Isaiah 51
51
1Listen to me, those of you who follow what is right, and who worship the Lord. Think about the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were chiseled. 2Look back at Abraham your father, and Sarah who gave birth to you. When I called him, he was only one man, but then I blessed him and he had many descendants.
3The Lord will care for Zion and feel sorry about all her ruined places. He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert areas like the garden of the Lord. People there will have joy and happiness, giving thanks and singing sweet songs. 4Pay attention to me, my people; listen to me, my nation: I will send out my law, and my justice will be a light to the nations. 5My rule of right will arrive soon. My salvation is coming. My power will bring judgment to the nations. The distant lands are waiting for me and my power. 6Look up at the heavens, and look down at the earth beneath. The heavens will disappear like smoke, the earth will wear out like old clothes. The people living there will die like flies, but my salvation will last forever, and my way of goodness and right will never be destroyed.
7Listen to me, you who know what's right, and who have really accepted my teachings. Don't be afraid of people's insults—they're just human—or be terrified by their abusive language. 8Moths will eat them up like clothing; bugs will chew through them like wool. But my goodness will last forever, my salvation will endure for all generations.
9Please wake up, wake up! Use your strength, powerful Lord! Act as you used to in olden days, in former generations. Weren't you the one who cut Rahab#51:9. “Rahab”: a monster used as a poetic description for Egypt. to pieces, who killed that sea monster? 10Weren't you the one who dried up the sea, making a way through the deep waters for the redeemed to cross over? 11Those the Lord has set free will return, singing as they enter Jerusalem, wearing crowns of everlasting joy. They are overcome with thankfulness and happiness; sorrow and sadness simply disappear.
12It's me, yes, I am the one who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortals who die just like grass? 13You have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and who laid the foundations of the earth! That's why you shake with fear all day long, because you're threatened by the anger of those who oppress you, wanting to destroy you. But where are your oppressors and their anger now? 14The prisoners that are bowed down will soon be set free. They're not going to die; they won't go on being hungry. 15For I am the Lord your God who whips up the sea so its waves roar. The Lord Almighty is his name. 16I have told you what to say, and I have protected you with my hand. I created the heavens and founded the earth, and told Zion, “You are my people.”
17Wake up, wake up! Get up, Jerusalem! You have drunk from the cup of the Lord's anger he handed to you. You have drained it down to the bottom of the cup, the drink that makes people stagger around. 18Of all your children you had, there's not one left to guide you. Of all the children you raised, there's not one to take you by the hand. 19Two tragedies have struck you: devastation caused by famine, and destruction caused by war.#51:19. “War”: literally, “the sword.” Who is going to sympathize with you? Who is going to comfort you? 20Your children have collapsed, lying in every street like antelopes caught in a trap. They experienced the full anger of the Lord, the condemnation of your God.
21So please listen to this, you poor people, sitting there in a drunken state, but not from drinking wine. 22This is what your Lord God says, your God, who defends his people's cause: Look! I have taken away from you the cup that made you stagger around. You will never again have to drink from that cup, the cup of my anger. 23Instead I will give that cup to the people who tormented you, to those who said to you, “Lie facedown so we can walk all over you.” You had to make your backs like the ground, like a street to be walked on.
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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 51
51
The Lord Will Bring Comfort
1 #
4 Macc 13.12. If you want to do right
and obey the Lord,
follow Abraham's example.
He was the rock from which
you were chipped.
2God chose Abraham and Sarah
to be your ancestors.
The Lord blessed Abraham,
and from that one man
came many descendants.
3Though Zion is in ruins,
the Lord will bring comfort,
and the city will be as lovely
as the garden of Eden
that he provided.
Then Zion will celebrate;
it will be thankful
and sing joyful songs.
The Lord's Victory Will Last
4The Lord says:
You are my people and nation!
So pay attention to me.
My teaching will cause justice
to shine like a light
for every nation.
5Those who live across the sea
are eagerly waiting
for me to rescue them.
I am strong and ready;
soon I will come to save
and to rule all nations.
6Look closely at the sky!
Stare at the earth.
The sky will vanish like smoke;
the earth will wear out
like clothes.
Everyone on this earth
will die like flies.
But my victory will last;
my saving power never ends.
7If you want to do right
and obey my teaching
with all your heart,
then pay close attention.
Don't be discouraged
when others insult you
and say hurtful things.
8They will be eaten away
like a moth-eaten coat.
But my victory will last;
my saving power
will never end.
A Prayer for the Lord's Help
9Wake up! Do something, Lord.
Be strong and ready.
Wake up! Do what you did
for our people long ago.
Didn't you chop up
Rahab#51.9 Rahab: This may refer to Egypt at the time of the exodus. the monster?
10Didn't you dry up the deep sea
and make a road for your people
to follow safely across?
11Now those you have rescued
will return to Jerusalem,
singing on their way.
They will be crowned
with great happiness,
never again to be burdened
with sadness and sorrow.
The Lord Gives Hope
12I am the Lord, the one
who encourages you.
Why are you afraid
of mere humans?
They dry up and die like grass.
13I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
for the earth.
But you have forgotten me,
your Lord and Creator.
All day long you were afraid
of those who were angry
and hoped to oppress you.
Where are they now?
14Everyone crying out in pain
will be quickly set free;
they will be rescued
from the power of death
and never go hungry.
15I will help them
because I am your God,
the Lord All-Powerful,
who makes the ocean roar.
16I have told you what to say,
and I will keep you safe
in the palm of my hand.
I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
for the earth.
Now I say, “Jerusalem,
your people are mine.”
A Warning to Jerusalem
17 #
Rev 14.10; 16.19. Jerusalem, wake up! Stand up!
You've drunk too much
from the cup filled
with the Lord's anger.
You have swallowed every drop,
and you can't walk straight.
18Not one of your many children
is there to guide you
or to offer a helping hand.
19You have been destroyed
by war and by famine;
I cannot comfort you.#51.19 I … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
20The Lord your God is angry,
and on every street corner
your children lie helpless,
like deer trapped in nets.
21You are in trouble and drunk,
but not from wine.
So pay close attention
22to the Lord your God,
who defends you and says,
“I have taken from your hands
the cup filled with my anger
that made you drunk.
You will never be forced
to drink it again.
23Instead I will give it
to your brutal enemies,
who treated you like dirt
and walked all over you.”
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.