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The Restorer of Israel

43 But now thus says Yahweh,

he who created you, Jacob,
    and he who formed you, Israel:
“You must not fear, for I have redeemed you.
    I have called you by your name; you are mine.[a]
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,
    and through the rivers, they shall not flow over you.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not scorch[b] you.
For I am Yahweh, your God,
    the holy one of Israel, your savior.
I give you Egypt as ransom,
    Cush and Seba in place of you.
Because you are precious in my eyes,
    you are honored, and I myself love you,
and I give people in place of you,
    and nations in place of your life.
You must not fear,
    for I am with you.
I will bring your offspring[c] from the east,
    and I will gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give!’
    and to the south, ‘You must not withhold!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
    and whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed,
    indeed whom I made.”
Bring out the people blind yet[d] with eyes,
    and deaf, though[e] they have ears.
Let all the nations gather together,
    and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them has declared this,
    and declared[f] the former things to us?
Let them bring[g] their witnesses, that[h] they may be in the right,
    and let them hear and say, “It is true!”
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares[i] Yahweh,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen
so that you may know and believe in[j] me
    and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me[k],
    and none shall be after me.
11 I myself am Yahweh,
    and there is no savior besides me!
12 I myself declared and saved,
    and I proclaimed.[l] And there was no strange god[m] among you.
And you are my witnesses,” declares[n] Yahweh,
    “and I am God.
13 Indeed, from this day I am the one,
    and no one can deliver from my hand.
        I perform,[o] and who can cancel it?”[p]

Yahweh Rescues His People

14 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer,
    the holy one of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,
    and I will cause all of them to fall down as fugitives,
        and the Chaldeans,[q] their rejoicing on the ships.
15 I am Yahweh, your holy one,
    the creator of Israel, your king.”
16 Thus says Yahweh, who makes[r] a way in the sea
    and a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
    army and mighty one.
Together they lie down;
    they cannot rise.
They are extinguished,
    quenched like a wick.
18 “You must not remember the former things,
    and you not must consider the former things.
19 Look! I am about to do a new thing! Now it sprouts!
    Do you not perceive[s] it?
Indeed, I will make[t] a way in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert.
20 The animals of the field will honor me,
    jackals and daughters of the ostrich,
for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give a drink to my chosen people,
21     this people whom I formed for myself,
so they might make known[u] my praise.
22 But[v] you did not call me, Jacob;
    for you have become weary of me, Israel.
23 You have not brought me your sheep for a burnt offering
    nor[w] honored me with your sacrifice.
I have not made you serve with offerings,[x]
    nor have I made you weary with frankincense.
24 You have not bought me spice reed with money
    or[y] satisfied me with the fat of sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
    you have made me weary with your iniquities.
25 I, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my sake,
    and I will not remember your sins.
26 Take me to court; let us enter into judgment together.
    You, make an account[z] so that you may be in the right.
27 Your first ancestor[aa] sinned,
    and your representatives[ab] transgressed against me.
28 And I profaned the princes of the sanctuary,
    and I gave Jacob to destruction, and Israel to reviling.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 43:1 Literally “to me you”
  2. Isaiah 43:2 Or “burn”
  3. Isaiah 43:5 Literally “seed”
  4. Isaiah 43:8 Or “and”
  5. Isaiah 43:8 Or “and”
  6. Isaiah 43:9 Literally “caused to hear”
  7. Isaiah 43:9 Or “give”
  8. Isaiah 43:9 Or “and”
  9. Isaiah 43:10 Literally “declaration of”
  10. Isaiah 43:10 Literally “to”
  11. Isaiah 43:10 Literally “my face”
  12. Isaiah 43:12 Literally “caused to hear”
  13. Isaiah 43:12 Literally “stranger”
  14. Isaiah 43:12 Literally “declaration of”
  15. Isaiah 43:13 Or “make”
  16. Isaiah 43:13 Literally “bring it back”
  17. Isaiah 43:14 Literally “Chaldea”
  18. Isaiah 43:16 Literally “gives”
  19. Isaiah 43:19 Or “know”
  20. Isaiah 43:19 Literally “put”
  21. Isaiah 43:21 Literally “count out”
  22. Isaiah 43:22 Or “And”
  23. Isaiah 43:23 Or “and”
  24. Isaiah 43:23 Hebrew “offering”
  25. Isaiah 43:24 Or “and”
  26. Isaiah 43:26 Literally “count up”
  27. Isaiah 43:27 Or “father”
  28. Isaiah 43:27 Literally “scoffers” or “spokesmen”

Israel’s Only Savior

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created(A) you, Jacob,
    he who formed(B) you, Israel:(C)
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed(D) you;
    I have summoned you by name;(E) you are mine.(F)
When you pass through the waters,(G)
    I will be with you;(H)
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,(I)
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.(J)
For I am the Lord your God,(K)
    the Holy One(L) of Israel, your Savior;(M)
I give Egypt(N) for your ransom,
    Cush[a](O) and Seba(P) in your stead.(Q)
Since you are precious and honored(R) in my sight,
    and because I love(S) you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid,(T) for I am with you;(U)
    I will bring your children(V) from the east
    and gather(W) you from the west.(X)
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south,(Y) ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters(Z) from the ends of the earth(AA)
everyone who is called by my name,(AB)
    whom I created(AC) for my glory,(AD)
    whom I formed and made.(AE)

Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,(AF)
    who have ears but are deaf.(AG)
All the nations gather together(AH)
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold(AI) this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are my witnesses,(AJ)” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant(AK) whom I have chosen,
so that you may know(AL) and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god(AM) was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.(AN)
11 I, even I, am the Lord,(AO)
    and apart from me there is no savior.(AP)
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god(AQ) among you.
You are my witnesses,(AR)” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
13     Yes, and from ancient days(AS) I am he.(AT)
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”(AU)

God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

14 This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,(AV) the Holy One(AW) of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
    and bring down as fugitives(AX) all the Babylonians,[b](AY)
    in the ships in which they took pride.
15 I am the Lord,(AZ) your Holy One,
    Israel’s Creator,(BA) your King.(BB)

16 This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,(BC)
17 who drew out(BD) the chariots and horses,(BE)
    the army and reinforcements together,(BF)
and they lay(BG) there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:(BH)
18 “Forget the former things;(BI)
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!(BJ)
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness(BK)
    and streams in the wasteland.(BL)
20 The wild animals(BM) honor me,
    the jackals(BN) and the owls,
because I provide water(BO) in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21     the people I formed(BP) for myself(BQ)
    that they may proclaim my praise.(BR)

22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
    you have not wearied(BS) yourselves for[c] me, Israel.(BT)
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,(BU)
    nor honored(BV) me with your sacrifices.(BW)
I have not burdened(BX) you with grain offerings
    nor wearied you with demands(BY) for incense.(BZ)
24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus(CA) for me,
    or lavished on me the fat(CB) of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
    and wearied(CC) me with your offenses.(CD)

25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
    your transgressions,(CE) for my own sake,(CF)
    and remembers your sins(CG) no more.(CH)
26 Review the past for me,
    let us argue the matter together;(CI)
    state the case(CJ) for your innocence.
27 Your first father(CK) sinned;
    those I sent to teach(CL) you rebelled(CM) against me.
28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
    I consigned Jacob to destruction[d](CN)
    and Israel to scorn.(CO)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
  2. Isaiah 43:14 Or Chaldeans
  3. Isaiah 43:22 Or Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of
  4. Isaiah 43:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.