The Redeemer of Israel

43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, afor I have redeemed you;

bI have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

2 cWhen you pass through the waters, dI will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you ewalk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

3 For I am the Lord your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

fI gave Egypt for your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

4 Since you were precious in My sight,

You have been honored,

And I have gloved you;

Therefore I will give men for you,

And people for your life.

5 hFear not, for I am with you;

I will bring your descendants from the east,

And igather you from the west;

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

And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’

Bring My sons from afar,

And My daughters from the ends of the earth—

7 Everyone who is kcalled by My name,

Whom lI have created for My glory;

I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

8 mBring out the blind people who have eyes,

And the ndeaf who have ears.

9 Let all the nations be gathered together,

And let the people be assembled.

oWho among them can declare this,

And show us former things?

Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;

Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

10 “You pare My witnesses,” says the Lord,

q“And My servant whom I have chosen,

That you may know and rbelieve Me,

And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no God formed,

Nor shall there be after Me.

11 I, even I, sam the Lord,

And besides Me there is no savior.

12 I have declared and saved,

I have proclaimed,

And there was no tforeign god among you;

uTherefore you are My witnesses,”

Says the Lord, “that I am God.

13 vIndeed before the day was, I am He;

And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;

I work, and who will wreverse it?”

14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,

The Holy One of Israel:

“For your sake I will send to Babylon,

And bring them all down as fugitives—

The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,

The Creator of Israel, your xKing.”

16 Thus says the Lord, who ymakes a way in the sea

And a zpath through the mighty waters,

17 Who abrings forth the chariot and horse,

The army and the power

(They shall lie down together, they shall not rise;

They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):

18 “Do bnot remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a cnew thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

dI will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

20 The beast of the field will honor Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because eI give waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My people, My chosen.

21 fThis people I have formed for Myself;

They shall declare My gpraise.

Pleading with Unfaithful Israel

22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;

And you hhave been weary of Me, O Israel.

23 iYou have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,

Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.

I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,

Nor wearied you with incense.

24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,

Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;

But you have burdened Me with your sins,

You have jwearied Me with your iniquities.

25 “I, even I, am He who kblots out your transgressions lfor My own sake;

mAnd I will not remember your sins.

26 Put Me in remembrance;

Let us contend together;

State your case, that you may be 1acquitted.

27 Your first father sinned,

And your 2mediators have transgressed against Me.

28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;

nI will give Jacob to the curse,

And Israel to reproaches.

God’s Blessing on Israel

44 “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant,

And Israel whom I have chosen.

2 Thus says the Lord who made you

And formed you from the womb, who will help you:

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;

And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,

And floods on the dry ground;

I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,

And My blessing on your offspring;

4 They will spring up among the grass

Like willows by the watercourses.’

5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;

Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;

Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’

And name himself by the name of Israel.

There is No Other God

6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,

And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:

a‘I am the First and I am the Last;

Besides Me there is no God.

7 And bwho can proclaim as I do?

Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,

Since I appointed the ancient people.

And the things that are coming and shall come,

Let them show these to them.

8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;

cHave I not told you from that time, and declared it?

dYou are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

Indeed ethere is no other Rock;

I know not one.’ ”

Idolatry is Foolishness

9 fThose who make an image, all of them are useless,

And their precious things shall not profit;

They are their own witnesses;

gThey neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

10 Who would form a god or mold an image

hThat profits him nothing?

11 Surely all his companions would be iashamed;

And the workmen, they are mere men.

Let them all be gathered together,

Let them stand up;

Yet they shall fear,

They shall be ashamed together.

12 jThe blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,

Fashions it with hammers,

And works it with the strength of his arms.

Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;

He drinks no water and is faint.

13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,

He marks one out with chalk;

He fashions it with a plane,

He marks it out with the compass,

And makes it like the figure of a man,

According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.

14 He cuts down cedars for himself,

And takes the cypress and the oak;

He 1secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.

He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,

For he will take some of it and warm himself;

Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;

Indeed he makes a god and worships it;

He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.

16 He burns half of it in the fire;

With this half he eats meat;

He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.

He even warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm,

I have seen the fire.”

17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,

His carved image.

He falls down before it and worships it,

Prays to it and says,

“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

18 kThey do not know nor understand;

For lHe has 2shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,

And their hearts, so that they cannot munderstand.

19 And no one nconsiders in his heart,

Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,

“I have burned half of it in the fire,

Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;

I have roasted meat and eaten it;

And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?

Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

20 He feeds on ashes;

oA deceived heart has turned him aside;

And he cannot deliver his soul,

Nor say, “Is there not a plie in my right hand?”

Israel is Not Forgotten

21 “Remember these, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are My servant;

I have formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be qforgotten by Me!

22 rI have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,

And like a cloud, your sins.

Return to Me, for sI have redeemed you.”

23 tSing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!

Shout, you lower parts of the earth;

Break forth into singing, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!

For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,

And uglorified Himself in Israel.

Judah Will Be Restored

24 Thus says the Lord, vyour Redeemer,

And wHe who formed you from the womb:

“I am the Lord, who makes all things,

xWho stretches out the heavens 3all alone,

Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;

25 Who yfrustrates the signs zof the babblers,

And drives diviners mad;

Who turns wise men backward,

aAnd makes their knowledge foolishness;

26 bWho confirms the word of His servant,

And performs the counsel of His messengers;

Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’

To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’

And I will raise up her waste places;

27 cWho says to the deep, ‘Be dry!

And I will dry up your rivers’;

28 Who says of dCyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, e“You shall be built,”

And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,

To aCyrus, whose bright hand I have 1held—

cTo subdue nations before him

And dloose the armor of kings,

To open before him the double doors,

So that the gates will not be shut:

2 ‘I will go before you

eAnd 2make the 3crooked places straight;

fI will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places,

gThat you may know that I, the Lord,

Who hcall you by your name,

Am the God of Israel.

4 For iJacob My servant’s sake,

And Israel My elect,

I have even called you by your name;

I have named you, though you have not known Me.

5 I jam the Lord, and kthere is no other;

There is no God besides Me.

lI will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 mThat they may nknow from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other;

7 I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and ocreate calamity;

I, the Lord, do all these things.’

8 “Rain pdown, you heavens, from above,

And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,

And let righteousness spring up together.

I, the Lord, have created it.

9 “Woe to him who strives with qhis Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

rShall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’

Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”

11 Thus says the Lord,

The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:

s“Ask Me of things to come concerning tMy sons;

And concerning uthe work of My hands, you command Me.

12 vI …