14 But Zionu said, “The Lord has forsakenv me,

the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the childw she has borne?

Though she may forget,

I will not forget you!x

16 See, I have engravedy you on the palms of my hands;

your wallsz are ever before me.

17 Your children hasten back,

and those who laid you wastea depart from you.

18 Lift up your eyes and look around;

all your children gatherb and come to you.

As surely as I live,c” declares the Lord,

“you will weard them all as ornaments;

you will put them on, like a bride.

19 “Though you were ruined and made desolatee

and your land laid waste,f

now you will be too small for your people,g

and those who devouredh you will be far away.

20 The children born during your bereavement

will yet say in your hearing,

‘This place is too small for us;

give us more space to live in.’i

21 Then you will say in your heart,

‘Who bore me these?j

I was bereavedk and barren;

I was exiled and rejected.l

Who brought thesem up?

I was leftn all alone,o

but these—where have they come from?’ ”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lordp says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,

I will lift up my bannerq to the peoples;

they will bringr your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their hips.s

23 Kingst will be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.u

They will bow downv before you with their faces to the ground;

they will lick the dustw at your feet.

Then you will know that I am the Lord;x

those who hopey in me will not be disappointed.z”

24 Can plunder be taken from warriors,a

or captives be rescued from the fiercec?

25 But this is what the Lord says:

“Yes, captivesb will be taken from warriors,c

and plunder retrieved from the fierce;d

I will contend with those who contend with you,e

and your children I will save.f

26 I will make your oppressorsg eath their own flesh;

they will be drunk on their own blood,i as with wine.

Then all mankind will knowj

that I, the Lord, am your Savior,k

your Redeemer,l the Mighty One of Jacob.m”

Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorcen

with which I sent her away?

Or to which of my creditors

did I sello you?

Because of your sinsp you were sold;q

because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.

2 When I came, why was there no one?

When I called, why was there no one to answer?r

Was my arm too shorts to deliver you?

Do I lack the strengtht to rescue you?

By a mere rebukeu I dry up the sea,v

I turn rivers into a desert;w

their fish rot for lack of water

and die of thirst.

3 I clothe the heavens with darknessx

and make sackclothy its covering.”

4 The Sovereign Lordz has given me a well-instructed tongue,a

to know the word that sustains the weary.b

He wakens me morning by morning,c

wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.d

5 The Sovereign Lorde has opened my ears;f

I have not been rebellious,g

I have not turned away.

6 I offered my back to those who beath me,

my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;i

I did not hide my face

from mocking and spitting.j

7 Because the Sovereign Lordk helpsl me,

I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set my face like flint,m

and I know I will not be put to shame.n

8 He who vindicateso me is near.p

Who then will bring charges against me?q

Let us face each other!r

Who is my accuser?

Let him confront me!

9 It is the Sovereign Lords who helpst me.

Who will condemnu me?

They will all wear out like a garment;

the mothsv will eat them up.

10 Who among you fearsw the Lord

and obeysx the word of his servant?y

Let the one who walks in the dark,

who has no light,z

trusta in the name of the Lord

and rely on their God.

11 But now, all you who light fires

and provide yourselves with flaming torches,b

go, walk in the light of your firesc

and of the torches you have set ablaze.

This is what you shall receive from my hand:d

You will lie down in torment.e

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

51 “Listenf to me, you who pursue righteousnessg

and who seekh the Lord:

Look to the rocki from which you were cut

and to the quarry from which you were hewn;

2 look to Abraham,j your father,

and to Sarah, who gave you birth.

When I called him he was only one man,

and I blessed him and made him many.k

3 The Lord will surely comfortl Zionm

and will look with compassion on all her ruins;n

he will make her deserts like Eden,o

her wastelandsp like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladnessq will be found in her,

thanksgivingr and the sound of singing.