Isaiah 43

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.