Isaiah 41:17–43:13

17 “The poor and needy search for water,u

but there is none;

their tongues are parched with thirst.v

But I the Lord will answerw them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsakex them.

18 I will make rivers flowy on barren heights,

and springs within the valleys.

I will turn the desertz into pools of water,a

and the parched ground into springs.b

19 I will put in the desertc

the cedar and the acacia,d the myrtle and the olive.

I will set juniperse in the wasteland,

the fir and the cypressf together,g

20 so that people may see and know,h

may consider and understand,i

that the handj of the Lord has done this,

that the Holy Onek of Israel has createdl it.

21 “Present your case,m” says the Lord.

“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.n

22 “Tell us, you idols,

what is going to happen.o

Tell us what the former thingsp were,

so that we may consider them

and know their final outcome.

Or declare to us the things to come,q

23 tell us what the future holds,

so we may knowr that you are gods.

Do something, whether good or bad,s

so that we will be dismayedt and filled with fear.

24 But you are less than nothingu

and your works are utterly worthless;v

whoever chooses you is detestable.w

25 “I have stirredx up one from the north,y and he comes—

one from the rising sun who calls on my name.

He treadsz on rulers as if they were mortar,

as if he were a potter treading the clay.

26 Who told of this from the beginning,a so we could know,

or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?

No one told of this,

no one foretoldb it,

no one heard any wordsc from you.

27 I was the first to telld Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’

I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.e

28 I look but there is no onef—

no one among the gods to give counsel,g

no one to give answerh when I ask them.

29 See, they are all false!

Their deeds amount to nothing;i

their imagesj are but windk and confusion.

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant,l whom I uphold,

my chosen onem in whom I delight;n

I will put my Spirito on him,

and he will bring justicep to the nations.q

2 He will not shout or cry out,r

or raise his voice in the streets.

3 A bruised reeds he will not break,t

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.u

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;v

4 he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justicew on earth.

In his teachingx the islandsy will put their hope.”z

5 This is what God the Lord says—

the Creator of the heavens,a who stretches them out,

who spreads out the earthb with all that springs from it,c

who gives breathd to its people,

and life to those who walk on it:

6 “I, the Lord, have callede you in righteousness;f

I will take hold of your hand.g

I will keeph you and will make you

to be a covenanti for the people

and a lightj for the Gentiles,k

7 to open eyes that are blind,l

to freem captives from prisonn

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.o

8 “I am the Lord;p that is my name!q

I will not yield my glory to anotherr

or my praise to idols.s

9 See, the former thingst have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announceu them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Singv to the Lord a new song,w

his praisex from the ends of the earth,y

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,z

you islands,a and all who live in them.

11 Let the wildernessb and its towns raise their voices;

let the settlements where Kedarc lives rejoice.

Let the people of Selad sing for joy;

let them shout from the mountaintops.e

12 Let them give gloryf to the Lord

and proclaim his praiseg in the islands.h

13 The Lord will march out like a champion,i

like a warriorj he will stir up his zeal;k

with a shoutl he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.m

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,n

I have been quiet and held myself back.o

But now, like a woman in childbirth,

I cry out, I gasp and pant.p

15 I will lay wasteq the mountainsr and hills

and dry up all their vegetation;

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry ups the pools.

16 I will leadt the blindu by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into lightv before them

and make the rough places smooth.w

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsakex them.

17 But those who trust in idols,

who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’y

will be turned back in utter shame.z

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;a

look, you blind, and see!

19 Who is blindb but my servant,c

and deaf like the messengerd I send?

Who is blind like the one in covenante with me,

blind like the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;

your ears are open, but you do not listen.”f

21 It pleased the Lord

for the sakeg of his righteousness

to make his lawh great and glorious.

22 But this is a people plunderedi and looted,

all of them trapped in pitsj

or hidden away in prisons.k

They have become plunder,

with no one to rescue them;l

they have been made loot,

with no one to say, “Send them back.”

23 Which of you will listen to this

or pay close attentionm in time to come?

24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,

and Israel to the plunderers?n

Was it not the Lord,o

against whom we have sinned?

For they would not followp his ways;

they did not obey his law.q

25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,r

the violence of war.

It enveloped them in flames,s yet they did not understand;t

it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.u

Israel’s Only Savior

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who createdv you, Jacob,

he who formedw you, Israel:x

“Do not fear, for I have redeemedy you;

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

2 When 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

3 For I am the Lord your God,f

the Holy Oneg of Israel, your Savior;h

I give Egypti for your ransom,

Cusha j and Sebak in your stead.l

4 Since you are precious and honoredm in my sight,

and because I loven you,

I will give people in exchange for you,

nations in exchange for your life.

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

I will bring your childrenq from the east

and gatherr you from the west.s

6 I 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 daughtersu from the ends of the earthv—

7 everyone who is called by my name,w

whom I createdx for my glory,y

whom I formed and made.z”

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

who have ears but are deaf.b

9 All the nations gather togetherc

and the peoples assemble.

Which of their gods foretoldd 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 servantf whom I have chosen,

so that you may knowg and believe me

and understand that I am he.

Before me no godh was formed,

nor will there be one after me.i

11 I, even I, am the Lord,j

and apart from me there is no savior.k

12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—

I, and not some foreign godl among you.

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

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

No one can deliver out of my hand.

When I act, who can reverse it?”p