Isaiah 43

Israel’s Only Savior

43But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who created^v you, Jacob,

he who formed^w you, Israel:^x

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed^y you;

I have summoned you by name;^z you are mine.^a

²When you pass through the waters,^b

I will be with you;^c

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,^d

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.^e

³For I am the Lord your God,^f

the Holy One^g of Israel, your Savior;^h

I give Egyptⁱ for your ransom,

Cush^aj and Seba^k in your stead.^l

⁴Since you are precious and honored^m in my sight,

and because I loveⁿ you,

I will give people in exchange for you,

nations in exchange for your life.

⁵Do not be afraid,^o for I am with you;^p

I will bring your children^q from the east

and gather^r you from the west.^s

⁶I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south,^t ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring my sons from afar

and my daughters^u from the ends of the earth^v—

⁷everyone who is called by my name,^w

whom I created^x for my glory,^y

whom I formed and made.^z”

⁸Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,^a

who have ears but are deaf.^b

⁹All the nations gather together^c

and the peoples assemble.

Which of their gods foretold^d this

and proclaimed to us the former things?

Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,

so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

¹⁰“You are my witnesses,^e” declares the Lord,

“and my servant^f whom I have chosen,

so that you may know^g and believe me

and understand that I am he.

Before me no god^h was formed,

nor will there be one after me.ⁱ

¹¹I, even I, am the Lord,^j

and apart from me there is no savior.^k

¹²I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—

I, and not some foreign god^l among you.

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

¹³Yes, and from ancient daysⁿ I am he.^o

No one can deliver out of my hand.

When I act, who can reverse it?”^p

God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

¹⁴This is what the Lord says—

your Redeemer,^q the Holy One^r of Israel:

“For your sake I will send to Babylon

and bring down as fugitives^s all the Babylonians,^bt

in the ships in which they took pride.

¹⁵I am the Lord,^u your Holy One,

Israel’s Creator,^v your King.^w”

¹⁶This is what the Lord says—

he who made a way through the sea,

a path through the mighty waters,^x

¹⁷who drew out^y the chariots and horses,^z

the army and reinforcements together,^a

and they lay^b there, never to rise again,

extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:^c

¹⁸“Forget the former things;^d

do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹See, I am doing a new thing!^e

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness^f

and streams in the wasteland.^g

²⁰The wild animals^h honor me,

the jackalsⁱ and the owls,

because I provide water^j in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

²¹the people I formed^k for myself^l

that they may proclaim my praise.^m

²²“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,

you have not weariedⁿ yourselves for^c me, Israel.^o

²³You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,^p

nor honored^q me with your sacrifices.^r

I have not burdened^s you with grain offerings

nor wearied you with demands^t for incense.^u

²⁴You have not bought any fragrant calamus^v for me,

or lavished on me the fat^w of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins

and wearied^x me with your offenses.^y

²⁵“I, even I, am he who blots out

your transgressions,^z for my own sake,^a

and remembers your sins^b no more.^c

²⁶Review the past for me,

let us argue the matter together;^d

state the case^e for your innocence.

²⁷Your first father^f sinned;

those I sent to teach^g you rebelled^h against me.

²⁸So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;

I consigned Jacob to destruction^di

and Israel to scorn.^j