let the desert cry out,[cd]
its towns and the[ce] villages where Kedar lives;
and[cf] let those who live in Sela sing for joy.
Let them shout aloud[cg] from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord marches out like a warrior;
he stirs up his rage like a man of war;
he makes his anger heard;
he shouts aloud;[ch]
he declares his mastery over his enemies:
14 “I have certainly[ci] stayed silent for a long time;
I’ve kept still and held myself back.
Now, like a woman giving birth, I’ll cry out.
All of a sudden I’ll gasp and pant.
15 I’ll devastate the mountains and hills,
and dry up all their vegetation;
I’ll turn rivers into islands,
and dry up the ponds.
16 I’ll help the blind walk,
even[cj] on a road they do not know;
I’ll guide them
in directions[ck] they do not know.
I’ll turn the dark places[cl] into light in front of them,
and the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I won’t abandon them.
17 Those who trust in carved idols
will turn back and[cm] be completely disappointed,[cn]
along with those[co] who say to metal images,
‘You are our gods.’”
God Rebukes Israel
18 “Listen, you deaf people,
and look up, you blind people, so you may see!
19 Who is blind except my servant,
or deaf like my messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like the one committed to me,
or blind like the Lord’s servant?
20 You’ve seen[cp] many things, but you pay no[cq] attention.
His ears are open,[cr] but he doesn’t listen.
21 The Lord was pleased, for the sake of his vindication,
that he should magnify his Law and make it glorious.
22 But this is a people who have been robbed and plundered,
all of them trapped in pits
or hidden away in prisons.[cs]
They have become prey, with no one to rescue them;
they have been made loot, with no one to say, ‘Send them back!’
23 “Who among you will listen,
and[ct] pay attention,
and listen for the time to come?”
God Punishes Israel
24 “Who handed Jacob over to looters,
and Israel to robbers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned?
After all, they weren’t willing to walk in his ways,
and they wouldn’t obey[cu] his instruction,
25 so he drenched him with[cv] the heat that is his anger,[cw]
the violence of war.
It enveloped him in flames,
but still he had no insight.
It burned him up,
but he didn’t take it to heart.”
The Future Redemption of Israel
43 But now this is what the Lord says,
the one who created you, Jacob,
the one who formed you, Israel:
“Do not be afraid, because I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called you by name;
you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you;
and through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.
when you walk through fire you won’t be scorched,
and the flame won’t set you ablaze.
3 “I[cx] am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Redeemer.[cy]
And[cz] I’ve given Egypt as your ransom,[da]
Cush and the people of Seba[db] in exchange for you.
4 Since you’re precious in my sight
and honored,
and because I love you,
I’m giving up people in your place,
and nations in exchange for your life.”
The Regathering of Israel
5 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you;
I’ll bring your children from the east,
and gather you from the west.
6 I’ll say to the north,
‘Give them up’!
and to the south,
‘Don’t keep them back!’
Bring[dc] my sons from far away
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom[dd] I formed and made.
8 “Bring out the people who are blind, yet still have eyes,
who are deaf, yet still have ears!
9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
and let the peoples be assembled.
“Who is there among them who[de] can declare this,
or announce[df] the former things?
Let them produce their witnesses to prove them right,
and let them proclaim[dg] so people will say, ‘It’s true.’
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and trust me
and understand that I am the One.[dh]
Before me no God was formed,
nor will there be one after me.
11 I, yes I, am the Lord,
and apart from me there is no savior.
12 I’ve revealed and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no foreign god among you —
and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord.
13 “I am God; also[di] from ancient days[dj] I am the one.
And there is no one who can deliver out of my hand;
when I act, who can reverse it?”
14 This is what the Lord says,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,[dk]
and bring them all down as fugitives.
Now as for the Babylonians,
their ringing cry will become lamentation.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Creator of Israel, and your King.”
Something New for Israel
16 This is what the Lord says —
who makes a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariots and horsemen,
and[dl] armies and warriors at the same time.
They lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a candle:[dm]
18 “Don’t remember[dn] the former things;
don’t dwell on things past.
19 Watch! I’m about to carry out something new!
And[do] now it’s springing up—
don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the wilderness
and paths[dp] in the desert.
20 Wild animals, jackals, and owls[dq] will honor me
because I provide[dr] water in the desert
and streams in the wilderness
to give drink to my people, my chosen ones,[ds]
21 the people whom I formed for myself
and[dt] so that they may speak[du] my praise.”
God is Weary of Israel
22 “And[dv] yet you didn’t call upon me, Jacob;
indeed, you are tired of me, Israel!
23 You haven’t brought me your sheep for a burnt offering,[dw]
nor have you honored me with[dx] your sacrifices,
nor have you made meal offerings for me[dy]—
yet I have not tired you about incense!
24 You[dz] haven’t bought me sweet cane with money,
nor have you satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
You have only burdened me with your sins
and made me tired with your iniquities.
25 “I, I am the one
who blots out your transgression[ea] for my own sake,
and I’ll remember your sins no more.[eb]
26 Recount the brief!
Let’s argue the matter together;
Present your case,
so that you may be proved right.
27 Your first ancestor sinned,
and your mediators rebelled against me.
28 So I’ll disgrace the leaders of the Temple,
and I’ll consign Jacob to total destruction[ec]
and Israel to contempt.
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