New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
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But now, says the Lord your Maker, O Jacob, and your life-giver, O Israel: have no fear, for I have taken up your cause; naming you by your name, I have made you mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
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When you go through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not go over you: when you go through the fire, you will not be burned; and the flame will have no power over you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
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For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your saviour; I have given Egypt as a price for you, Ethiopia and Seba for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
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Because of your value in my eyes, you have been honoured, and loved by me; so I will give men for you, and peoples for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;
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Have no fear, for I am with you: I will take your seed from the east, and get you together from the west;
6 I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—
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I will say to the north, Give them up; and to the south, Do not keep them back; send back my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth;
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
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Every one who is named by my name, and whom I have made for my glory, who has been formed and designed by me.
8 Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
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Send out the blind people who have eyes, and those who have ears, but they are shut.
9 Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, "It is true."
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Let all the nations come together, and let the peoples be present: who among them is able to make this clear, and give us word of earlier things? let their witnesses come forward, so that they may be seen to be true, and that they may give ear, and say, It is true.
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
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You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have taken for myself: so that you may see and have faith in me, and that it may be clear to you that I am he; before me there was no God formed, and there will not be after me.
11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.
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I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no saviour but me.
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
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I gave the word, and made it clear, and there was no strange god among you: for this reason you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
13 I am God, and also henceforth I am He; there is no one who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?
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From time long past I am God, and from this day I am he: there is no one who is able to take you out of my hand: when I undertake a thing, by whom will my purpose be changed?
14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I will send to Babylon and break down all the bars, and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation.
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The Lord, who has taken up your cause, the Holy One of Israel, says, Because of you I have sent to Babylon, and made all their seers come south, and the Chaldaeans whose cry is in the ships.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
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I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Maker of Israel, your King.
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,
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This is the word of the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, and a road through the deep waters;
17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
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Who sends out the war-carriages and the horses, the army with all its force; they have come down, they will not get up again; like a feebly burning light they are put out.
18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.
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Give no thought to the things which are past; let the early times go out of your minds.
19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
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See, I am doing a new thing; now it is starting; will you not take note of it? I will even make a way in the waste land, and rivers in the dry country.
20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,
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The beasts of the field will give me honour, the jackals and the ostriches: because I send out waters in the waste land, and rivers in the dry country, to give drink to the people whom I have taken for myself:
21 the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
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Even the people whom I made to be the witnesses of my praise.
22 Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
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But you have made no prayer to me, O Jacob: and you have given no thought to me, O Israel.
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense.
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You have not made me burned offerings of sheep, or given me honour with your offerings of beasts; I did not make you servants to give me an offering, and I did not make you tired with requests for perfumes.
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.
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You have not got me sweet-smelling plants with your money, or given me pleasure with the fat of your offerings: but you have made me a servant to your sins, and you have made me tired with your evil doings.
25 I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
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I, even I, am he who takes away your sins; and I will no longer keep your evil doings in mind.
26 Accuse me, let us go to trial; set forth your case, so that you may be proved right.
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Put me in mind of this; let us take up the cause between us: put forward your cause, so that you may be seen to be in the right.
27 Your first ancestor sinned, and your interpreters transgressed against me.
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Your first father was a sinner, and your guides have gone against my word.
28 Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary, I delivered Jacob to utter destruction, and Israel to reviling.
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Your chiefs have made my holy place unclean, so I have made Jacob a curse, and Israel a thing of shame.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.