Isaiah 43
43
Restoration of Israel
1Now this is what the Lord says —
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel#Is 43:7,15,21; 44:2,21,24 —
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;#Is 44:22–23; 48:20
I have called you by your name; you are mine.#Gn 32:28; Is 45:3–4
2When you pass through the waters,#Ps 66:12; Is 8:7–8
I will be with you,#Dt 31:6,8,23; Jos 1:5; 3:7; Jr 1:8; 30:11; 46:28
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,#Is 29:6; 30:27–29; Dn 3:25,27
you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.
3For I am the Lord your God,#Ex 20:2; Is 41:13
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.#Is 19:20; 43:11; 45:15,21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4Because you are precious in my sight#2Kg 1:13–14; Ps 36:7; 72:14; Pr 3:15; Is 28:16
and honored, and I love you,#Is 63:9
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,#Is 41:8; 61:9
and gather you from the west.#Is 49:12
6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,#2Co 6:18
and my daughters from the ends of the earth#Is 45:22 —
7everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”
8Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,#Is 6:9; 42:19; Ezk 12:2
and are deaf, yet have ears.
9All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.#Is 34:1; 41:1
Who among them can declare this,#Is 41:22–23,26
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”
10“You are my witnesses”#Is 44:8; Ac 1:8 —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
“and my servant whom I have chosen,#Is 41:8
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.#Is 41:4
No god was formed before me,
and there will be none after me.#Is 44:6,8; 45:5–6
11I — I am the Lord.
Besides me, there is no Savior.#Is 43:3; 45:21; Hs 13:4
12I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed —
and not some foreign god#43:12 Lit not a foreigner among you.
So you are my witnesses” —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
“and#43:12 Or that I am God.#Ps 46:10; 50:7; Is 45:22; 46:9
13Also, from today on I am he alone,
and none can rescue from my power.#Dt 32:39; Jn 10:28–29
I act, and who can reverse it?” #Jb 9:12; Is 14:27
God’s Deliverance of Rebellious Israel
14This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,#Jb 19:25; Ps 19:14; 78:35; Pr 23:11; Is 41:14; Jr 50:34 the Holy One of Israel#Is 1:4 says:
Because of you, I will send an army#43:14 an army supplied for clarity to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,#43:14 Or will break down all their bars
even the Chaldeans#Is 23:13 in the ships in which they rejoice.#43:14 Hb obscure
15I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16This is what the Lord says —
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through raging water,#Ex 14:21–22; Ps 77:19; Is 11:15; 44:27; 50:2; 51:10; 63:11–12
17who brings out the chariot and horse,#Ex 15:19
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, put out like a wick#Ps 118:12; Is 1:31) —
18“Do not remember the past events;
pay no attention to things of old.#Is 65:17; Jr 23:7
19Look, I am about to do something new;#Is 42:9; 48:6; 2Co 5:17
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,#Ex 17:6; Nm 20:11; Dt 8:15; Ps 78:16; Is 35:1,6; 41:18–19; 49:10; 51:3
rivers#43:19 DSS read paths in the desert.
20Wild animals —
jackals and ostriches — will honor me,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,#Is 41:17–18; 48:21
to give drink to my chosen people.
21The people I formed for myself
will declare my praise.#Ps 102:18; Is 42:12; Lk 1:74–75; 1Pt 2:9
22“But, Jacob, you have not called on me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of me.#Mc 6:3; Mal 1:13; 3:14
23You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.#Zch 7:5–6; Mal 1:6–8
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.#43:23 I.e., with demands for offerings and incense
24You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me#Ps 95:10; Is 1:14; 7:13; Ezk 6:9; Mal 2:17 with your iniquities.#Is 13:11
25“I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions#Is 44:22; 55:7; Jr 50:20; Heb 2:17
for my own sake#Is 37:35; 48:9,11; Ezk 36:22
and remember your sins no more.#Is 38:17; Jr 31:34; Mk 2:7
26Remind me. Let’s argue the case together.#Is 1:18; 41:1; 50:8
Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated.
27Your first father sinned,#Is 51:2; Ezk 16:3
and your mediators have rebelled against me.#Is 9:15; 28:7; 29:10; Jr 5:31
28So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction#Is 24:6; 34:5; Jr 24:9; Dn 9:11; Zch 8:13
and Israel for scorn.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 43: CSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Isaiah 43
43
The Savior of Israel
1But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia#43:3 Hebrew Cush. and Seba in your place.
4Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
5“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.
6I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
7Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
8Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.
9Gather the nations together!
Assemble the peoples of the world!
Which of their idols has ever foretold such things?
Which can predict what will happen tomorrow?
Where are the witnesses of such predictions?
Who can verify that they spoke the truth?
10“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
there never has been, and there never will be.
11I, yes I, am the Lord,
and there is no other Savior.
12First I predicted your rescue,
then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.
No foreign god has ever done this.
You are witnesses that I am the only God,”
says the Lord.
13“From eternity to eternity I am God.
No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
No one can undo what I have done.”
The Lord’s Promise of Victory
14This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon,
forcing the Babylonians#43:14 Or Chaldeans. to flee in those ships they are so proud of.
15I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator and King.
16I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
making a dry path through the sea.
17I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
18“But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
19For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
20The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
the jackals and owls, too,
for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed.
21I have made Israel for myself,
and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
22“But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.
You have grown tired of me, O Israel!
23You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings.
You have not honored me with sacrifices,
though I have not burdened and wearied you
with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.
24You have not brought me fragrant calamus
or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your faults.
25“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.
26Let us review the situation together,
and you can present your case to prove your innocence.
27From the very beginning, your first ancestor sinned against me;
all your leaders broke my laws.
28That is why I have disgraced your priests;
I have decreed complete destruction#43:28 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering. for Jacob
and shame for Israel.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
For more information about the NLT: