Isaiah 63
63
1Who is this coming from Edom, from the town of Bozrah#63:1. Bozrah was an important Edomite town. with clothes stained crimson? Who is this wearing robes of splendor, leaning forward in his great strength as he marches?#63:1. Once again, quotation marks are avoided in translating the books of the prophets due to the problems of deciding which are the prophet's own words and which are the Lord's. Since the prophets were speaking for the Lord, the distinction is a minor one. In this passage where there appears to be a dialogue going on, the change in speaker is represented by a new paragraph.
It is me, the one who always speaks goodness and truth, the one who has the power to save.
2Why are your clothes red, like you've been treading grapes in a winepress?
3I've been treading the winepress by myself; from the nations around no one came to help me. So in my anger I trod them down as if they were grapes, in my fury I trampled them. It's their blood that has stained my clothes. 4For I decided this was the day of my vengeance; the year of my redemption has come. 5I looked around, but no one came to help; I was shocked that there was no one to assist me. So I saved them through my own strength alone, and my own anger kept me going. 6I trampled down the nations in my anger; in my fury I made them drunk, and spilled their blood upon the ground.
7I want to tell everyone about the Lord's trustworthy love. I will praise the Lord for everything he's done for us—all the good things he has done for the descendants of Israel because of his kindness and his infinite trustworthy love. 8He said, “Aren't they my people, children who wouldn't lie to me?” So he became their Savior. 9He suffered with them in all their suffering, and the angel of his presence#63:9. “The angel of his presence”: the exact implications of this phrase have been debated so is left as usually translated. Angel means messenger. In whatever case, it is God who is the “agent of salvation.” saved them. In his love and kindness he redeemed them. He picked them up and carried them all throughout those years long ago. 10But they rebelled against him, and caused his Holy Spirit grief, so to them he became like an enemy and he fought against them.
11Then they#63:11. “They”: the Hebrew text reads “he” at this point, and so could refer to the Lord. However, in the context of what follows, it is more likely that this refers to the Israelites. thought back to the days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They shouted out, “Where is the one who took Israel through the sea, along with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who placed his Holy Spirit among his people? 12Where is the one who lifted Moses' right hand, and who used his amazing power to divide the sea in front of them, giving him such a wonderful, enduring reputation? 13Where is the one who led them through the depths of the sea?” They were like a horse running through the desert, they didn't stumble. 14Like cattle descending into a valley, the Lord's Spirit gave them rest. This is how you led your people, earning a glorious reputation for yourself.
15Lord, look down on us from heaven! Watch from your high home, in your holiness and glory! Where is your enthusiasm and power? You're not showing me your feelings of sympathy and kindness! 16But you are still our Father, even though Abraham wouldn't know us and Israel wouldn't acknowledge us. You, Lord, are our Father; you have always been called our Redeemer from long ago. 17Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways, and make us stubborn so we don't respect you? Come back to us for the sake of your servants, the tribes that belong to you. 18Your Temple belonged to us for a little while, but then our enemies invaded and destroyed it. 19We were yours from ancient times, but we've ended up like people you've never ruled, never identified as yours.
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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 63
63
The Lord Judges His People
1Who is this coming from Edom,
from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red?
Who is this dressed in fine clothes
and marching forward with his great power?
He says, “I, the Lord, speak what is right.
I have the power to save you.”
2Someone asks, “Why are your clothes bright red
as if you had walked on the grapes to make wine?”
3The Lord answers, “I have walked in the winepress alone,
and no one among the nations helped me.
I was angry and walked on the nations
and crushed them because of my anger.
Blood splashed on my clothes,
and I stained all my clothing.
4I chose a time to punish people,
and the time has come for me to save.
5I looked around, but I saw no one to help me.
I was surprised that no one supported me.
So I used my own power to save my people;
my own anger supported me.
6While I was angry, I walked on the nations.
In my anger I punished them
and poured their blood on the ground.”
The Lord’s Kindness to His People
7I will tell about the Lord’s kindness
and praise him for everything he has done.
I will praise the Lord for the many good things he has given us
and for his goodness to the people of Israel.
He has shown great mercy to us
and has been very kind to us.
8He said, “These are my people;
my children will not lie to me.”
So he saved them.
9When they suffered, he suffered also.
He sent his own angel to save them.
Because of his love and kindness, he saved them.
Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.
10But they turned against him
and made his Holy Spirit very sad.
So he became their enemy,
and he fought against them.
11But then his people remembered what happened long ago,
in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him.
Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea,
with the leaders of his people?
Where is the one
who put his Holy Spirit among them,
12who led Moses by the right hand
with his wonderful power,
who divided the water before them
to make his name famous forever,
13who led the people through the deep waters?
Like a horse walking through a desert,
the people did not stumble.
14Like cattle that go down to the valley,
the Spirit of the Lord gave the people a place to rest.
Lord, that is the way you led your people,
and by this you won for yourself wonderful fame.
A Prayer for Help
15Lord, look down from the heavens and see;
look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven.
Where is your strong love and power?
Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?
16You are our father.
Abraham doesn’t know we are his children,
and Israel doesn’t recognize us.
Lord, you are our father.
You are called “the one who has always saved us.”
17Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways?
Why do you make us stubborn so that we don’t honor you?
For our sake come back to us,
your servants, who belong to you.
18Your people had your Temple for a while,
but now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.
19We have become like people you never ruled over,
like those who have never worn your name.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.