Isaiah 49
49
1Listen to me, you people of the islands!#49:1. “Islands”: or, “coastlands.” Pay attention, you who live far away! The Lord called me before I was born; he gave me my name while I was still in my mother's womb. 2The words he gave me to speak are like a sharp sword. He has protected me by covering me with his hand. He put me in his quiver like a sharp arrow, keeping me safe there.
3He told me, “You are my servant, Israel, and I will reveal my glory through you.”
4But I replied, “I've worked for nothing! I've exhausted myself, and for what? Even so, I leave it with the Lord to do what's right, and my reward is with my God.”
5Now my Lord is going to speak, the one who formed me in the womb as his servant to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to himself.#49:5. “To gather Israel to himself”: Dead Sea Scrolls and some Hebrew manuscripts; the Hebrew text includes the word “not.” I am honored in the Lord's sight, and my God has given me strength. 6He says, “It's nothing much for you to be my servant to bring back the tribes of Jacob, those people of Israel that I've preserved. I'm also going to make you a light for the foreigners so that my salvation may reach everybody.”
7This is what the Lord says, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to the one who was despised and detested by the nation, to the one who is the servant of rulers: Kings will see you and stand up, and princes will bow down to you, because the Lord, who is trustworthy, the Holy One of Israel, has chosen you.
8This is what the Lord says: I will answer you at the proper time; I will help you on the day of salvation. I will take care of you, and I will give you to the people as my agreement with them, to restore the land and to reassign the parts that have been abandoned. 9Tell the prisoners, “Come out!” Tell those living in darkness, “Come into the light!” Like sheep they will feed along the roads and in the pastures on hills that once were barren. 10They won't be hungry or thirsty, and they won't get hot in the sun, for the one who loves them will lead them to springs, and guide them to water. 11I will turn all my mountains into a road; my highways will be really high! 12Look at these people coming from far away! Look at these people coming from the north, and from the west, and from Upper Egypt.#49:12. “Upper Egypt”: following the reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls which appears to indicate Aswan. The Septuagint reads “Persia,” while the Hebrew reads “Sinim,” an unknown place. 13Heavens, shout for joy! Earth, celebrate! Mountains, sing out in happiness! The Lord has come to care for his people, and he will treat his suffering people kindly.
14But Zion said, “The Lord has given up on me; the Lord has forgotten about me.”
15Really? Can a mother forget her nursing baby? Can she forget to be kind to the child she carried in her womb? Even if she could forget, I will never forget you! 16Look at your names I've written on the palms of my hands! I'm always thinking about your walls.#49:16. Presumably the walls of Jerusalem that were knocked down. 17Soon your children will come running back. Your destroyers, those that devastated your land, will be gone. 18Take a look around. See all your children gathering and coming back to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as jewelry, proudly putting them on like a bride. 19Your ruined towns and abandoned places and devastated lands will be crowded with people, while those who took over your country will be long gone. 20The children born during your time of mourning in exile will say, “This place is too crowded for me! Make room so I have a place to live!” 21Then you will say to yourself, “Who gave birth to all these children for me? My children were killed and I was unable to have more; I was exiled and thrown aside—so who brought these children up? Look, I was abandoned, so where did they come from?”
22This is what the Lord God says, Watch as I give the signal to the nations, as I raise my flag to let everyone know. They will bring them back, carrying your sons in their arms, and lifting your daughters onto their shoulders. 23Kings will be your childminders; queens will be your nurses. They will bow low before you, and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, and that those who put their trust in me will never be ashamed.
24Can loot be taken from a warrior? Can prisoners be rescued from a dictator?#49:24. “Dictator”: Dead Sea Scrolls reading. 25But this is what the Lord says: Even the prisoners of warriors will be won back; even loot will be recovered from a dictator. I will fight with your enemies, and I will rescue your children. 26I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh and drink their own blood like wine. Then everyone will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 49
49
The Servant of the Lord
1Listen to me, #See ch. 11:11 O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples #ch. 33:13 from afar.
# See ch. 44:2 The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
2 # ch. 11:4; Hos. 6:5; [Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16] He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
# ch. 51:16 in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, #ch. 44:23in whom I will be glorified.”#49:3 Or I will display my beauty
4 # [ch. 65:23]; See ch. 50:6-8; 53:10-12 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
and my recompense with my God.”
5 # [ch. 50:4] And now the Lord says,
he #[See ver. 1 above] who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for #[ch. 52:13]I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
# Cited Acts 13:47 I will make you #ch. 42:6 as a light for the nations,
that #[Ps. 98:3]my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7Thus says the Lord,
# ch. 48:17 the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
# ver. 1; ch. 53:3; [ch. 50:6, 7] to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers:
# ver. 23 “Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
The Restoration of Israel
8Thus says the Lord:
# Cited 2 Cor. 6:2 “In a #Ps. 69:13 time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you #ch. 42:6 and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
# ch. 61:4 to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 # ch. 42:7 saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
# [ch. 41:18] They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 # Cited Rev. 7:16 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them #Rev. 7:17; See ch. 40:11will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 # [ch. 40:4] And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 # ch. 43:5, 6 Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, #[Ps. 107:3]these from the north and from the west,#49:12 Hebrew from the sea
and these from the land of Syene.”#49:12 Dead Sea Scroll; Masoretic Text Sinim
13 # See ch. 44:23 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord #ch. 40:1has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14But Zion said, #[ch. 40:27; 54:6; 62:4]“The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 # [ch. 43:1; Ps. 27:10] “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16Behold, #Song 8:6; Rev. 13:16I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
17Your builders make haste;#49:17 Dead Sea Scroll; Masoretic Text Your children make haste
# See Zech. 1:18-21 your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
18 # ch. 60:4 Lift up your eyes around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
#
Num. 14:21; See Ezek. 5:11 As I live, declares the Lord,
# [Jer. 43:12] you shall put them all on as an ornament;
you shall bind them on as a bride does.
19“Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
# [Zech. 10:10] surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 # ch. 54:1 The children of your bereavement
will yet say in your ears:
# [See ver. 19 above] ‘The place is too narrow for me;
make room for me to dwell in.’
21Then you will say in your heart:
‘Who has borne me these?
# [See ver. 20 above] I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away,
but who has brought up these?
Behold, I was left alone;
from where have these come?’”
22Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
# ch. 11:12 and raise my signal to the peoples;
# ch. 14:2 and they shall bring your sons in their arms,#49:22 Hebrew in their bosom
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23 # ch. 60:3, 16 Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
# ch. 60:14 With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and #Ps. 72:9; [Mic. 7:17] lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
# [ch. 40:31] those who wait for me #Ps. 25:3; Joel 2:27shall not be put to shame.”
24Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of a tyrant#49:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Syriac, Vulgate (see also verse 25); Masoretic Text of a righteous man be rescued?
25For thus says the Lord:
# [Matt. 12:29; Luke 11:21, 22] “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.
26 # [ch. 9:20; Zech. 11:9] I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk #[Rev. 14:20; 16:6] with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
that #ch. 43:3; See Ex. 20:2I am the Lord your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
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