Isaiah 43
43
God Is Always with His People
1Now this is what the Lord says.
He created you, people of Jacob;
he formed you, people of Israel.
He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you.
I have called you by name, and you are mine.
2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you cross rivers, you will not drown.
When you walk through fire, you will not be burned,
nor will the flames hurt you.
3This is because I, the Lord, am your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt to pay for you,
and I gave Cush and Seba to make you mine.
4Because you are precious to me,
because I give you honor and love you,
I will give other people in your place;
I will give other nations to save your life.
5Don’t be afraid, because I am with you.
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6I will tell the north: Give my people to me.
I will tell the south: Don’t keep my people in prison.
Bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from faraway places.
7Bring to me all the people who are mine,
whom I made for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
Judah Is God’s Witness
8Bring out the people who have eyes but don’t see
and those who have ears but don’t hear.
9All the nations gather together,
and all the people come together.
Which of their gods said this would happen?
Which of their gods can tell what happened in the beginning?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove they were right.
Then others will say, “It is true.”
10The Lord says, “You are my witnesses
and the servant I chose.
I chose you so you would know and believe me,
so you would understand that I am the true God.
There was no God before me,
and there will be no God after me.
11I myself am the Lord;
I am the only Savior.
12I myself have spoken to you, saved you, and told you these things.
It was not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses, and I am God,”
says the Lord.
13“I have always been God.
No one can save people from my power;
when I do something, no one can change it.”
14This is what the Lord, who saves you,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“I will send armies to Babylon for you,
and I will knock down all its locked gates.
The Babylonians will shout their cries of sorrow.
15I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.”
God Will Save His People Again
16This is what the Lord says.
He is the one who made a road through the sea
and a path through rough waters.
17He is the one who defeated the chariots and horses
and the mighty armies.
They fell together and will never rise again.
They were destroyed as a flame is put out.
18The Lord says, “Forget what happened before,
and do not think about the past.
19Look at the new thing I am going to do.
It is already happening. Don’t you see it?
I will make a road in the desert
and rivers in the dry land.
20Even the wild animals will be thankful to me—
the wild dogs and owls.
They will honor me when I put water in the desert
and rivers in the dry land
to give water to my people, the ones I chose.
21The people I made
will sing songs to praise me.
22“People of Jacob, you have not called to me;
people of Israel, you have become tired of me.
23You have not brought me your sacrifices of sheep
nor honored me with your sacrifices.
I did not weigh you down with sacrifices to offer
or make you tired with incense to burn.
24So you did not buy incense for me;
you did not freely bring me fat from your sacrifices.
Instead you have weighed me down with your many sins;
you have made me tired of your many wrongs.
25“I, I am the One who erases all your sins, for my sake;
I will not remember your sins.
26But you should remind me.
Let’s meet and decide what is right.
Tell what you have done and show you are right.
27Your first father sinned,
and your leaders have turned against me.
28So I will make your holy rulers unholy.
I will bring destruction on the people of Jacob,
and I will let Israel be insulted.”
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Isaiah 43: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 43
43
God Promises to Rescue his People
1Israel, the LORD who created you says,
“Do not be afraid — I will save you.
I have called you by name — you are mine.
2When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
When you pass through fire, you will not be burnt;
the hard trials that come will not hurt you.
3For I am the LORD your God,
the holy God of Israel, who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Ethiopia#43.3 Ethiopia: See Word List. and Seba.
4I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honour.
5Do not be afraid — I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west,
I will bring your people home.
6I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
7They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
Israel is the LORD's Witness
8God says,
“Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!
9Summon the nations to come to the trial.
Which of their gods can predict the future?
Which of them foretold what is happening now?
Let these gods bring in their witnesses
to prove that they are right,
to testify to the truth of their words.
10“People of Israel, you are my witnesses;
I chose you to be my servant,
so that you would know me and believe in me
and understand that I am the only God.
Besides me there is no other god;
there never was and never will be.
11“I alone am the LORD,
the only one who can save you.
12I predicted what would happen,
and then I came to your aid.
No foreign god has ever done this;
you are my witnesses.
13I am God and always will be.
No one can escape from my power;
no one can change what I do.”
Escape from Babylon
14Israel's holy God, the LORD who saves you, says,
“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;
I will break down the city gates,
and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.
15I am the LORD, your holy God.
I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”
16Long ago the LORD made a road through the sea,
a path through the swirling waters.
17He led a mighty army to destruction,
an army of chariots and horses.
Down they fell, never to rise,
snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!
18But the LORD says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already — you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
20Even the wild animals will honour me;
jackals and ostriches will praise me
when I make rivers flow in the desert
to give water to my chosen people.
21They are the people I made for myself,
and they will sing my praises!”
Israel's Sin
22The LORD says,
“But you were tired of me, Israel;
you did not worship me.
23You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;
you did not honour me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you by demanding offerings
or wear you out by asking for incense.
24You didn't buy incense for me
or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.
Instead you burdened me with your sins;
you wore me out with the wrongs you committed.
25And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,
and I do this because of who I am.
I will not hold your sins against you.
26“Let us go to court; bring your accusation!
Present your case to prove you are in the right!
27Your earliest ancestor#43.27 your earliest ancestor: A reference either to Jacob or to Abraham, or possibly to Adam. sinned;
your leaders sinned against me,
28and your rulers profaned#43.28 One ancient translation your rulers profaned; Hebrew I profaned the rulers of. my sanctuary.
So I brought destruction on Israel;
I let my own people be insulted.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.