Isaiah 53–55

53^gWho has believed what he has heard from us?¹

And to whom has ^hthe arm of the Lord been revealed?

²For he grew up before him like a young plant,

ⁱand like a root out of dry ground;

^jhe had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

^3kHe was despised and rejected² by men,

a man of sorrows³ and acquainted with⁴ grief;⁵

and as one from whom men hide their faces⁶

he was despised, and ^lwe esteemed him not.

^4mSurely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

ⁿsmitten by God, and afflicted.

^5oBut he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

^pand with his wounds we are healed.

^6qAll we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

^rand the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

^syet he opened not his mouth;

^tlike a ^ulamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

⁸By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, ^vwho considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

⁹And they made his grave with the wicked

^wand with a rich man in his death,

although^{7 x}he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet ^yit was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;⁸

^zwhen his soul makes⁹ an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

^athe will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see¹⁰ and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall ^bthe righteous one, my servant,

^cmake many to be accounted righteous,

^dand he shall bear their iniquities.

^12eTherefore I will divide him a portion with the many,¹¹

^fand he shall divide the spoil with the strong,¹²

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

^gyet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

54^h“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of ⁱthe desolate one ^jwill be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.

^2k“Enlarge the place of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.

^3lFor you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,

and your offspring will possess the nations

and will people the desolate cities.

⁴“Fear not, ^mfor you will not be ashamed;

be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

⁵ⁿFor your Maker is your husband,

the Lord of hosts is his name;

^oand the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

^pthe God of the whole earth he is called.

^6qFor the Lord has called you

like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,

like a wife of youth when she is cast off,

says your God.

^7rFor a brief moment I deserted you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

^8rIn overflowing anger for a moment

I hid my face from you,

^sbut with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”

says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹“This is like ^tthe days of Noah¹ to me:

as I swore that the waters of Noah

should no more go over the earth,

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,

and will not rebuke you.

¹⁰For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and ^umy covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

^11v“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,

behold, ^wI will set your stones in antimony,

^xand lay your foundations with sapphires.²

¹²I will make your pinnacles of agate,³

your gates of carbuncles,⁴

and all your wall of precious stones.

^13yAll your children ^zshall be taught by the Lord,

^aand great shall be the peace of your children.

¹⁴In righteousness you shall be established;

you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

^15bIf anyone stirs up strife,

it is not from me;

whoever stirs up strife with you

shall fall because of you.

¹⁶Behold, I have created the smith

who blows the fire of coals

and produces a weapon for its purpose.

I have also created the ravager to destroy;

¹⁷no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,

and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord

^cand their vindication⁵ from me, declares the Lord.”

The Compassion of the Lord

55^d“Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

^ecome, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

^2fWhy do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

³Incline your ear, and come to me;

^ghear, that your soul may live;

^hand I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

ⁱmy steadfast, sure love for ^jDavid.

^4kBehold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

^la leader and commander for the peoples.

^5kBehold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

and ^ma nation that did not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

ⁿfor he has glorified you.

^6o“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

⁷let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

^9pFor as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

^10q“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

^rgiving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but ^sit shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

^12t“For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

^uthe mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

^13vInstead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”