Isaiah 50–52

¹Thus said Jehovah: ‘Where is this—the bill of your mother’s divorce, Whom I sent away? Or to which of My creditors have I sold you? Lo, for your iniquities ye have been sold, And for your transgressions Hath your mother been sent away. ²Wherefore have I come, and there is no one? I called, and there is none answering, Hath My hand been at all short of redemption? And is there not in me power to deliver? Lo, by My rebuke I dry up a sea, I make rivers a wilderness, Their fish stinketh, for there is no water, And dieth with thirst. ³I clothe the heavens with blackness, And sackcloth I make their covering.

⁴The Lord Jehovah hath given to me The tongue of taught ones, To know to aid the weary by a word, He waketh morning by morning, He waketh for me an ear to hear as taught ones. ⁵The Lord Jehovah opened for me the ear, And I rebelled not—backward I moved not. ⁶My back I have given to those smiting, And my cheeks to those plucking out, My face I hid not from shame and spitting. ⁷And the Lord Jehovah giveth help to me, Therefore I have not been ashamed, Therefore I have set my face as a flint, And I know that I am not ashamed. ⁸Near is He who is justifying me, Who doth contend with me? We stand together, who is mine opponent? Let him come nigh unto me. ⁹Lo, the Lord Jehovah giveth help to me, Who is he that declareth me wicked? Lo, all of them as a garment wear out, A moth doth eat them.

¹⁰Who is among you, fearing Jehovah, Hearkening to the voice of His servant, That hath walked in dark places, And there is no brightness for him? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah, And lean upon his God. ¹¹Lo, all ye kindling a fire, girding on sparks, Walk ye in the light of your fire, And in the sparks ye have caused to burn, From my hand hath this been to you, In grief ye lie down!

Chapter 51

¹Hearken unto Me, ye pursuing righteousness, Seeking Jehovah, Look attentively unto the rock—ye have been hewn, And unto the hole of the pit—ye have been digged. ²Look attentively unto Abraham your father, And unto Sarah—she bringeth you forth, For—one—I have called him, And I bless him, and multiply him. ³For Jehovah hath comforted Zion, He hath comforted all her wastes, And He setteth her wilderness as Eden, And her desert as a garden of Jehovah, Joy, yea, gladness is found in her, Confession, and the voice of song.

⁴Attend unto Me, O My people, And, O My nation, unto Me give ear. For a law from Me goeth out, And My judgment to the light, Peoples I do cause to rest. ⁵Near is My righteousness, Gone out hath My salvation and Mine arms, Peoples they judge, on Me isles do wait, Yea, on Mine arm they do wait with hope. ⁶Lift ye up to the heavens your eyes, And look attentively unto the earth beneath, For the heavens as smoke have vanished, And the earth as a garment weareth out, And its inhabitants as gnats do die, And My salvation is to the age, And My righteousness is not broken. ⁷Hearken unto Me, ye who know righteousness, A people, in whose heart is My law, Fear ye not the reproach of men, And for their reviling be not affrighted, ⁸For as a garment eat them doth a moth, And as wool eat them doth a worm, And My righteousness is to the age, And My salvation to all generations.

⁹Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Jehovah, Awake, as in days of old, generations of the ages, Art not Thou it that is hewing down Rahab, Piercing a dragon! ¹⁰Art not Thou it that is drying up a sea, Waters of a great deep? That hath made deep places of a sea A way for the passing of the redeemed? ¹¹And the ransomed of Jehovah turn back, And they have come to Zion with singing, And joy age-during is on their head, Gladness and joy they attain, Fled away have sorrow and sighing, ¹²I—I am He—your comforter, Who art thou—and thou art afraid of man? he dieth! And of the son of man—grass he is made! ¹³And thou dost forget Jehovah thy maker, Who is stretching out the heavens, and founding earth, And thou dost fear continually all the day, Because of the fury of the oppressor, As he hath prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? ¹⁴Hastened hath a wanderer to be loosed, And he doth not die at the pit, And his bread is not lacking. ¹⁵And I am Jehovah thy God, Quieting the sea, when its billows roar, Jehovah of Hosts is His name. ¹⁶And I put My words in thy mouth, And with the shadow of My hand have covered thee, To plant the heavens, and to found earth, And to say to Zion, ‘My people art thou.’

¹⁷Stir thyself, stir thyself, rise, Jerusalem, Who hast drunk from the hand of Jehovah The cup of His fury, The goblet, the cup of trembling, thou hast drunk, Thou hast wrung out. ¹⁸There is not a leader to her Out of all the sons she hath borne, And there is none laying hold on her hand Out of all the sons she hath nourished. ¹⁹These two are meeting thee, who is moved for thee? Spoiling and destruction—Famine and sword, who—I comfort thee? ²⁰Thy sons have been wrapped up, they have lain down, At the head of all out places, as a wild ox in a net, They are full of the fury of Jehovah, The rebuke of Thy God. ²¹Therefore, hear, I pray thee, this, O afflicted and drunken one, and not with wine, ²²Thus said thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God, He pleadeth for his people: ‘Lo, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling, The goblet, the cup of My fury, Thou dost not add to drink it any more. ²³And I have put it into the hand of those afflicting thee, Who have said to thy soul, Bow down, and we pass over, And thou makest as the earth thy body, And as the street to those passing by!’

Chapter 52

¹Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, Put on the garments of thy beauty, Jerusalem—the Holy City; For enter no more into thee again, Do the uncircumcised and unclean. ²Shake thyself from dust, arise, sit, O Jerusalem, Bands of thy neck have loosed themselves, O captive, daughter of Zion. ³For thus said Jehovah: ‘For nought ye have been sold, And not by money are ye redeemed.’ ⁴For thus said the Lord Jehovah: ‘To Egypt My people went down at first to sojourn there, And Asshur—for nought he hath oppressed it. ⁵And now, what—to Me here, An affirmation of Jehovah, That taken is My people for nought? Its rulers cause howling,—an affirmation of Jehovah, And continually all the day My name is despised. ⁶Therefore doth My people know My name, Therefore, in that day, Surely I am He who is speaking, behold Me.’

⁷How comely on the mountains, Have been the feet of one proclaiming tidings, Sounding peace, proclaiming good tidings, Sounding salvation, Saying to Zion, ‘Reigned hath thy God.’ ⁸The voice of thy watchmen! They have lifted up the voice, together they cry aloud, Because eye to eye they see, in Jehovah’s turning back to Zion. ⁹Break forth, sing together, O wastes of Jerusalem, For Jehovah hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. ¹⁰Jehovah hath made bare His holy arm Before the eyes of all the nations, And seen have all the ends of the earth, The salvation of our God. ¹¹Turn aside, turn aside, go out thence, The unclean touch not, go out from her midst, Be ye pure, who are bearing the weapons of Jehovah. ¹²For not in haste do ye go out, Yea, with flight ye go not on, For going before you is Jehovah, And gathering you is the God of Israel!

¹³Lo, My servant doth act wisely, He is high, and hath been lifted up, And hath been very high. ¹⁴As astonished at thee have been many, (So marred by man his appearance, And his form by sons of men.) ¹⁵So doth he sprinkle many nations. Concerning him kings shut their mouth, For that which was not recounted to them they have seen, And that which they had not heard they have understood!

Chapter 53