Isaiah 43–44

RESTORATION OF ISRAEL

43Now this is what the Lord says—

the one who created you, Jacob,

and the one who formed you, Israel^a—

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;^b

I have called you by your name; you are mine.^c

²When you pass through the waters,^e

I will be with you^d

and the rivers will not overwhelm you,

When you walk through the fire,^f

you will not be scorched

and the flame will not burn you.

³For I am the Lord your God,^g

the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.^h

I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,

Cush and Seba in your place.

⁴Because you are precious in my sightⁱ

and honored, and I love you,^j

I will give people in exchange for you

and nations instead of your life.

⁵Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your descendants from the east,^k

and gather you from the west.^l

⁶I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’

Bring my sons from far away,^m

and my daughters from the ends of the earthⁿ—

⁷everyone who bears my name

and is created for my glory.

I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

⁸Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,^o

and are deaf, yet have ears.

⁹All the nations are gathered together,

and the peoples are assembled.^p

Who among them can declare this,^q

and tell us the former things?

Let them present their witnesses

to vindicate themselves,

so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”

¹⁰“You are my witnesses”^r—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

“and my servant whom I have chosen,^s

so that you may know and believe me

and understand that I am he.^t

No god was formed before me,

and there will be none after me.^u

¹¹I—I am the Lord.

Besides me, there is no Savior.^v

¹²I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—

and not some foreign god^A among you.

So you are my witnesses”—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

“and^B I am God.^w

¹³Also, from today on I am he alone,

and none can rescue from my power.^x

I act, and who can reverse it?”^y

GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF REBELLIOUS ISRAEL

¹⁴This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,^z the Holy One of Israel^aa says:

Because of you, I will send an army^C to Babylon

and bring all of them as fugitives,^D

even the Chaldeans^ab in the ships in which they rejoice.^E

¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One,

the Creator of Israel, your King.

¹⁶This is what the Lord says—

who makes a way in the sea,

and a path through raging water,^ac

¹⁷who brings out the chariot and horse,^ad

the army and the mighty one together

(they lie down, they do not rise again;

they are extinguished, put out like a wick^ae)—

¹⁸“Do not remember the past events;

pay no attention to things of old.^af

¹⁹Look, I am about to do something new;^ag

even now it is coming. Do you not see it?

Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,^ah

rivers^F in the desert.

²⁰Wild animals—

jackals and ostriches—will honor me,

because I provide water in the wilderness,

and rivers in the desert,^a

to give drink to my chosen people.

²¹The people I formed for myself

will declare my praise.^b

²²“But, Jacob, you have not called on me,

because, Israel, you have become weary of me.^c

²³You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings

or honored me with your sacrifices.^d

I have not burdened you with offerings

or wearied you with incense.^G

²⁴You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver,

or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins;

you have wearied me^e with your iniquities.^f

²⁵“I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions^g

for my own sake^h

and remember your sins no more.ⁱ

²⁶Remind me. Let’s argue the case together.^j

Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated.

²⁷Your first father sinned,^k

and your mediators have rebelled against me.^l

²⁸So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,

and set Jacob apart for destruction^m

and Israel for scorn.

SPIRITUAL BLESSING

44“And now listen, Jacob my servant,

Israel whom I have chosen.ⁿ

²This is the word of the Lord

your Maker, the one who formed you from the womb:

He will help you.

Do not fear, Jacob my servant,

Jeshurun^A whom I have chosen.^o

³For I will pour water on the thirsty land

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out my Spirit^p on your descendants

and my blessing on your offspring.

⁴They will sprout among^B the grass

like poplars by flowing streams.

⁵This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;

another will use the name of Jacob;

still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’

and take on the name of Israel.”

NO GOD OTHER THAN THE LORD

⁶This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer,^q the Lord of Armies, says:

I am the first and I am the last.^r

There is no God but me.^s

⁷Who, like me, can announce the future?

Let him say so and make a case before me,^t

since I have established an ancient people.

Let these gods declare^C the coming things,

and what will take place.

⁸Do not be startled or afraid.

Have I not told you and declared it long ago?

You are my witnesses!^u

Is there any God but me?^v

There is no other Rock;^w I do not know any.

⁹All who make idols are nothing,

and what they treasure benefits no one.

Their witnesses do not see or know anything,

so they will be put to shame.^x

¹⁰Who makes a god or casts a metal image

that benefits no one?^y

¹¹Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,

and the craftsmen are humans.

They all will assemble and stand;

they all will be startled and put to shame.

¹²The ironworker labors over the coals,

shapes the idol with hammers,

and works it with his strong arm.

Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;

he doesn’t drink water and is faint.

¹³The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,

he outlines it with a stylus;

he shapes it with chisels

and outlines it with a compass.

He makes it according to a human form,^a

like a beautiful person,

to dwell in a temple.

¹⁴He cuts down^A cedars for his use,

or he takes a cypress or an oak.

He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.

He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.

¹⁵A person can use it for fuel.

He takes some of it and warms himself;

also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;

he even makes it into a god and worships it;

he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.

¹⁶He burns half of it in a fire,

and he roasts meat on that half.

He eats the roast and is satisfied.

He warms himself and says, “Ah!

I am warm, I see the blaze.”

¹⁷He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.

He bows down to it and worships;

he prays to it,^b “Save me, for you are my god.”

¹⁸Such people^B do not comprehend

and cannot understand,

for he has shut their eyes^C so they cannot see,

and their minds so they cannot understand.

¹⁹No one comes to his senses;^D

no one has the perception or insight to say,

“I burned half of it in the fire,

I also baked bread on its coals,

I roasted meat and ate.

Should I make something detestable^c with the rest of it?

Should I bow down to a block of wood?”

²⁰He feeds on^E ashes.

His deceived mind has led him astray,

and he cannot rescue himself,

or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”^d

²¹Remember these things, Jacob,

and Israel, for you are my servant;

I formed you, you are my servant;

Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.^Fe

²²I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,^f

and your sins like a mist.

Return to me,^g

for I have redeemed you.^h

²³Rejoice, heavens,ⁱ for the Lord has acted;

shout, depths of the earth.

Break out into singing, mountains,

forest, and every tree in it.

For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,

and glorifies himself through Israel.^j

RESTORATION OF ISRAEL THROUGH CYRUS

²⁴This is what the Lord, your Redeemer^k who formed you from the womb,^l says:

I am the Lord, who made everything;

who stretched out the heavens by myself;^m

who alone spread out the earth;

²⁵who destroys the omens of the false prophets

and makes fools of diviners;

who confounds the wise

and makes their knowledge foolishness;ⁿ

²⁶who confirms the message of his servant

and fulfills the counsel of his messengers;

who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”

and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”

and I will restore her ruins;

²⁷who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”

and I will dry up your rivers;

²⁸who says to Cyrus,^o “My shepherd,

he will fulfill all my pleasure”^p

and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,”^q

and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”