Isaiah 50–52

50The Lord says,

“Do you think I sent my people away

like a man who divorces his wife?

Where, then, are the papers of divorce?

Do you think I sold you into captivity

like a man who sells his children as slaves?

No, you went away captive because of your sins;

you were sent away because of your crimes.

²“Why did my people fail to respond

when I went to them to save them?

Why did they not answer when I called?

Am I too weak to save them?

I can dry up the sea with a command

and turn rivers into a desert,

so that the fish in them die for lack of water.

³I can make the sky turn dark,

as if it were in mourning for the dead.”

The Obedience of the ’s Servant

⁴The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say,

so that I can strengthen the weary.

Every morning he makes me eager

to hear what he is going to teach me.

⁵The Lord has given me understanding,

and I have not rebelled

or turned away from him.

^6*I bared my back to those who beat me.

I did not stop them when they insulted me,

when they pulled out the hairs of my beard

and spat in my face.

⁷But their insults cannot hurt me

because the Sovereign Lord gives me help.

I brace myself to endure them.

I know that I will not be disgraced,

^8*for God is near,

and he will prove me innocent.

Does anyone dare to bring charges against me?

Let us go to court together!

Let him bring his accusation!

^9*The Sovereign Lord himself defends me—

who, then, can prove me guilty?

All my accusers will disappear;

they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth.

¹⁰All of you that honour the Lord

and obey the words of his servant,

the path you walk may be dark indeed,

but trust in the Lord, rely on your God.

¹¹All of you that plot to destroy others

will be destroyed by your own plots.

The Lord himself will make this happen;

you will suffer a miserable fate.

Words of Comfort to Jerusalem

51The Lord says,

“Listen to me,

you that want to be saved, you that come to me for help.

Think of the rock from which you came,

the quarry from which you were dug.

²Think of your ancestor, Abraham,

and of Sarah, from whom you are descended.

When I called Abraham, he was childless,

but I blessed him and gave him children;

I made his descendants numerous.

³“I will show compassion to Jerusalem,

to all who live in her ruins.

Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden,

like the garden I planted in Eden.

Joy and gladness will be there,

and songs of praise and thanks to me.

⁴“Listen to me, my people,

listen to what I say:

I give my teaching to the nations;

my laws will bring them light.

⁵I will come quickly and save them;

the time of my victory is near.

I myself will rule over the nations.

Distant lands wait for me to come;

they wait with hope for me to save them.

⁶Look up at the heavens; look at the earth!

The heavens will disappear like smoke;

the earth will wear out like old clothing,

and all its people will die like flies.

But the deliverance I bring will last for ever;

my victory will be final.

⁷“Listen to me, you that know what is right,

who have my teaching fixed in your hearts.

Do not be afraid when people taunt and insult you;

⁸they will vanish like moth-eaten clothing!

But the deliverance I bring will last for ever;

my victory will endure for all time.”

⁹Wake up, Lord, and help us!

Use your power and save us;

use it as you did in ancient times.

It was you that cut the sea monster Rahab^b to pieces.

¹⁰It was you also who dried up the sea

and made a path through the water,

so that those you were saving could cross.

¹¹Those whom you have rescued

will reach Jerusalem with gladness,

singing and shouting for joy.

They will be happy

for ever, for ever free from sorrow and grief.

¹²The Lord says,

“I am the one who strengthens you.

Why should you fear mortals,

who are no more enduring than grass?

¹³Have you forgotten the Lord who made you,

who stretched out the heavens

and laid the earth’s foundations?

Why should you live in constant fear

of the fury of those who oppress you,

of those who are ready to destroy you?

Their fury can no longer touch you.

¹⁴Those who are prisoners will soon be set free;

they will live a long life

and have all the food they need.

¹⁵“I am the Lord your God;

I stir up the sea

and make its waves roar.

My name is the Lord Almighty!

¹⁶I stretched out^c the heavens

and laid the earth’s foundations;

I say to Jerusalem, ‘You are my people!

I have given you my teaching,

and I protect you with my hand.’ ”

The End of Jerusalem’s Suffering

¹⁷Jerusalem, wake up!

Rouse yourself and get up!

You have drunk the cup of punishment

that the Lord in his anger gave you to drink;

you drank it down, and it made you stagger.

¹⁸There is no one to lead you,

no one among your people

to take you by the hand.

¹⁹A double disaster has fallen on you:

your land has been devastated by war,

and your people have starved.

There is no one to show you sympathy.

²⁰At the corner of every street

your people collapse from weakness;

they are like deer caught in a hunter’s net.

They have felt the force of God’s anger.

²¹You suffering people of Jerusalem,

you that stagger as though you were drunk,

²²the Lord your God defends you and says,

“I am taking away the cup

that I gave you in my anger.

You will no longer have to drink

the wine that makes you stagger.

²³I will give it to those who oppressed you,

to those who made you lie down in the streets

and trampled on you as if you were dirt.”

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

52^*Jerusalem, be strong and great again!

Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendour!

The heathen will never enter your gates again.

²Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!

Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!

Undo the chains that bind you,

captive people of Zion!

³The Sovereign Lord says to his people, “When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same

way nothing will be paid to set you free. ⁴When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. ^5*And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me. ⁶In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you.”

^7*How wonderful it is to see

a messenger coming across the mountains,

bringing good news, the news of peace!

He announces victory and says to Zion,

“Your God is king!”

⁸Those who guard the city are

shouting, shouting together for joy!

They can see with their own eyes

the return of the Lord to Zion!

⁹Break into shouts of joy,

you ruins of Jerusalem!

The Lord will rescue his city

and comfort his people.

¹⁰The Lord will use his holy power;

he will save his people,

and all the world will see it.

^11*Make sure you leave Babylonia,

all you that carry the temple equipment!

Touch no forbidden thing;^d

keep yourselves holy and leave.

¹²This time

you will not have to leave in a hurry; you will not be trying to escape.

The Lord your God will lead you

and protect you on every side.

The Suffering Servant

¹³The Lord says,

“My servant will succeed in his task;

he will be highly honoured.^e

¹⁴Many people were shocked when they saw him;

he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human.

^15*But now many nations will marvel at him,

and kings will be speechless with amazement.

They will see and understand

something they had never known.”