Isaiah 53–55

53Who has believed what we have heard? ^s

And who has the arm of the Lord ^tbeen revealed to? ^u

²He grew up before Him like a young plant ^v

and like a root out of dry ground.

He didn’t have an impressive form

or majesty that we should look at Him,

no appearance that we should desire Him. ^w

³He was despised and rejected by men, ^x

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. ^y

He was like someone people turned away from; ^z

He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.

⁴Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,

and He carried our pains; ^a

but we in turn regarded Him stricken,

struck down by God, ^band afflicted.

⁵But He was pierced because of our transgressions, ^c

crushed because of our iniquities; ^d

punishment ^efor our peace was on Him,

and we are healed by His wounds. ^f

⁶We all went astray like sheep; ^g

we all have turned to our own way;

and the Lord has punished Him

for ^hthe iniquity ⁱof us all. ^j

⁷He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet He did not open His mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

and like a sheep silent before her shearers,

He did not open His mouth. ^k

⁸He was taken away because of oppression and judgment;

and who considered His fate? ^l

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

He was struck because of my people’s rebellion.

⁹They ^mmade His grave with the wicked

and with a rich man at His death, ⁿ

although He had done no violence

and had not spoken deceitfully. ^o

¹⁰Yet the Lord was pleased ^pto crush Him severely. ^qr

When ^sYou make Him a restitution offering, ^t

He will see His seed, He will prolong His days,

and by His hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. ^u

¹¹He will see it ^vout of His anguish,

and He will be satisfied with His knowledge.

My righteous ^wServant ^xwill justify many, ^y

and He will carry their iniquities.

¹²Therefore I will give Him ^zthe many as a portion,

and He will receive ^athe mighty as spoil,

because He submitted Himself to death, ^b

and was counted among the rebels; ^c

yet He bore the sin of many ^d

and interceded for the rebels. ^e

Future Glory for Israel

54“Rejoice, childless one, who did not give birth;

burst into song and shout,

you who have not been in labor! ^f

For the children of the forsaken one will be more

than the children of the married woman,” ^g

says the Lord.

²“Enlarge the site of your tent,

and let your tent curtains be stretched out; ^h

do not hold back;

lengthen your ropes,

and drive your pegs deep.

³For you will spread out to the right and to the left, ⁱ

and your descendants will dispossess nations

and inhabit the desolate cities.

⁴“Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; ^j

don’t be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced.

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

and you will no longer remember

the disgrace of your widowhood. ^k

⁵Indeed, your husband is your Maker ^l—

His name is Yahweh of Hosts—

and the Holy One of Israel ^mis your Redeemer; ⁿ

He is called the God of all the earth.

⁶For the Lord has called you,

like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, ^o

a wife of one’s youth ^pwhen she is rejected,”

says your God.

⁷“I deserted you for a brief moment, ^q

but I will take you back with great compassion.

⁸In a surge of anger

I hid My face ^rfrom you for a moment,

but I will have compassion on you

with everlasting love,” ^s

says the Lord your Redeemer.

⁹“For this is like the days ^tof Noah to Me:

when I swore that the waters of Noah

would never flood the earth again, ^u

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

or rebuke you. ^v

¹⁰Though the mountains move

and the hills shake,

My love will not be removed from you

and My covenant of peace ^wwill not be shaken,”

says your compassionate Lord.

¹¹“Poor Jerusalem, storm-tossed, and not comforted,

I will set your stones in black mortar, ^x

and lay your foundations in sapphires. ^yz

¹²I will make your fortifications ^aout of rubies,

your gates out of sparkling stones,

and all your walls out of precious stones.

¹³Then all your children will be taught by the Lord, ^b

their prosperity will be great,

¹⁴and you will be established

on a foundation of righteousness.

You will be far from oppression,

you will certainly not be afraid;

you will be far from terror,

it will certainly not come near you.

¹⁵If anyone attacks you,

it is not from Me;

whoever attacks you

will fall before you.

¹⁶Look, I have created the craftsman

who blows on the charcoal fire

and produces a weapon suitable for its task;

and I have created the destroyer to cause havoc.

¹⁷No weapon formed against you will succeed,

and you will refute any accusation ^c

raised against you in court.

This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, ^d

and their righteousness is from Me.” ^e

This is the Lord’s declaration.

Come to the Lord

55“Come, everyone who is thirsty, ^f

come to the waters;

and you without money,

come, buy, and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost!

²Why do you spend money on what is not food,

and your wages on what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. ^g

³Pay attention and come to Me;

listen, so that you will live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you, ^h

the promises assured to David. ⁱ

⁴Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, ^j

a leader and commander for the peoples, ^k

⁵so you will summon a nation you do not know, ^l

and nations who do not know you will run to you. ^m

For the Lord your God,

even the Holy One of Israel, ⁿ

has glorified you.” ^o

⁶Seek the Lord while He may be found;

call to Him while He is near. ^p

⁷Let the wicked one abandon his way

and the sinful one his thoughts; ^q

let him return to the Lord,

so He may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for He will freely forgive. ^r

⁸“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

and your ways are not My ways.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁹“For as heaven is higher than earth, ^s

so My ways are higher than your ways,

and My thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰For just as rain and snow fall from heaven

and do not return there

without saturating the earth

and making it germinate and sprout,

and providing seed to sow

and food to eat, ^t

¹¹so My word that comes from My mouth

will not return to Me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please

and will prosper in what I send it to do.” ^u

¹²You will indeed go out with joy

and be peacefully guided;

the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ^v

¹³Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up,

and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; ^w

it will make a name for Yahweh ^x

as an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.