Isaiah 41:1--63:19

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands!

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate!

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east?

Who officially commissions him for service?

He hands nations over to him,

and enables him to subdue kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow.

41:3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed;

he advances with great speed.

41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees?

Who summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one.

41:5 The coastlands see and are afraid;

the whole earth trembles;

they approach and come.

41:6 They help one another;

one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’

41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding,

and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”

The Lord Encourages His People

41:8 “You, my servant Israel,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

offspring of Abraham my friend,

41:9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities,

and have summoned from the remote regions –

I told you, “You are my servant.”

I have chosen you and not rejected you.

41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!

Don’t be frightened, for I am your God!

I strengthen you –

yes, I help you –

yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!

41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;

your adversaries will be reduced to nothing and perish.

41:12 When you will look for your opponents, you will not find them;

your enemies will be reduced to absolutely nothing.

41:13 For I am the Lord your God,

the one who takes hold of your right hand,

who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’

41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob,

men of Israel.

I am helping you,” says the Lord,

your protector, the Holy One of Israel.

41:15 “Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge,

new and double-edged.

You will thresh the mountains and crush them;

you will make the hills like straw.

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers;

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes

and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.

I will turn the desert into a pool of water

and the arid land into springs.

41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;

I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.

41:20 I will do this so people will observe and recognize,

so they will pay attention and understand

that the Lord’s power has accomplished this,

and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.”

The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

41:21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.

“Produce your evidence,” says Jacob’s king.

41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!

Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,

so we may examine them and see how they were fulfilled.

Or decree for us some future events!

41:23 Predict how future events will turn out,

so we might know you are gods.

Yes, do something good or bad,

so we might be frightened and in awe.

41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;

the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting.

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name.

He steps on rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?

Who announced it ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?

Indeed, none of them decreed it!

Indeed, none of them announced it!

Indeed, no one heard you say anything!

41:27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’

I sent a herald to Jerusalem.

41:28 I look, but there is no one,

among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,

that I might ask questions and receive answers.

41:29 Look, all of them are nothing,

their accomplishments are nonexistent;

their metal images lack any real substance.

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees for the nations.

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets.

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish;

he will faithfully make just decrees.

42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed

before establishing justice on the earth;

the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees.”

42:5 This is what the true God, the Lord, says –

the one who created the sky and stretched it out,

the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it,

the one who gives breath to the people on it,

and life to those who live on it:

42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you;

I take hold of your hand.

I protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people,

and a light to the nations,

42:7 to open blind eyes,

to release prisoners from dungeons,

those who live in darkness from prisons.

The Lord Intervenes

42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!

I will not share my glory with anyone else,

or the praise due me with idols.

42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass;

now I announce new events.

Before they begin to occur,

I reveal them to you.”

42:10 Sing to the Lord a brand new song!

Praise him from the horizon of the earth,

you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it,

you coastlands and those who live there!

42:11 Let the desert and its cities shout out,

the towns where the nomads of Kedar live!

Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully;

let them shout loudly from the mountaintops.

42:12 Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves;

let them praise his deeds in the coastlands.

42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero,

like a warrior he inspires himself for battle;

he shouts, yes, he yells,

he shows his enemies his power.

42:14 “I have been inactive for a long time;

I kept quiet and held back.

Like a woman in labor I groan;

I pant and gasp.

42:15 I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up;

I will dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn streams into islands,

and dry up pools of water.

42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way;

I will guide them down paths they have never traveled.

I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,

and level out the rough ground.

This is what I will do for them.

I will not abandon them.

42:17 Those who trust in idols

will turn back and be utterly humiliated,

those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”

The Lord Reasons with His People

42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!

Take notice, you blind ones!

42:19 My servant is truly blind,

my messenger is truly deaf.

My covenant partner, the servant of the Lord, is truly blind.

42:20 You see many things, but don’t comprehend;

their ears are open, but do not hear.”

42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice

by magnifying his law and displaying it.

42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;

all of them are trapped in pits

and held captive in prisons.

They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;

they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!”

42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?

Who will listen attentively in the future?

42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?

Who handed Israel over to the looters?

Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?

They refused to follow his commands;

they disobeyed his law.

42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them,

along with the devastation of war.

Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it;

it burned against them, but they did notice.

The Lord Will Rescue His People

43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says,

the one who created you, O Jacob,

and formed you, O Israel:

“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you.

I call you by name, you are mine.

43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;

when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not harm you.

43:3 For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer.

I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,

Ethiopia and Seba in place of you.

43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight,

and I love you,

I will hand over people in place of you,

nations in place of your life.

43:5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

From the east I will bring your descendants;

from the west I will gather you.

43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’

and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’

Bring my sons from distant lands,

and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,

43:7 everyone who belongs to me,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed – yes, whom I made!

The Lord Declares His Sovereignty

43:8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,

those who are deaf, even though they have ears!

43:9 All nations gather together,

the peoples assemble.

Who among them announced this?

Who predicted earlier events for us?

Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;

let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,

“my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may consider and believe in me,

and understand that I am he.

No god was formed before me,

and none will outlive me.

43:11 I, I am the Lord,

and there is no deliverer besides me.

43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,

and there was no other god among you.

You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power;

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

The Lord Will Do Something New

43:14 This is what the Lord says,

your protector, the Holy One of Israel:

“For your sake I send to Babylon

and make them all fugitives,

turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.

43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,

the one who created Israel, your king.”

43:16 This is what the Lord says,

the one who made a road through the sea,

a pathway through the surging waters,

43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction,

together with a mighty army.

They fell down, never to rise again;

they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:

43:18 “Don’t remember these earlier events;

don’t recall these former events.

43:19 “Look, I am about to do something new.

Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it?

Yes, I will make a road in the desert

and paths in the wilderness.

43:20 The wild animals of the desert honor me,

the jackals and ostriches,

because I put water in the desert

and streams in the wilderness,

to quench the thirst of my chosen people,

43:21 the people whom I formed for myself,

so they might praise me.”

The Lord Rebukes His People

43:22 “But you did not call for me, O Jacob;

you did not long for me, O Israel.

43:23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings;

you did not honor me with your sacrifices.

I did not burden you with offerings;

I did not make you weary by demanding incense.

43:24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds;

you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices.

Yet you burdened me with your sins;

you made me weary with your evil deeds.

43:25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;

your sins I do not remember.

43:26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate!

You, prove to me that you are right!

43:27 The father of your nation sinned;

your spokesmen rebelled against me.

43:28 So I defiled your holy princes,

and handed Jacob over to destruction,

and subjected Israel to humiliating abuse.”

The Lord Will Renew Israel

44:1 “Now, listen, Jacob my servant,

Israel whom I have chosen!”

44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –

the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:

“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,

Jeshurun, whom I have chosen!

44:3 For I will pour water on the parched ground

and cause streams to flow on the dry land.

I will pour my spirit on your offspring

and my blessing on your children.

44:4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass,

like poplars beside channels of water.

44:5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,’

and another will use the name ‘Jacob.’

One will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’

and use the name ‘Israel.’”

The Absurdity of Idolatry

44:6 This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says,

their protector, the Lord who commands armies:

“I am the first and I am the last,

there is no God but me.

44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim!

Let him announce it and explain it to me –

since I established an ancient people –

let them announce future events!

44:8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid!

Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?

You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?

There is no other sheltering rock; I know of none.

44:9 All who form idols are nothing;

the things in which they delight are worthless.

Their witnesses cannot see;

they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.

44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol

that will prove worthless?

44:11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame;

the craftsmen are mere humans.

Let them all assemble and take their stand!

They will panic and be put to shame.

44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool

and forges metal over the coals.

He forms it with hammers;

he makes it with his strong arm.

He gets hungry and loses his energy;

he drinks no water and gets tired.

44:13 A carpenter takes measurements;

he marks out an outline of its form;

he scrapes it with chisels,

and marks it with a compass.

He patterns it after the human form,

like a well-built human being,

and puts it in a shrine.

44:14 He cuts down cedars

and acquires a cypress or an oak.

He gets trees from the forest;

he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow.

44:15 A man uses it to make a fire;

he takes some of it and warms himself.

Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

Then he makes a god and worships it;

he makes an idol and bows down to it.

44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –

over that half he cooks meat;

he roasts a meal and fills himself.

Yes, he warms himself and says,

‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’

44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;

he bows down to it and worships it.

He prays to it, saying,

‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’

44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,

for their eyes are blind and cannot see;

their minds do not discern.

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’

44:20 He feeds on ashes;

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’

44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob,

O Israel, for you are my servant.

I formed you to be my servant;

O Israel, I will not forget you!

44:22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,

the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud.

Come back to me, for I protect you.”

44:23 Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes;

shout out, you subterranean regions of the earth.

O mountains, give a joyful shout;

you too, O forest and all your trees!

For the Lord protects Jacob;

he reveals his splendor through Israel.

The Lord Empowers Cyrus

44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, says,

the one who formed you in the womb:

“I am the Lord, who made everything,

who alone stretched out the sky,

who fashioned the earth all by myself,

44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers

and humiliates the omen readers,

who overturns the counsel of the wise men

and makes their advice seem foolish,

44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants

and brings to pass the announcements of his messengers,

who says about Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’

and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,

her ruins I will raise up,’

44:27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!

I will dry up your sea currents,’

44:28 who commissions Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd

to carry out all my wishes

and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’

and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’”

45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen one,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold

in order to subdue nations before him,

and disarm kings,

to open doors before him,

so gates remain unclosed:

45:2 “I will go before you

and level mountains.

Bronze doors I will shatter

and iron bars I will hack through.

45:3 I will give you hidden treasures,

riches stashed away in secret places,

so you may recognize that I am the Lord,

the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.

45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,

Israel, my chosen one,

I call you by name

and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize me.

45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer,

there is no God but me.

I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me.

45:6 I do this so people will recognize from east to west

that there is no God but me;

I am the Lord, I have no peer.

45:7 I am the one who forms light

and creates darkness;

the one who brings about peace

and creates calamity.

I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow,

and deliverance may sprout up along with it.

I, the Lord, create it.

The Lord Gives a Warning

45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger,

one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground!

The clay should not say to the potter,

“What in the world are you doing?

Your work lacks skill!”

45:10 Danger awaits one who says to his father,

“What in the world are you fathering?”

and to his mother,

“What in the world are you bringing forth?”

45:11 This is what the Lord says,

the Holy One of Israel, the one who formed him,

concerning things to come:

“How dare you question me about my children!

How dare you tell me what to do with the work of my own hands!

45:12 I made the earth,

I created the people who live on it.

It was me – my hands stretched out the sky,

I give orders to all the heavenly lights.

45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him;

I will make all his ways level.

He will rebuild my city;

he will send my exiled people home,

but not for a price or a bribe,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope

45:14 This is what the Lord says:

“The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia,

along with the Sabeans, those tall men,

will be brought to you and become yours.

They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.

They will bow down to you

and pray to you:

‘Truly God is with you; he has no peer;

there is no other God!’”

45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,

O God of Israel, deliverer!

45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;

those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.

45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord;

you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.

45:18 For this is what the Lord says,

the one who created the sky –

he is the true God,

the one who formed the earth and made it;

he established it,

he did not create it without order,

he formed it to be inhabited –

“I am the Lord, I have no peer.

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place.

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements.

45:20 Gather together and come!

Approach together, you refugees from the nations!

Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,

those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence!

Let them consult with one another!

Who predicted this in the past?

Who announced it beforehand?

Was it not I, the Lord?

I have no peer, there is no God but me,

a God who vindicates and delivers;

there is none but me.

45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered,

all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!

For I am God, and I have no peer.

45:23 I solemnly make this oath –

what I say is true and reliable:

‘Surely every knee will bow to me,

every tongue will solemnly affirm;

45:24 they will say about me,

“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’”

All who are angry at him will cower before him.

45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord

and will boast in him.

The Lord Carries His People

46:1 Bel kneels down,

Nebo bends low.

Their images weigh down animals and beasts.

Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals.

46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;

they are unable to rescue the images;

they themselves head off into captivity.

46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,

all you who are left from the family of Israel,

you who have been carried from birth,

you who have been supported from the time you left the womb.

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you,

even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.

I made you and I will support you;

I will carry you and rescue you.

46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?

Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!

46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse

and weigh out silver on the scale

hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.

They then bow down and worship it.

46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;

they put it in its place and it just stands there;

it does not move from its place.

Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;

it does not deliver him from his distress.

46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave!

Think about it, you rebels!

46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity!

Truly I am God, I have no peer;

I am God, and there is none like me,

46:10 who announces the end from the beginning

and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred,

who says, ‘My plan will be realized,

I will accomplish what I desire,’

46:11 who summons an eagle from the east,

from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.

Yes, I have decreed,

yes, I will bring it to pass;

I have formulated a plan,

yes, I will carry it out.

46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people,

you who distance yourself from doing what is right.

46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;

I am bringing my salvation near, it does not wait.

I will save Zion;

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.”

Babylon Will Fall

47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,

O virgin daughter Babylon!

Sit on the ground, not on a throne,

O daughter of the Babylonians!

Indeed, you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.

47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!

Remove your veil,

strip off your skirt,

expose your legs,

cross the streams!

47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!

Your genitals will be on display!

I will get revenge;

I will not have pity on anyone,”

47:4 says our protector –

the Lord who commands armies is his name,

the Holy One of Israel.

47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place,

O daughter of the Babylonians!

Indeed, you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’

47:6 I was angry at my people;

I defiled my special possession

and handed them over to you.

You showed them no mercy;

you even placed a very heavy burden on old people.

47:7 You said,

‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’

You did not think about these things;

you did not consider how it would turn out.

47:8 So now, listen to this,

O one who lives so lavishly,

who lives securely,

who says to herself,

‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!

I will never have to live as a widow;

I will never lose my children.’

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed.

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies,

despite your many incantations

and your numerous amulets.

47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds;

you thought, ‘No one sees me.’

Your self-professed wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,

when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’

47:11 Disaster will overtake you;

you will not know how to charm it away.

Destruction will fall on you;

you will not be able to appease it.

Calamity will strike you suddenly,

before you recognize it.

47:12 Persist in trusting your amulets

and your many incantations,

which you have faithfully recited since your youth!

Maybe you will be successful –

maybe you will scare away disaster.

47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice.

Let them take their stand –

the ones who see omens in the sky,

who gaze at the stars,

who make monthly predictions –

let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you!

47:14 Look, they are like straw,

which the fire burns up;

they cannot rescue themselves

from the heat of the flames.

There are no coals to warm them,

no firelight to enjoy.

47:15 They will disappoint you,

those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth.

Each strays off in his own direction,

leaving no one to rescue you.”

The Lord Appeals to the Exiles

48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob,

you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’

and are descended from Judah,

who take oaths in the name of the Lord,

and invoke the God of Israel –

but not in an honest and just manner.

48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city;

they trust in the God of Israel,

whose name is the Lord who commands armies.

48:3 “I announced events beforehand,

I issued the decrees and made the predictions;

suddenly I acted and they came to pass.

48:4 I did this because I know how stubborn you are.

Your neck muscles are like iron

and your forehead like bronze.

48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;

before they happened, I predicted them for you,

so you could never say,

‘My image did these things,

my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’

48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence!

Will you not admit that what I say is true?

From this point on I am announcing to you new events

that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about.

48:7 Now they come into being, not in the past;

before today you did not hear about them,

so you could not say,

‘Yes, I know about them.’

48:8 You did not hear,

you do not know,

you were not told beforehand.

For I know that you are very deceitful;

you were labeled a rebel from birth.

48:9 For the sake of my reputation I hold back my anger;

for the sake of my prestige I restrain myself from destroying you.

48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have purified you in the furnace of misery.

48:11 For my sake alone I will act,

for how can I allow my name to be defiled?

I will not share my glory with anyone else!

48:12 Listen to me, O Jacob,

Israel, whom I summoned!

I am the one;

I am present at the very beginning

and at the very end.

48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;

my right hand spread out the sky.

I summon them;

they stand together.

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them announced these things?

The Lord’s ally will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians.

48:15 I, I have spoken –

yes, I have summoned him;

I lead him and he will succeed.

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit.

48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, says,

the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you how to succeed,

who leads you in the way you should go.

48:18 If only you had obeyed my commandments,

prosperity would have flowed to you like a river,

deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea.

48:19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand,

and your children like its granules.

Their name would not have been cut off

and eliminated from my presence.

48:20 Leave Babylon!

Flee from the Babylonians!

Announce it with a shout of joy!

Make this known!

Proclaim it throughout the earth!

Say, ‘The Lord protects his servant Jacob.

48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;

he makes water flow out of a rock for them;

he splits open a rock and water flows out.’

48:22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.

Ideal Israel Delivers the Exiles

49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands!

Pay attention, you people who live far away!

The Lord summoned me from birth;

he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world.

49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

he hid me in the hollow of his hand;

he made me like a sharpened arrow,

he hid me in his quiver.

49:3 He said to me, “You are my servant,

Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.”

49:4 But I thought, “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.”

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me.

49:5 So now the Lord says,

the one who formed me from birth to be his servant –

he did this to restore Jacob to himself,

so that Israel might be gathered to him;

and I will be honored in the Lord’s sight,

for my God is my source of strength –

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant of Israel?

I will make you a light to the nations,

so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector of Israel, their Holy One, says

to the one who is despised and rejected by nations,

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect,

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

49:8 This is what the Lord says:

“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;

in the day of deliverance I will help you;

I will protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people,

to rebuild the land

and to reassign the desolate property.

49:9 You will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ‘Emerge.’

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;

the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them,

for one who has compassion on them will guide them;

he will lead them to springs of water.

49:11 I will make all my mountains into a road;

I will construct my roadways.”

49:12 Look, they come from far away!

Look, some come from the north and west,

and others from the land of Sinim!

49:13 Shout for joy, O sky!

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the oppressed.

The Lord Remembers Zion

49:14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the sovereign master has forgotten me.’

49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast?

Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne?

Even if mothers were to forget,

I could never forget you!

49:16 Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms;

your walls are constantly before me.

49:17 Your children hurry back,

while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.

49:18 Look all around you!

All of them gather to you.

As surely as I live,” says the Lord,

“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;

you will put them on as if you were a bride.

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated.

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

49:20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement

will say within your hearing,

‘This place is too cramped for us,

make room for us so we can live here.’

49:21 Then you will think to yourself,

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced.

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

49:23 Kings will be your children’s guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children.

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,

or captives be rescued from a conqueror?

49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord,

“captives will be taken from a warrior;

spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.

I will oppose your adversary

and I will rescue your children.

49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;

they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine.

Then all humankind will recognize that

I am the Lord, your deliverer,

your protector, the powerful ruler of Jacob.”

50:1 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate

by which I divorced her?

Or to which of my creditors did I sell you?

Look, you were sold because of your sins;

because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother.

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call?

Is my hand too weak to deliver you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water.

50:3 I can clothe the sky in darkness;

I can cover it with sackcloth.”

The Servant Perseveres

50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman,

so that I know how to help the weary.

He wakes me up every morning;

he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do.

50:5 The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly;

I have not rebelled,

I have not turned back.

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked,

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,

so I am not humiliated.

For that reason I am steadfastly resolved;

I know I will not be put to shame.

50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other!

Who is my accuser? Let him challenge me!

50:9 Look, the sovereign Lord helps me.

Who dares to condemn me?

Look, all of them will wear out like clothes;

a moth will eat away at them.

50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?

Who obeys his servant?

Whoever walks in deep darkness,

without light,

should trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire

and who equip yourselves with flaming arrows,

walk in the light of the fire you started

and among the flaming arrows you ignited!

This is what you will receive from me:

you will lie down in a place of pain.

There is Hope for the Future

51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness,

who seek the Lord!

Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,

at the quarry from which you were dug!

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth.

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual,

but I blessed him and gave him numerous descendants.

51:3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion;

he will console all her ruins.

He will make her wilderness like Eden,

her desert like the Garden of the Lord.

Happiness and joy will be restored to her,

thanksgiving and the sound of music.

51:4 Pay attention to me, my people!

Listen to me, my people!

For I will issue a decree,

I will make my justice a light to the nations.

51:5 I am ready to vindicate,

I am ready to deliver,

I will establish justice among the nations.

The coastlands wait patiently for me;

they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power.

51:6 Look up at the sky!

Look at the earth below!

For the sky will dissipate like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like clothes;

its residents will die like gnats.

But the deliverance I give is permanent;

the vindication I provide will not disappear.

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law!

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

51:8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;

a clothes moth will devour them like wool.

But the vindication I provide will be permanent;

the deliverance I give will last.”

51:9 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord!

Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!

Did you not smash the Proud One?

Did you not wound the sea monster?

51:10 Did you not dry up the sea,

the waters of the great deep?

Did you not make a path through the depths of the sea,

so those delivered from bondage could cross over?

51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;

they will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them,

happiness and joy will overwhelm them;

grief and suffering will disappear.

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you.

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?

51:13 Why do you forget the Lord, who made you,

who stretched out the sky

and founded the earth?

Why do you constantly tremble all day long

at the anger of the oppressor,

when he makes plans to destroy?

Where is the anger of the oppressor?

51:14 The one who suffers will soon be released;

he will not die in prison,

he will not go hungry.

51:15 I am the Lord your God,

who churns up the sea so that its waves surge.

The Lord who commands armies is his name!

Zion’s Time to Celebrate

51:16 I commission you as my spokesman;

I cover you with the palm of my hand,

to establish the sky and to found the earth,

to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”

51:17 Wake up! Wake up!

Get up, O Jerusalem!

You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you,

which was full of his anger!

You drained dry

the goblet full of intoxicating wine.

51:18 There was no one to lead her

among all the children she bore;

there was no one to take her by the hand

among all the children she raised.

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you?

51:20 Your children faint;

they lie at the head of every street

like an antelope in a snare.

They are left in a stupor by the Lord’s anger,

by the battle cry of your God.

51:21 So listen to this, oppressed one,

who is drunk, but not from wine!

51:22 This is what your sovereign master, the Lord your God, says:

“Look, I have removed from your hand

the cup of intoxicating wine,

the goblet full of my anger.

You will no longer have to drink it.

51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors

who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’

You made your back like the ground,

and like the street for those who walked over you.”

52:1 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion!

Put on your beautiful clothes,

O Jerusalem, holy city!

For uncircumcised and unclean pagans

will no longer invade you.

52:2 Shake off the dirt!

Get up, captive Jerusalem!

Take off the iron chains around your neck,

O captive daughter Zion!

52:3 For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,

and you will not be redeemed for money.”

52:4 For this is what the sovereign Lord says:

“In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt;

Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.

52:5 And now, what do we have here?” says the Lord.

“Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing,

those who rule over them taunt,” says the Lord,

“and my name is constantly slandered all day long.

52:6 For this reason my people will know my name,

for this reason they will know at that time that I am the one who says,

‘Here I am.’”

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

52:8 Listen, your watchmen shout;

in unison they shout for joy,

for they see with their very own eyes

the Lord’s return to Zion.

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects Jerusalem.

52:10 The Lord reveals his royal power

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire earth sees

our God deliver.

52:11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there!

Don’t touch anything unclean!

Get out of it!

Stay pure, you who carry the Lord’s holy items!

52:12 Yet do not depart quickly

or leave in a panic.

For the Lord goes before you;

the God of Israel is your rear guard.

The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant

52:13 “Look, my servant will succeed!

He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted –

52:14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you)

he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man;

52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human –

so now he will startle many nations.

Kings will be shocked by his exaltation,

for they will witness something unannounced to them,

and they will understand something they had not heard about.

53:1 Who would have believed what we just heard?

When was the Lord’s power revealed through him?

53:2 He sprouted up like a twig before God,

like a root out of parched soil;

he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention,

no special appearance that we should want to follow him.

53:3 He was despised and rejected by people,

one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;

people hid their faces from him;

he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.

53:4 But he lifted up our illnesses,

he carried our pain;

even though we thought he was being punished,

attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.

53:5 He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds,

crushed because of our sins;

he endured punishment that made us well;

because of his wounds we have been healed.

53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;

each of us had strayed off on his own path,

but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him.

53:7 He was treated harshly and afflicted,

but he did not even open his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,

like a sheep silent before her shearers,

he did not even open his mouth.

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial –

but who even cared?

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living;

because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded.

53:9 They intended to bury him with criminals,

but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb,

because he had committed no violent deeds,

nor had he spoken deceitfully.

53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,

once restitution is made,

he will see descendants and enjoy long life,

and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.

53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,

he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done.

“My servant will acquit many,

for he carried their sins.

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes,

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful,

because he willingly submitted to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened on behalf of the rebels.”

Zion Will Be Secure

54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!

Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one are more numerous

than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

54:2 Make your tent larger,

stretch your tent curtains farther out!

Spare no effort,

lengthen your ropes,

and pound your stakes deep.

54:3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

your children will conquer nations

and will resettle desolate cities.

54:4 Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame!

Don’t be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated!

You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth;

you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment.

54:5 For your husband is the one who made you –

the Lord who commands armies is his name.

He is your protector, the Holy One of Israel.

He is called “God of the entire earth.”

54:6 “Indeed, the Lord will call you back

like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression,

like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

54:8 In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, the Lord.

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time,

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems,

your gates out of beryl,

and your outer wall out of beautiful stones.

54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,

and your children will enjoy great prosperity.

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you.

You will not experience oppression;

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified,

for nothing frightening will come near you.

54:15 If anyone dares to challenge you, it will not be my doing!

Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated.

54:16 Look, I create the craftsman,

who fans the coals into a fire

and forges a weapon.

I create the destroyer so he might devastate.

54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;

you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you.

This is what the Lord will do for his servants –

I will vindicate them,”

says the Lord.

The Lord Gives an Invitation

55:1 “Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water!

You who have no money, come!

Buy and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk

without money and without cost!

55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you?

Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing!

Enjoy fine food!

55:3 Pay attention and come to me!

Listen, so you can live!

Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you,

just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David.

55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations,

a ruler and commander of nations.”

55:5 Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know;

nations that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for he bestows honor on you.

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available;

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle

and sinful people their plans.

They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them,

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them.

55:8 “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans,

and my deeds are not like your deeds,

55:9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth,

so my deeds are superior to your deeds

and my plans superior to your plans.

55:10 The rain and snow fall from the sky

and do not return,

but instead water the earth

and make it produce and yield crops,

and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.

55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make

does not return to me, having accomplished nothing.

No, it is realized as I desire

and is fulfilled as I intend.”

55:12 Indeed you will go out with joy;

you will be led along in peace;

the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you,

and all the trees in the field will clap their hands.

55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,

firs will grow in place of nettles;

they will be a monument to the Lord,

a permanent reminder that will remain.

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly.

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed,

the people who commit themselves to obedience,

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.

56:3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of the Lord should say,

‘The Lord will certainly exclude me from his people.’

The eunuch should not say,

‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to my covenant,

56:5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument

that will be better than sons and daughters.

I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain.

56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him,

who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –

all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

and who are faithful to my covenant –

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”

56:8 The sovereign Lord says this,

the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:

“I will still gather them up.”

The Lord Denounces Israel’s Paganism

56:9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour,

all you wild animals in the forest!

56:10 All their watchmen are blind,

they are unaware.

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, lie down,

and love to snooze.

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full.

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain.

56:12 Each one says,

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’

57:1 The godly perish,

but no one cares.

Honest people disappear,

when no one minds

that the godly disappear because of evil.

57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;

they rest on their beds.

57:3 But approach, you sons of omen readers,

you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes!

57:4 At whom are you laughing?

At whom are you opening your mouth

and sticking out your tongue?

You are the children of rebels,

the offspring of liars,

57:5 you who practice ritual sex under the oaks and every green tree,

who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs.

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion.

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance.

57:7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed;

you go up there to offer sacrifices.

57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols.

Indeed, you depart from me and go up

and invite them into bed with you.

You purchase favors from them,

you love their bed,

and gaze longingly on their genitals.

57:9 You take olive oil as tribute to your king,

along with many perfumes.

You send your messengers to a distant place;

you go all the way to Sheol.

57:10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired,

but you do not say, ‘I give up.’

You get renewed energy,

so you don’t collapse.

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me?

Because I have been silent for so long,

you are not afraid of me.

57:12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds,

but they will not help you.

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols help you!

The wind blows them all away,

a breeze carries them away.

But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land

and will have access to my holy mountain.”

57:14 He says,

“Build it! Build it! Clear a way!

Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!”

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated,

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged.

57:16 For I will not be hostile forever

or perpetually angry,

for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me,

the life-giving breath I created.

57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;

I attacked them and angrily rejected them,

yet they remained disobedient and stubborn.

57:18 I have seen their behavior,

but I will heal them and give them rest,

and I will once again console those who mourn.

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate.

Complete prosperity is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

57:20 But the wicked are like a surging sea

that is unable to be quiet;

its waves toss up mud and sand.

57:21 There will be no prosperity,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion

58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!

Yell as loud as a trumpet!

Confront my people with their rebellious deeds;

confront Jacob’s family with their sin!

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements,

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

58:3 They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires,

you oppress your workers.

58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls,

and fistfights.

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want?

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want.

I want you to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed,

and to break every burdensome yoke.

58:7 I want you to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise;

your restoration will quickly arrive;

your godly behavior will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

58:10 You must actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed.

Then your light will dispel the darkness,

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions.

He will give you renewed strength,

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’

58:13 You must observe the Sabbath

rather than doing anything you please on my holy day.

You must look forward to the Sabbath

and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect.

You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,

and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.

58:14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord,

and I will give you great prosperity,

and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.

Injustice Brings Alienation from God

59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you;

his ear is not too deaf to hear you.

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;

your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice;

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression

and give birth to sin.

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched.

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes.

59:7 They are eager to do evil,

quick to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy.

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust.

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance is far from us

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, but see only darkness;

we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.

59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,

we grope like those who cannot see;

we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.

Though others are strong, we are like dead men.

59:11 We all growl like bears,

we coo mournfully like doves;

we wait for deliverance, but there is none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well.

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds.

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness stands far off.

Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased,

for there is no justice.

The Lord Intervenes

59:16 He sees there is no advocate;

he is shocked that no one intervenes.

So he takes matters into his own hands;

his desire for justice drives him on.

59:17 He wears his desire for justice like body armor,

and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head.

He puts on the garments of vengeance

and wears zeal like a robe.

59:18 He repays them for what they have done,

dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries

and punishing his enemies.

He repays the coastlands.

59:19 In the west, people respect the Lord’s reputation;

in the east they recognize his splendor.

For he comes like a rushing stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord.

59:20 “A protector comes to Zion,

to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” says the Lord.

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” says the Lord.

Zion’s Future Splendor

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor of the Lord shines on you!

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor appears over you.

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

60:4 Look all around you!

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

60:5 Then you will look and smile,

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride.

For the riches of distant lands will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord.

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.

They will go up on my altar acceptably,

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters?

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands look eagerly for me,

the large ships are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way.

60:12 Indeed, nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed.

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace;

I will bestow honor on my throne room.

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings.

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, the powerful ruler of Jacob.

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you iron.

I will make prosperity your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler.

60:18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you.

60:20 Your sun will no longer set;

your moon will not disappear;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light;

your time of sorrow will be over.

60:21 All of your people will be godly;

they will possess the land permanently.

I will plant them like a shoot;

they will be the product of my labor,

through whom I reveal my splendor.

60:22 The least of you will multiply into a thousand;

the smallest of you will become a large nation.

When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen me.

He has commissioned me to encourage the poor,

to help the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance,

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.

61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins

and restore the places that were desolate;

they will reestablish the ruined cities,

the places that have been desolate since ancient times.

61:5 “Foreigners will take care of your sheep;

foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.

61:6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,

servants of our God.’