Isaiah 43–44

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

Israel the Chosen

44“But now listen, Jacob, my servant,^k

Israel, whom I have chosen.^l

²This is what the Lord says—

he who made^m you, who formed you in the womb,ⁿ

and who will help^o you:

Do not be afraid,^p Jacob, my servant,^q

Jeshurun,^ar whom I have chosen.

³For I will pour water^s on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;^t

I will pour out my Spirit^u on your offspring,

and my blessing^v on your descendants.^w

⁴They will spring up like grass^x in a meadow,

like poplar trees^y by flowing streams.^z

⁵Some will say, ‘I belong^a to the Lord’;

others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;

still others will write on their hand,^b ‘The Lord’s,’^c

and will take the name Israel.

The Lord, Not Idols

⁶“This is what the Lord says—

Israel’s King^d and Redeemer,^e the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last;^f

apart from me there is no God.^g

⁷Who then is like me?^h Let him proclaim it.

Let him declare and lay out before me

what has happened since I established my ancient people,

and what is yet to come—

yes, let them foretellⁱ what will come.

⁸Do not tremble, do not be afraid.

Did I not proclaim^j this and foretell it long ago?

You are my witnesses. Is there any God^k besides me?

No, there is no other Rock;^l I know not one.”

⁹All who make idols^m are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless.ⁿ

Those who would speak up for them are blind;^o

they are ignorant, to their own shame.^p

¹⁰Who shapes a god and casts an idol,^q

which can profit nothing?^r

¹¹People who do that will be put to shame;^s

such craftsmen are only human beings.

Let them all come together and take their stand;

they will be brought down to terror and shame.^t

¹²The blacksmith^u takes a tool

and works with it in the coals;

he shapes an idol with hammers,

he forges it with the might of his arm.^v

He gets hungry and loses his strength;

he drinks no water and grows faint.^w

¹³The carpenter^x measures with a line

and makes an outline with a marker;

he roughs it out with chisels

and marks it with compasses.

He shapes it in human form,^y

human form in all its glory,

that it may dwell in a shrine.^z

¹⁴He cut down cedars,

or perhaps took a cypress or oak.

He let it grow among the trees of the forest,

or planted a pine,^a and the rain made it grow.

¹⁵It is used as fuel^b for burning;

some of it he takes and warms himself,

he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

But he also fashions a god and worships^c it;

he makes an idol and bows^d down to it.

¹⁶Half of the wood he burns in the fire;

over it he prepares his meal,

he roasts his meat and eats his fill.

He also warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.^e”

¹⁷From the rest he makes a god, his idol;

he bows down to it and worships.^f

He prays^g to it and says,

“Save^h me! You are my god!”

¹⁸They know nothing, they understandⁱ nothing;

their eyes^j are plastered over so they cannot see,

and their minds closed so they cannot understand.

¹⁹No one stops to think,

no one has the knowledge or understanding^k to say,

“Half of it I used for fuel;^l

I even baked bread over its coals,

I roasted meat and I ate.

Shall I make a detestable^m thing from what is left?

Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”ⁿ

²⁰Such a person feeds on ashes;^o a deluded^p heart misleads him;

he cannot save himself, or say,

“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?^q”

²¹“Remember^r these things, Jacob,

for you, Israel, are my servant.^s

I have made you, you are my servant;^t

Israel, I will not forget you.^u

²²I have swept away^v your offenses like a cloud,

your sins like the morning mist.

Return^w to me,

for I have redeemed^x you.”

²³Sing for joy,^y you heavens, for the Lord has done this;

shout aloud, you earth^z beneath.

Burst into song, you mountains,^a

you forests and all your trees,^b

for the Lord has redeemed^c Jacob,

he displays his glory^d in Israel.

Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

²⁴“This is what the Lord says—

your Redeemer,^e who formed^f you in the womb:^g

I am the Lord,

the Maker of all things,

who stretches out the heavens,^h

who spreads out the earthⁱ by myself,

²⁵who foils^j the signs of false prophets

and makes fools of diviners,^k

who overthrows the learning of the wise^l

and turns it into nonsense,^m

²⁶who carries out the wordsⁿ of his servants

and fulfills^o the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,^p ‘It shall be inhabited,’

of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’

and of their ruins,^q ‘I will restore them,’^r

²⁷who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,

and I will dry up^s your streams,’

²⁸who says of Cyrus,^t ‘He is my shepherd

and will accomplish all that I please;

he will say of Jerusalem,^u “Let it be rebuilt,”

and of the temple,^v “Let its foundations^w be laid.” ’