Isaiah 43
43
Israel Redeemed
1But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your Creator, Jacob,
And He who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3“For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
# 43:3 Or Ethiopia Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4“Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you,
I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.
5“Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.
6“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth,
7Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is God’s Witness
8¶Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
9All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses so that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11“I, only I, am the Lord,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12“It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God.
13“Even #43:13 As in LXX; MT from the dayfrom eternity I am He,
And there is no one who can rescue from My hand;
I act, and who can reverse it?”
Babylon to Be Destroyed
14This is what the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says:
“For your sake I have sent to Babylon,
And will bring them all down as fugitives,
# 43:14 Another reading is As for the Chaldeans, their rejoicing is turned into mourning Even the Chaldeans, into the ships #43:14 Lit of their rejoicingover which they rejoice.
15“I am the Lord, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your King.”
16This is what the Lord says,
He who makes a way through the sea
And a path through the mighty waters,
17Who brings out the chariot and the horse,
The army and the mighty man
(They will lie down together and not rise again;
They have been extinguished, and have gone out like a wick):
18“Do not call to mind the former things,
Or consider things of the past.
19“Behold, I am going to do something new,
Now it will spring up;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
20“The animals of the field will glorify Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have given waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My chosen people.
21“The people whom I formed for Myself
Will declare My praise.
The Shortcomings of Israel
22¶“Yet you have not called on Me, Jacob;
But you have become weary of Me, Israel.
23“You have not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with #43:23 Or a meal offeringofferings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
24“You have not bought Me #43:24 Or calamussweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
Rather, you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your wrongdoings.
25¶“I, I alone, am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.
26“#43:26 Or Report to MeMeet Me in court, let’s argue our case together;
State your cause, so that you may be proved right.
27“Your first #43:27 Lit fatherforefather sinned,
And your #43:27 Or interpretersspokesmen have rebelled against Me.
28“So I will profane the #43:28 Or holy princesofficials of the sanctuary,
And I will turn Jacob over to destruction and Israel to abuse.
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Isaiah 43: NASB2020
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Isaiah 43
43
The Lord Has Rescued His People
1Descendants of Jacob,
I, the Lord, created you
and formed your nation.
Israel, don't be afraid.
I have rescued you.
I have called you by name;
now you belong to me.
2When you cross deep rivers,
I will be with you,
and you won't drown.
When you walk through fire,
you won't be burned
or scorched by the flames.
3I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
the God who saves you.
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia,#43.3 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
and the region of Seba#43.3 Seba: A region in southwest Arabia. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba probably stood for all that was known of Africa in biblical times.
in exchange for you.
4To me, you are very dear,
and I love you.
That's why I gave up nations
and people to rescue you.
5Don't be afraid! I am with you.
From both east and west
I will bring you together.
6I will say to the north
and to the south,
“Free my sons and daughters!
Let them return
from distant lands.
7They are my people—
I created each of them
to bring honor to me.”
The Lord Alone Is God
The Lord said:
8Bring my people together.
They have eyes and ears,
but they can't see or hear.
9Tell everyone of every nation
to gather around.
None of them can honestly say,
“We told you so!”
If someone heard them say this,
then tell us about it now.
10My people, you are my witnesses
and my chosen servant.
I want you to know me,
to trust me, and understand
that I alone am God.
I have always been God;
there can be no others.
11I alone am the Lord;
only I can rescue you.
12I promised to save you,
and I kept my promise.
You are my witnesses
that no other god did this.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13I am God now and forever.
No one can snatch you from me
or stand in my way.
The Lord Will Prepare the Way
14I, the Lord, will rescue you!
I am Israel's holy God,
and this is my promise:
For your sake, I will send
an army against Babylon
to drag its people away,
crying as they go.#43.14 crying as they go: Or “in their glorious ships.”
15I am the Lord, your holy God,
Israel's Creator and King.
16I am the one who cut a path
through the mighty ocean.
17I sent an army to chase you
with chariots and horses;
now they lie dead,
unable to move.
They are like an oil lamp
with the flame snuffed out.
Forget the Past
The Lord said:
18Forget what happened long ago!
Don't think about the past.
19I am creating something new.
There it is! Do you see it?
I have put roads in deserts,
streams#43.19 streams: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “paths.” in thirsty lands.
20Every wild animal honors me,
even jackals#43.20 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller. and owls.
I provide water in deserts—
streams in thirsty lands
for my chosen people.
21I made them my own nation,
so they would praise me.
22I, the Lord, said to Israel:
You have become weary of me,
but not from worshiping me.
23You have not honored me
by sacrificing sheep
or other animals.
And I have not burdened you
with demands for sacrifices
or sweet-smelling incense.
24You have not brought
delicious spices for me
or given me the best part
of your sacrificed animals.
Instead, you burden me down
with your terrible sins.
25But I wipe away your sins
because of who I am.
And so, I will forget
the wrongs you have done.
26Meet me in court!
State your case and prove
that you are right.
27Your earliest ancestor#43.27 earliest ancestor: Jacob, also known as Israel.
and all your leaders#43.27 leaders: Probably prophets, but perhaps also priests and kings.
rebelled against me.
28That's why I don't allow
your priests to serve me;
I let Israel be destroyed
and your people disgraced.
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