Isaiah 51
51
The Lord Comforts Zion
1“Listen to Me, #(Rom. 9:30–32)you who follow after righteousness,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2#Rom. 4:1–3; Heb. 11:11Look to Abraham your father,
And to Sarah who bore you;
#Gen. 12:1For I called him alone,
And #Gen. 24:35; Deut. 1:10; Ezek. 33:24blessed him and increased him.”
3For the Lord will #Is. 40:1; 52:9; Ps. 102:13comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert #Gen. 13:10; Joel 2:3like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4“Listen to Me, My people;
And give ear to Me, O My nation:
#Is. 2:3For law will proceed from Me,
And I will make My justice rest
#Is. 42:6As a light of the peoples.
5#Is. 46:13My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
#Ps. 67:4And My arms will judge the peoples;
#Is. 60:9The coastlands will wait upon Me,
And #(Rom. 1:16)on My arm they will trust.
6#Is. 40:26Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath.
For #Ps. 102:25, 26; Is. 13:13; 34:4; Matt. 24:35; Heb. 1:10–12; 2 Pet. 3:10the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
#Is. 24:19, 20; 50:9; Heb. 1:10–12The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be #Is. 45:17forever,
And My righteousness will not be abolished.
7“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people #Ps. 37:31; Jer. 31:33; (Heb. 10:16)in whose heart is My law:
#Is. 25:8; 54:4; (Matt. 5:11, 12; 10:28; Acts 5:41)Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
8For #Is. 50:9the moth will eat them up like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool;
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation from generation to generation.”
9#Ps. 44:23Awake, awake, #Ps. 93:1put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake #Ps. 44:1as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
#Job 26:12; Ps. 89:10; Is. 30:7Are You not the arm that cut #Ps. 87:4Rahab apart,
And wounded the #Ps. 74:13; Is. 27:1serpent?
10Are You not the One who #Ex. 14:21; Is. 63:11–13dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
That made the depths of the sea a road
For the redeemed to cross over?
11So #Is. 35:10; Jer. 31:11, 12the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12“I, even I, am He #2 Cor. 1:3who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid
#Ps. 118:6; Is. 2:22Of a man who will die,
And of the son of a man who will be made #Is. 40:6, 7; James 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:24like grass?
13And #Deut. 6:12; 8:11; Is. 17:10; Jer. 2:32you forget the Lord your Maker,
#Ps. 104:2Who stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth;
You have feared continually every day
Because of the fury of the oppressor,
When he has prepared to destroy.
#Job 20:7And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
#Zech. 9:11That he should not die in the pit,
And that his bread should not fail.
15But I am the Lord your God,
Who #Job 26:12divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16And #Deut. 18:18; Is. 59:21; John 3:34I have put My words in your mouth;
#Ex. 33:22; Is. 49:2I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
#Is. 65:17That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”
God’s Fury Removed
17#Is. 52:1Awake, awake!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
You who #Job 21:20; Is. 29:9; Jer. 25:15; Rev. 14:10; 16:19have drunk at the hand of the Lord
The cup of His fury;
You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling,
And drained it out.
18There is no one to guide her
Among all the sons she has brought forth;
Nor is there any who takes her by the hand
Among all the sons she has brought up.
19#Is. 47:9These two things have come to you;
Who will be sorry for you?—
Desolation and destruction, famine and sword—
#Amos 7:2By whom will I comfort you?
20#Lam. 2:11Your sons have fainted,
They lie at the head of all the streets,
Like an antelope in a net;
They are full of the fury of the Lord,
The rebuke of your God.
21Therefore please hear this, you afflicted,
And drunk #Lam. 3:15but not with wine.
22Thus says your Lord,
The Lord and your God,
Who #Is. 3:12, 13; 49:25; Jer. 50:34pleads the cause of His people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
The cup of trembling,
The dregs of the cup of My fury;
You shall no longer drink it.
23#Is. 14:2; Jer. 25:17, 26–28; Zech. 12:2But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you,
Who have said to you,
‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’
And you have laid your body like the ground,
And as the street, for those who walk over.”
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Isaiah 51: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 51
51
Salvation for Zion
1Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave birth to you.
When I called him, he was only one;
I blessed him and made him many.#Gn 12:1; 15:5; Dt 1:10; Is 29:22; 41:8; 63:16; Ezk 33:24
3For the Lord will comfort Zion;#Is 40:1
he will comfort all her waste places,
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,#Gn 2:8; Jl 2:3
and her desert like the garden of the Lord.#Gn 13:10
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.
4Pay attention to me, my people,
and listen to me, my nation;
for instruction will come from me,
and my justice for a light to the nations.#Is 42:6; 49:6
I will bring it about quickly.
5My righteousness is near,#Is 46:13; 54:17
my salvation appears,
and my arms will bring justice to the nations.#Is 40:10
The coasts and islands will put their hope in me,
and they will look to my strength.#51:5 Lit arm
6Look up to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.#51:6 Or die in like manner#Ps 102:25–26; Is 34:4; Mt 24:35; Heb 1:10–12; 2Pt 3:10
But my salvation will last forever,#Is 45:17; 2Tm 2:10; Heb 5:9
and my righteousness will never be shattered.
7Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my instruction:#Ps 37:31
do not fear disgrace by men,
and do not be shattered by their taunts.
8For moths will devour them like a garment,#Is 50:9
and worms will eat them like wool.#Is 14:11
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
9Wake up, wake up!
Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations long ago.
Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces,#Jb 26:12; Ps 89:10; Is 30:7
who pierced the sea monster?#Ps 74:13; Is 27:1
10Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea,#Is 11:15–16; 50:2; 63:11–12
the waters of the great deep,
who made the sea-bed into a road
for the redeemed to pass over?#Ex 15:13
11And the ransomed of the Lord will return#Is 35:10
and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy.
Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.
12I — I am the one who comforts you.
Who are you that you should fear humans who die,#Ps 118:6; Is 2:22
or a son of man who is given up like grass?#Is 40:6–7; Jms 1:10–11; 1Pt 1:24
13But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.#Is 44:24; 45:12; Am 9:6; Zch 12:1
You are in constant dread all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who has set himself to destroy.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?#Is 49:26
14The prisoner#51:14 Hb obscure is soon to be set free;
he will not die and go to the Pit,
and his food will not be lacking.
15For I am the Lord your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar#Ps 107:25; Jr 31:35 —
his name is the Lord of Armies.
16I have put my words in your mouth,#Is 59:21
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,#Ex 33:22; Is 49:2
in order to plant#51:16 Syr reads to stretch out the heavens,
to found the earth,
and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
17Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of his fury#Jb 21:20; Is 63:6; Jr 25:15; Mt 20:22; 26:39; Jn 18:1; Rv 14:10
from the Lord’s hand;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs —
the cup that causes people to stagger.
18There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has raised;
there is no one to take hold of her hand
among all the offspring she has brought up.
19These two things have happened to you:#Is 47:9
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I#51:19 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg read you? Who can comfort you?
20Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net.
They are full of the Lord’s fury,
the rebuke of your God.
21So listen to this, suffering
and drunken one — but not with wine.#Is 29:9
22This is what your Lord says —
the Lord, even your God,
who defends his people#Is 3:12–13; 49:25; Jr 50:34 —
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
that goblet, the cup of my fury.
You will never drink it again.
23I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,#Is 49:26; Jr 25:15–17,26,28; Zch 12:2
‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like a street for those who walk on it.
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