Isaiah 53:1–8

Who has believed what we’ve been saying?

Who has seen the Lord’s saving power?

²His servant grew up like a tender young plant.

He grew like a root coming up out of dry ground.

He didn’t have any beauty or majesty that made us notice him.

There wasn’t anything special about the way he looked that drew us to him.

³Men looked down on him. They didn’t accept him.

He knew all about sorrow and suffering.

He was like someone people turn their faces away from.

We looked down on him. We didn’t have any respect for him.

⁴He suffered the things we should have suffered.

He took on himself the pain that should have been ours.

But we thought God was punishing him.

We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.

⁵But the servant was pierced because we had sinned.

He was crushed because we had done what was evil.

He was punished to make us whole again.

His wounds have healed us.

⁶All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God.

All of us have turned to our own way.

And the Lord has placed on his servant

the sins of all of us.

⁷He was beaten down and made to suffer.

But he didn’t open his mouth.

He was led away like a sheep to be killed.

Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off.

In the same way, he didn’t open his mouth.

⁸He was arrested and sentenced to death.

Then he was taken away.

He was cut off from this life.

He was punished for the sins of my people.

Who among those who were living at that time

could have understood those things?