Isaiah 49:1–13

God Calls His Special Servant

49All of you people in faraway places, listen to me.

Listen, all you nations far away.

Before I was born, the Lord called me to serve him.

The Lord named me while I was still in my mother’s womb.

²He made my tongue like a sharp sword.

He hid me in the shadow of his hand.

He made me like a sharp arrow.

He hid me in the holder for his arrows.

³He told me, “Israel, you are my servant.

I will show my glory through you.”

⁴But I said, “I have worked hard for nothing;

I have used all my power, but I did nothing useful.

But the Lord will decide what my work is worth;

God will decide my reward.”

⁵The Lord made me in the body of my mother

to be his servant,

to lead the people of Jacob back to him

so that Israel might be gathered to him.

The Lord will honor me,

and I will get my strength from my God.

⁶Now he told me,

“You are an important servant to me

to bring back the tribes of Jacob,

to bring back the people of Israel who are left alive.

But, more importantly, I will make you a light for all nations

to show people all over the world the way to be saved.”

⁷The Lord who saves you

is the Holy One of Israel.

He speaks to the one who is hated by the people,

to the servant of rulers.

This is what he says: “Kings will see you and stand to honor you;

great leaders will bow down before you,

because the Lord can be trusted.

He is the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

The Day of Salvation

⁸This is what the Lord says:

“At the right time I will hear your prayers.

On the day of salvation I will help you.

I will protect you,

and you will be the sign of my agreement with the people.

You will bring back the people to the land

and give the land that is now ruined back to its owners.

⁹You will tell the prisoners, ‘Come out of your prison.’

You will tell those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’

The people will eat beside the roads,

and they will find food even on bare hills.

¹⁰They will not be hungry or thirsty.

Neither the hot sun nor the desert wind will hurt them.

The God who comforts them will lead them

and guide them by springs of water.

¹¹I will make my mountains into roads,

and the roads will be raised up.

¹²Look, people are coming to me from far away,

from the north and from the west,

from Aswan in southern Egypt.”

¹³Heavens and earth, be happy.

Mountains, shout with joy,

because the Lord comforts his people

and will have pity on those who suffer.