Isaiah 43

The Restorer of Israel

43But now thus says Yahweh,

he who created you, Jacob,

and he who formed you, Israel:

“You must not fear, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by your name; you are mine.^a

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,

and through the rivers, they shall not flow over you.

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

and the flame shall not scorch^b you.

³For I am Yahweh, your God,

the holy one of Israel, your savior.

I give you Egypt as ransom,

Cush and Seba in place of you.

⁴Because you are precious in my eyes,

you are honored, and I myself love you,

and I give people in place of you,

and nations in place of your life.

⁵You must not fear,

for I am with you.

I will bring your offspring^c from the east,

and I will gather you from the west.

⁶I will say to the north, ‘Give!’

and to the south, ‘You must not withhold!’

Bring my sons from far away,

and my daughters from the end of the earth—

⁷everyone who is called by my name,

and whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed,

indeed whom I made.”

⁸Bring out the people blind yet^d with eyes,

and deaf, though^e they have ears.

⁹Let all the nations gather together,

and let the peoples assemble.

Who among them has declared this,

and declared^f the former things to us?

Let them bring^g their witnesses, that^h they may be in the right,

and let them hear and say, “It is true!”

¹⁰“You are my witnesses,” declaresⁱ Yahweh,

“and my servant whom I have chosen

so that you may know and believe in^j me

and understand that I am he.

No god was formed before me^k,

and none shall be after me.

¹¹I myself am Yahweh,

and there is no savior besides me!

¹²I myself declared and saved,

and I proclaimed.^l And there was no strange god^m among you.

And you are my witnesses,” declaresⁿ Yahweh,

“and I am God.

¹³Indeed, from this day I am the one,

and no one can deliver from my hand.

I perform,^o and who can cancel it?”^p

Yahweh Rescues His People

¹⁴Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer,

the holy one of Israel:

“For your sake I will send to Babylon,

and I will cause all of them to fall down as fugitives,

and the Chaldeans,^q their rejoicing on the ships.

¹⁵I am Yahweh, your holy one,

the creator of Israel, your king.”

¹⁶Thus says Yahweh, who makes^r a way in the sea

and a path in the mighty waters,

¹⁷who brings out chariot and horse,

army and mighty one.

Together they lie down;

they cannot rise.

They are extinguished,

quenched like a wick.

¹⁸“You must not remember the former things,

and you must not consider the former things.

¹⁹Look! I am about to do a new thing! Now it sprouts!

Do you not perceive^s it?

Indeed, I will make^t a way in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert.

²⁰The animals of the field will honor me,

jackals and daughters of the ostrich,

for I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert,

to give a drink to my chosen people,

²¹this people whom I formed for myself,

so they might make known^u my praise.

²²But^v you did not call me, Jacob;

for you have become weary of me, Israel.

²³You have not brought me your sheep for a burnt offering

nor^w honored me with your sacrifice.

I have not made you serve with offerings,^x

nor have I made you weary with frankincense.

²⁴You have not bought me spice reed with money

or^y satisfied me with the fat of sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins;

you have made me weary with your iniquities.

²⁵I, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my sake,

and I will not remember your sins.

²⁶Take me to court; let us enter into judgment together.

You, make an account^z so that you may be in the right.

²⁷Your first ancestor^a sinned,

and your representatives^b transgressed against me.

²⁸And I profaned the princes of the sanctuary,

and I gave Jacob to destruction, and Israel to reviling.