Isaiah 42; Isaiah 43; Isaiah 44

1 But here is my servant, the one I uphold; my chosen, who brings me delight. I've put my spirit upon him; he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He won't cry out or shout aloud or make his voice heard in public.

3 He won't break a bruised reed; he won't extinguish a faint wick, but he will surely bring justice.

4 He won't be extinguished or broken until he has established justice in the land. The coastlands await his teaching.

5 God the LORD says— the one who created the heavens, the one who stretched them out, the one who spread out the earth and its offspring, the one who gave breath to its people and life to those who walk on it—

6 I, the LORD, have called you for a good reason. I will grasp your hand and guard you, and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations,

7 to open blind eyes, to lead the prisoners from prison, and those who sit in darkness from the dungeon.

8 I am the LORD; that is my name; I don't hand out my glory to others or my praise to idols.

9 The things announced in the past—look—they've already happened, but I'm declaring new things. Before they even appear, I tell you about them.

10 Sing to the LORD a new song! Sing his praise from the ends of the earth! You who sail the sea and all that fills it, the coastlands and their residents.

11 Let the desert and its towns shout aloud, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the cliff dwellers sing; from the top of the mountains let them shout.

12 Let them give the LORD glory and declare God's praise in the coastlands.

13 The LORD will go out like a soldier; like a warrior God will stir up rage. God will shout, will roar; over enemies he will prevail.

14 I've kept still for a very long time. I've been silent and restrained myself. Like a woman in labor I will moan; I will pant, I will gasp.

15 I will wither mountains and valleys, and I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into deserts, and I will dry up pools.

16 I will make the blind walk a road they don't know, and I will guide them in paths they don't know. But I will make darkness before them into light and rough places into level ground. These things I will do; I won't abandon them.

17 Turned backward, utterly shamed are those who trust in idols, who say to a cast image, "You are our god!"

18 Hear, deaf ones, and blind ones, look and see!

19 Who is blind if not my servant and deaf like my messenger whom I send? Who is blind like the restored one, blind like the servant of the LORD?

20 You have seen many things, but don't keep watch. With ears open, you don't hear.

21 The LORD desired for the sake of his righteousness to expand and glorify the Instruction.

22 But this is a people plundered and looted, everyone trapped in holes and hidden in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue, loot with no one to say, "Give it back."

23 Which of you will listen to this, will pay attention and respond from now on?

24 Who gave Jacob to the looter, and Israel to the plunderers? Wasn't it the LORD, the one we sinned against? They were not willing to walk in God's ways, and wouldn't listen to his teaching.

25 So God poured out on Jacob the heat of his anger and the fury of battle. It scorched him, and he didn't know it; it burned him, but he didn't give it much thought.

1 But now, says the LORD— the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: Don't fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won't sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won't be scorched and flame won't burn you.

3 I am the LORD your God, the holy one of Israel, your savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.

4 Because you are precious in my eyes, you are honored, and I love you. I give people in your place, and nations in exchange for your life.

5 Don't fear, I am with you. From the east I'll bring your children; from the west I'll gather you.

6 I'll say to the north, "Give them back!" and to the south, "Don't detain them." Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the end of the earth,

7 everyone who is called by my name and whom I created for my glory, whom I have formed and made.

8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes, the deaf ones who have ears.

9 All the nations are gathered together; the peoples are assembled. Which of them announced this? Who predicted to us the past events? Let them bring their witnesses as a defense; let them hear and say, "It's true!"

10 You are my witnesses, says the LORD, my servant, whom I chose, so that you would know and believe me and understand that I am the one. Before me no god was formed; after me there has been no other.

11 I, I am the LORD, and there is no savior besides me.

12 I announced, I saved, I proclaimed, not some stranger among you. You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and I am God.

13 From the dawn of time, I am the one. No one can escape my power. I act, and who can undo it?

14 The LORD your redeemer, the holy one of Israel, says, For your sake, I have sent an army to Babylon, and brought down all the bars, turning the Chaldeans' singing into a lament.

15 I am the LORD, your holy one, Israel's creator, your king!

16 The LORD says—who makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters,

17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and battalion; they will lie down together and will not rise; they will be extinguished, extinguished like a wick.

18 Don't remember the prior things; don't ponder ancient history.

19 Look! I'm doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don't you recognize it? I'm making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.

20 The beasts of the field, the jackals and ostriches, will honor me, because I have put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness to give water to my people, my chosen ones,

21 this people whom I formed for myself, who will recount my praise.

22 But you didn't call out to me, Jacob; you were tired of me, Israel.

23 You didn't bring me lambs for your entirely burned offering; you didn't honor me with your sacrifices. I didn't make you worship with offerings; I didn't weary you with frankincense.

24 You didn't buy spices for me with your money, or satisfy me with the fat of your sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your evil actions.

25 I, I am the one who wipes out your rebellious behavior for my sake. I won't remember your sin.

26 Summon me, and let's go to trial together; you tell your story so that you may be vindicated!

27 Your first ancestor sinned, and your officials rebelled against me.

28 So I made the holy officials impure, handed over Jacob to destruction and Israel to abuse.

1 But now hear this, Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen.

2 The LORD your maker, who formed you in the womb and will help you, says: Don't fear, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

3 I will pour out water upon thirsty ground and streams upon dry land. I will pour out my spirit upon your descendants and my blessing upon your offspring.

4 They will spring up from among the reeds like willows by flowing streams.

5 This one will say, "I am the LORD's," and that one will be named after Jacob. Another will write on his hand, "The LORD's" and will take the name Israel.

6 The LORD, Israel's king and redeemer, the LORD of heavenly forces, says: I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there are no gods.

7 Who is like me? Let them speak up, explain it, and lay it out for me. Who announced long ago what is to be? Let them tell us what is to come.

8 Don't tremble; have no fear! Didn't I proclaim it? Didn't I inform you long ago? You are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no other rock; I know of none.

9 Idol-makers are all as nothing; their playthings do no good. Their promoters neither see nor know anything, so they ought to be ashamed.

10 Who would form a god or cast an idol that does no good?

11 All its worshippers will be ashamed, and its artisans, who are only human. They will all gather and stand, tremble and be ashamed together.

12 A blacksmith with his tools works it over coals, and shapes it with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. He even becomes hungry and weak. If he didn't drink water, he'd pass out.

13 A carpenter stretches out a string, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with carving tools, and marks it with a compass. He makes it into a human form, like a splendid human, to live in a temple.

14 He cuts down cedars for himself, or chooses a cypress or oak, selecting from all the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain makes it grow.

15 It becomes suitable to burn for humans, so he takes some of the wood and warms himself. He kindles fire and bakes bread. He fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.

16 Half of it he burns in the fire; on that half he roasts and eats meat, and he is satisfied. He warms himself and says, "Ah, I'm warm, watching the fire!"

17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, into his idol, and he bows down, worships, and prays to it, saying, "Save me, for you are my god!"

18 They don't know or comprehend, for their eyes can't see and their minds can't comprehend.

19 He doesn't think, and has no knowledge or understanding to think: Half of it I burned in the fire, and I baked bread on its coals, and roasted meat and ate. Should I make the rest into something detestable? Should I bow down to a block of wood?

20 He's feeding on ashes; his deluded mind has led him astray. He can't save himself and say, "Isn't this thing in my hand a lie?"

21 Remember these things, Jacob; Israel, for you are my servant. I formed you; you are my servant! I won't forget you, Israel.

22 I swept away your rebellions like a cloud, and your sins like fog. Return to me, because I have redeemed you.

23 Sing, heavens, for the LORD has acted; shout, depths of the earth! Burst out with a ringing cry, you mountains, forest, and every tree in it. The LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself through Israel.

24 The LORD your redeemer who formed you in the womb says: I am the LORD, the maker of all, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

25 who frustrates the omens of diviners and makes a mockery of magicians, who turns back the wise and turns their knowledge into folly.

26 But who confirms the word of my servant, and fulfills the predictions of my messengers; who says about Jerusalem, "It will be resettled"; and who says about the cities of Judah, "They will be rebuilt, and I will restore their ruins";

27 who says to the ocean depths, "Dry up; I will dry your streams";

28 who says about Cyrus, "My shepherd— he will do all that I want"; who says about Jerusalem, "She will be rebuilt"; and who says about the temple, "You will be founded once again."