Isaiah 49
49
Second Servant Song: Light of the Nations
1Listen, to Me, islands! Pay attention, peoples far away. Adonai called Me from the womb, from My mother’s belly He named Me.
2He made My mouth like a sharp sword. in the shadow of His hand He hid Me. He made Me a polished arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3He said to Me, “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and futility. Yet surely the justice due to me is with Adonai, and my reward with my God.”
5So now says Adonai, who formed Me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel back to Him. For I am honored in the eyes of Adonai and My God has become my strength.
6So He says, “It is too trifling a thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the preserved ones of Israel. So I will give You as a light for the nations, that You should be My salvation to the end of the earth.”
7Thus says Adonai, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to the One despised, to the One the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings will see and arise, princes will also bow down, because of Adonai who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
Compassion on Zion’s Children
8Thus says Adonai: “In a time of favor I will answer you. in a day of salvation I will help you. I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the land, to make them possess its desolate inheritances,
9saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out!’ to those in darkness, ‘Be shown!’ Along the roads they will graze— their pasture will be on all the barren heights.
10They will not hunger or thirst, nor scorching wind or sun strike them, for their compassionate One will lead them, and will guide them by springs of water.
11I will make all My mountains a road, and My highways will be raised up.
12“Behold, these shall come from afar. behold, these from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim.
13Shout for joy, heavens! Rejoice, earth! Break forth into ringing shouts, O mountains! For Adonai has comforted His people and has compassion on His afflicted.”
14But Zion said: “Adonai has forsaken me, Adonai has forgotten me.”
15“Can a woman forget her nursing baby or lack compassion for a child of her womb? Even if these forget, I will not forget you.
16Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me.
17Your children will come quickly. Your destroyers and devastators will go away from you.
18Lift up your eyes around and see: all of them will gather and come to you.” “As I live” —it is Adonai’s declaration— “you will wear them all as jewelry and bind them on like a bride.”
19For your waste and desolate places and your destroyed land will now be surely too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears, “The place is too cramped for me! Make room for me to settle in.”
21Then you will say in your heart, “Who has borne these for me? Wasn’t I bereaved of my children— barren, an exile and wandering? So who has raised these? Behold, I was left alone— these, where were they?”
22Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Look, I will lift My hand to the nations, and raise My banner to the peoples! They will bring your sons on their chest, and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
23Kings will be your guardians, their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their face to the ground, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am Adonai— those hoping in Me will not be ashamed.”
24Can plunder be taken from the mighty, or captives of the righteous freed?
25For thus says Adonai: “Yes, captives of the mighty will be taken and the prey of the tyrant will be freed. For I will oppose your adversary. I will save your children.
26I will feed your oppressors their flesh. They will be drunk with their blood as with sweet wine. Then all flesh will know that I, Adonai, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
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Isaiah 49: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
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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