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51 Give ear to me, you that follow that which is just, and you that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you are dug out.

Look unto Abraham your father, and to Sara that bore you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and multiplied him.

The Lord therefore will comfort Sion, and will comfort all the ruins thereof: and he will make her desert as a place of pleasure, and her wilderness as the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of praise.

Hearken unto me, O my people, and give ear to me, O my tribes: for a law shall go forth from me, and my judgment shall rest to be a light of the nations.

My just one is near at hand, my saviour is gone forth, and my arms shall judge the people: the islands shall look for me, and shall patiently wait for my arm.

Lift up your eyes to heaven, and look down to the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall be worn away like a garment, and the inhabitants thereof shall perish in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my justice shall not fail.

Hearken to me, you that know what is just, my people who have my law in your heart: fear ye not the reproach of men, and be not afraid of their blasphemies.

For the worm shall eat them up as a garment: and the moth shall consume them as wool: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my justice from generation to generation,

Arise, arise, put on strength, O thou arm of the Lord, arise as in the days of old, in the ancient generations. Hast not thou struck the proud one, and wounded the dragon?

10 Hast not thou dried up the sea, the water of the mighty deep, who madest the depth of the sea a way, that the delivered might pass over?

11 And now they that are redeemed by the Lord, shall return, and shall come into Sion singing praises, and joy everlasting shall be upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

12 I, I myself will comfort you: who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a mortal man, and of the son of man, who shall wither away like grass?

13 And thou hast forgotten the Lord thy maker, who stretched out the heavens, and founded the earth: and thee hast been afraid continually all the day at the presence of his fury who afflicted thee, and had prepared himself to destroy thee: where is now the fury of the oppressor?

14 He shall quickly come that is going to open unto you, and he shall not kill unto utter destruction, neither shall his bread fail.

15 But I am the Lord thy God, who trouble the sea, and the waves thereof swell: the Lord of hosts is my name.

16 I have put my words in thy mouth, and have protected thee in the shadow of my hand, that thou mightest plant the heavens, and found the earth: and mightest say to Sion: Thou art my people.

17 Arise, arise, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath; thou hast drunk even to the bottom of the cup of dead sleep, and thou hast drunk even to the dregs.

18 There is none that can uphold her among all the children that she hath brought forth: and there is none that taketh her by the hand among all the children that she hath brought up.

19 There are two things that have happened to thee: who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword, who shall comfort thee?

20 Thy children are cast forth, they have slept at the head of all the ways, as the wild ox that is snared: full of the indignation of the Lord, of the rebuke of thy God.

21 Therefore hear this, thou poor little one, and thou that art drunk but no with wine.

22 Thus saith thy Sovereign the Lord and thy God, who will fight for his people: Behold I have taken out of thy hand the cup of dead sleep, the dregs of the cup of my indignation, thou shalt not drink it again any more.

23 And I will put it in the hand of them that have oppressed thee, and have said to thy soul: Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as a way to them that went over.

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

51 “Listen(A) to me, you who pursue righteousness(B)
    and who seek(C) the Lord:
Look to the rock(D) from which you were cut
    and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
look to Abraham,(E) your father,
    and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
    and I blessed him and made him many.(F)
The Lord will surely comfort(G) Zion(H)
    and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(I)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(J)
    her wastelands(K) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(L) will be found in her,
    thanksgiving(M) and the sound of singing.

“Listen to me, my people;(N)
    hear me,(O) my nation:
Instruction(P) will go out from me;
    my justice(Q) will become a light to the nations.(R)
My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation(S) is on the way,(T)
    and my arm(U) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(V) will look to me
    and wait in hope(W) for my arm.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(X)
    the earth will wear out like a garment(Y)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(Z) will last forever,(AA)
    my righteousness will never fail.(AB)

“Hear me, you who know what is right,(AC)
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(AD)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.(AE)
For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(AF)
    the worm(AG) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(AH)
    my salvation through all generations.”

Awake, awake,(AI) arm(AJ) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!(AK)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.(AL)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(AM) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster(AN) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(AO)
    the waters of the great deep,(AP)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(AQ)
    so that the redeemed(AR) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(AS) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;(AT)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(AU) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AV)

12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(AW) you.
    Who are you that you fear(AX) mere mortals,(AY)
    human beings who are but grass,(AZ)
13 that you forget(BA) the Lord your Maker,(BB)
    who stretches out the heavens(BC)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(BD) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(BE)
14     The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(BF)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.(BG)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea(BH) so that its waves roar(BI)
    the Lord Almighty(BJ) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(BK)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand(BL)
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,(BM)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(BN)’”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

17 Awake, awake!(BO)
    Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
    the cup(BP) of his wrath,(BQ)
you who have drained to its dregs(BR)
    the goblet that makes people stagger.(BS)
18 Among all the children(BT) she bore
    there was none to guide her;(BU)
among all the children she reared
    there was none to take her by the hand.(BV)
19 These double calamities(BW) have come upon you—
    who can comfort you?(BX)
ruin and destruction,(BY) famine(BZ) and sword(CA)
    who can[a] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
    they lie at every street corner,(CB)
    like antelope caught in a net.(CC)
They are filled with the wrath(CD) of the Lord,
    with the rebuke(CE) of your God.

21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted(CF) one,
    made drunk,(CG) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends(CH) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup(CI) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
    you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,(CJ)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate(CK) that we may walk(CL) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”(CM)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I