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The Lord Saves Israel

43 Family of Jacob, the Lord created you.
    People of Israel, he formed you.
He says, “Do not be afraid.
    I will set you free.
I will send for you by name.
    You belong to me.
You will pass through deep waters.
    But I will be with you.
You will pass through the rivers.
    But their waters will not sweep over you.
You will walk through fire.
    But you will not be burned.
    The flames will not harm you.
I am the Lord your God.
    I am the Holy One of Israel.
    I am the one who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free.
    I will give up Cush and Seba for you.
You are priceless to me.
    I love you and honor you.
So I will trade other people for you.
    I will give up other nations to save your lives.
Do not be afraid. I am with you.
    I will bring your people back from the east.
    I will gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Let them go!’
    And I will say to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from far away.
    Bring my daughters from the farthest places on earth.
Bring back everyone who belongs to me.
    I created them to bring glory to me.
    I formed them and made them.”

Lead my people into court.
    They have eyes but can’t see.
    Bring those who have ears but can’t hear.
All the nations are gathering together.
    All of them are coming.
Which one of their gods said ahead of time
    that the people of Israel would return?
    Which of them told us anything at all about the past?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right.
    Then others will hear them. And they will say,
    “What they said is true.”
10 “People of Israel, you are my witnesses,” announces the Lord.
    “I have chosen you to be my servant.
I wanted you to know me and believe in me.
    I wanted you to understand that I am the one and only God.
Before me, there was no other god at all.
    And there will not be any god after me.
11 I am the one and only Lord.
    I am the only one who can save you.
12 I have made known what would happen.
    I saved you. I have told you about it.
I did this. It was not some other god you worship.
    You are my witnesses that I am God,” announces the Lord.
13 “And that is not all! I have always been God,
    and I always will be.
No one can save people from my power.
    When I do something, who can undo it?”

The Lord Is Full of Mercy but Israel Is Unfaithful

14 The Lord sets his people free.
    He is the Holy One of Israel. He says,
“People of Israel, I will send an army to Babylon to save you.
    I will cause all the Babylonians to run away.
    They will try to escape in the ships they were so proud of.
15 I am your Lord and King.
    I am your Holy One.
    I created you.”

16 Long ago the Lord opened
    a way for his people to go through the Red Sea.
    He made a path through the mighty waters.
17 He caused Egypt to send out its chariots and horses.
    He sent its entire army to its death.
Its soldiers lay down there.
    They never got up again.
    They were destroyed.
They were blown out like a dimly burning flame.
    But the Lord says,
18 “Forget the things that happened in the past.
    Do not keep on thinking about them.
19 I am about to do something new.
    It is beginning to happen even now.
    Don’t you see it coming?
I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert.
    I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.
20 Even wild dogs and owls honor me.
    That is because I provide water in the desert
    for my people to drink.
I cause streams to flow in the dry and empty land
    for my chosen ones.
21 I do it for the people I made for myself.
    I want them to sing praise to me.

22 “Family of Jacob, you have not prayed to me as you should.
    People of Israel, you have not worn yourselves out for me.
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings.
    You have not honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not loaded you down
    by requiring grain offerings.
I have not made you tired
    by requiring you to burn incense.
24 But you have not bought any sweet-smelling cane for me.
    You have not given me the fattest parts
    of your animal sacrifices.
Instead, you have loaded me down with your sins.
    You have made me tired with the wrong things you have done.

25 “I am the one who wipes out your lawless acts.
    I do it because of who I am.
    I will not remember your sins anymore.
26 But let us go to court together.
    Remind me of what you have done.
State your case.
    Prove to me that you are not guilty.
27 Your father Jacob sinned.
    The people I sent to teach you refused to obey me.
28 So I put the high officials of your temple to shame.
    I let Jacob’s family be totally destroyed.
    And I let people make fun of Israel.

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.