Isaiah 43–44

43RD CHAPTER

¹The Lord created Jacob and formed Israel. Now, this is what the Lord says: 

Do not be afraid, because I have reclaimed you. 

I have called you by name; you are mine. 

²When you go through the sea, I am with you. 

When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away. 

When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, 

and the flames will not harm you. 

³I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 

Egypt is the ransom I exchanged for you. 

Sudan and Seba are the price I paid for you. 

⁴Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you. 

I will exchange others for you. 

Nations will be the price I pay for your life. 

⁵Do not be afraid, because I am with you. 

I will bring your descendants from the east 

and gather you from the west. 

⁶I will say to the north, “Give them up,” 

and to the south, “Do not keep them.” 

Bring my sons from far away 

and my daughters from the ends of the earth. 

⁷Bring everyone who is called by my name, 

whom I created for my glory, 

whom I formed and made. 

⁸Bring the people who are blind but still have eyes, 

the people who are deaf but still have ears. 

⁹All nations have gathered together, and people have assembled. 

Who among them could have revealed this? 

Who among them could have foretold this to us? 

They should bring their witnesses to prove that they were right. 

Let the people hear them. Then they will say that it is true. 

¹⁰“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord. 

“I have chosen you as my servant 

so that you can know and believe in me 

and understand that I am the one ⸤who did this⸥. 

No god was formed before me, 

and there will be none after me. 

¹¹I alone am the Lord, 

and there is no savior except me. 

¹²I have revealed it to you, I have saved you, 

and I have announced it to you. 

There was no foreign ⸤god⸥ among you. 

You are my witnesses that I am God,” declares the Lord. 

¹³“From the ⸤first⸥ day I was the one ⸤who did this⸥. 

No one can rescue people from my power. 

When I do something, who can undo it?” 

¹⁴This is what the Lord, your Defender, the Holy One of Israel, says: 

For your sake I will send ⸤an army⸥ to Babylon. 

I will bring back all the Babylonian refugees 

in the ships that they take pride in. 

¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One, 

the Creator of Israel, your King. 

Despite the People of Israel’s Past Sin, the Lord Will Forgive Them

¹⁶The Lord makes a path through the sea 

and a road through the strong currents. 

¹⁷He leads chariots and horses, an army and reinforcements. 

(They lie down together and do not get up ⸤again⸥. 

They are extinguished and snuffed out like a wick.) 

This is what the Lord says: 

¹⁸Forget what happened in the past, 

and do not dwell on events from long ago. 

¹⁹I am going to do something new. 

It is already happening. Don’t you recognize it? 

I will clear a way in the desert. 

I will make rivers on dry land. 

²⁰Wild animals, jackals, and ostriches will honor me. 

I will provide water in the desert. 

I will make rivers on the dry land for my chosen people to drink. 

²¹I have formed these people for myself. 

They will praise me. 

²²Jacob, you have not prayed to me. 

Israel, you have grown tired of me. 

²³You did not bring me sheep for your burnt offerings 

or honor me with your sacrifices. 

I did not burden you by requiring grain offerings 

or trouble you by requiring incense offerings. 

²⁴You did not buy me any sugar cane with ⸤your⸥ money 

or satisfy me with the best part of your sacrifices. 

Rather, you burdened me with your sins 

and troubled me with your wrongdoings. 

²⁵I alone am the one who is going to wipe away your rebellious actions 

for my own sake. 

I will not remember your sins ⸤anymore⸥. 

²⁶Remind me ⸤of what happened⸥. 

Let us argue our case together. 

State your case so that you can prove you are right. 

²⁷Your first ancestor sinned, 

and your priests rebelled against me. 

²⁸That is why I will corrupt the leaders of the holy place. 

I will claim Jacob for destruction. 

I will set up Israel for ridicule. 

44TH CHAPTER

¹But now listen, my servant Jacob, 

Israel, whom I have chosen. 

²The Lord made you, formed you in the womb, and will help you. 

This is what the Lord says: 

Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob, 

Jeshurun,^awhom I have chosen. 

³I will pour water on thirsty ground and rain on dry land. 

I will pour my Spirit on your offspring 

and my blessing on your descendants. 

⁴They will spring up with the grass 

as poplars spring up by streams. 

⁵One person will say, “I belong to the Lord.” 

Another will call on the name of Jacob. 

Another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s,” 

and he will adopt the name of Israel. 

The Nations Form Idols, but the Lord Formed Israel

⁶The Lord is Israel’s king and defender. 

He is the Lord of Armies. 

This is what the Lord says: 

I am the first and the last, 

and there is no God except me. 

⁷If there is anyone like me, let him say so. 

Let him tell me what happened 

when I established my people long ago. 

Then let him predict what will happen to them. 

⁸Don’t be terrified or afraid. 

Didn’t I make this known to you long ago? 

You are my witnesses. 

Is there any God except me? 

There is no ⸤other⸥ rock; I know of none. 

⁹All who make idols are nothing. Their precious treasures are worthless. Their own witnesses do not see or know anything, so they will be put to shame. ¹⁰Nothing comes from making gods or casting metal idols. ¹¹Everyone associated with the gods will be put to shame. The craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all get together and take their stand. They will be frightened and ashamed together. 

¹²Blacksmiths shape iron into tools. They work them over the coals and shape them with hammers, working them with their strong arms. They get hungry, and their strength fails. If they don’t drink water, they will faint. 

¹³Carpenters measure blocks of wood with ⸤chalk⸥ lines. They mark them with pens. They carve them with chisels and mark them with compasses. They carve them into forms of people, beautiful people, so the idols can live in shrines. 

¹⁴They cut down cedars for themselves. Then they choose fir trees or oaks. They let them grow strong among the trees in the forest. Then they plant cedars, and the rain makes them grow. ¹⁵These trees become ⸤fuel⸥ for people to burn. So they take some of them and warm themselves with them. They start fires and bake bread. They also make gods from these trees and worship them. They make them into carved statues and bow in front of them. ¹⁶Half of the wood they burn in the fire. Over this half they roast meat that they can eat until they are full. They also warm themselves and say, “Ah! We are warm. We can see the fire!” ¹⁷But the rest of the wood they make into gods, carved statues. They bow to them and worship them. They pray to them, saying, “Rescue us, because you are our gods.” 

¹⁸They don’t know or understand anything. Their eyes are plastered shut, so they can’t see. And their minds are closed, so they can’t understand. ¹⁹No one stops to think. No one has enough knowledge or understanding to say, “I burned half of the wood in the fire. I also baked bread over its coals. I roasted meat and ate it. Now I am making the rest of the wood into a disgusting thing and bowing to a block of wood.” ²⁰They eat ashes because they are deceived. Their own misguided minds lead them astray. They can’t rescue themselves or ask themselves, “Isn’t what I hold in my right hand a false god?” 

²¹Remember these things, Jacob: 

You are my servant, Israel. 

I formed you; you are my servant. 

Israel, I will not forget you. 

²²I made your rebellious acts disappear like a thick cloud 

and your sins like the morning mist. 

Come back to me, because I have reclaimed you. 

²³Sing with joy, you heavens, because the Lord has done this. 

Rejoice, you deep places of the earth. 

Break into shouts of joy, you mountains, 

you forests and every tree in them. 

The Lord has reclaimed Jacob. 

He will display his glory in Israel. 

Through Cyrus the Lord Will Set Israel Free

²⁴The Lord reclaimed you. 

He formed you in the womb. 

This is what the Lord says: 

I, the Lord, made everything. 

I stretched out the heavens by myself. 

I spread out the earth all alone. 

²⁵I cause the signs of false prophets to fail 

and make fools of fortunetellers. 

I make wise men retreat 

and turn their knowledge into foolishness. 

²⁶He confirms the word of his servant 

and fulfills the plan of his messengers. 

He says about Jerusalem, “It will be inhabited.” 

He says about the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt.” 

He says about their ruins, “I will restore them.” 

²⁷He says to the deep water, “Dry up.” 

So I will dry up your rivers. 

²⁸He says about Cyrus, “He is my shepherd. 

He will do everything I want him to do.” 

He says about Jerusalem, “It will be rebuilt.” 

He says about the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.”