Isaiah 43
43
God Is Always With His People
1Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. 2When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. 3That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you. I gave Ethiopia and Seba to make you mine. 4You are precious to me, and I have given you a special place of honor. I love you. That’s why I am willing to trade others, to give up whole nations, to save your life.
5“So don’t be afraid, because I am with you. I will gather your children and bring them to you. I will gather them from the east and from the west. 6I will tell the north: Give my people to me. I will tell the south: Don’t keep my people in prison. Bring my sons and daughters to me from the faraway places. 7Bring to me all the people who are mine—the people who have my name. I made them for myself. I made them, and they are mine.
8“Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind. Bring out the people who have ears but are deaf.#43:8 blind … deaf This probably means the Israelites who would not believe God. See Isa. 6:9-10. 9All people and all nations should also be gathered together. Which of their gods said this would happen? Which of their gods would tell what happened in the beginning? They should bring their witnesses. The witnesses should speak the truth. This will show they are right.”
10The Lord says, “You people are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so that you would help people believe me. I chose you so that you would understand that ‘I Am He’—I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me. 11I myself am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. 12I am the one who spoke to you, saved you, and told you those things. It was not some stranger who was with you. You are my witnesses, and I am God.” (This is what the Lord himself said.) 13“I have always been God. When I do something, no one can change what I have done. And no one can save people from my power.”
14The Lord, the Holy One of Israel, saves you, and he says, “I will send armies to Babylon for you. Many people will be captured. Those Chaldeans will be taken away in their own boats. (They are so proud of those boats.)#43:14 I will send … boats Or with minor changes to the Hebrew, “I will send someone against Babylon to break open the gates, and the shouts of victory from the Chaldeans will be changed to crying.” 15I am the Lord your Holy One. I made Israel. I am your King.”
God Will Save His People Again
16The Lord is making roads through the sea. He is making a path for his people, even through rough waters. The Lord says, 17“Those who fight against me with their chariots, horses, and armies will be defeated. They will never rise again. They will be destroyed. They will be put out like the flame in a lamp. 18So don’t remember what happened in earlier times. Don’t think about what happened a long time ago, 19because I am doing something new! Now you will grow like a new plant. Surely you know this is true. I will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow through that dry land. 20The wild animals will thank me. The large animals and birds will honor me when I put water in the desert and make rivers flow through that dry land. I will do this to give water to my chosen people. 21I made them, and they will sing songs of praise to me.
22“Jacob, you did not pray to me. Israel, you became tired of me. 23You have not brought your sheep as sacrifices to me. You have not honored me with your sacrifices. I did not force you to give gifts to me like slaves. I did not force you to burn incense until you became tired. 24So you did not use your money to buy things to honor me. But you did force me to be like your slave. You sinned until the bad things you did made me very tired.
25“I, I am the one who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins. 26But you should remember me. Let’s meet together and decide what is right. Tell your story and prove that you are innocent. 27Your first father sinned, and your lawyers#43:27 lawyers Or “speakers,” people who argue a person’s case in court. This might refer to priests or prophets. committed crimes against me. 28I will make your Temple leaders unfit to serve there. I will destroy Jacob.#43:28 destroy Jacob Or “I will make Jacob completely mine.” Bad things will happen to Israel.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 43
43
Restoration of Israel
1Now this is what the Lord says —
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel#Is 43:7,15,21; 44:2,21,24 —
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;#Is 44:22–23; 48:20
I have called you by your name; you are mine.#Gn 32:28; Is 45:3–4
2When you pass through the waters,#Ps 66:12; Is 8:7–8
I will be with you,#Dt 31:6,8,23; Jos 1:5; 3:7; Jr 1:8; 30:11; 46:28
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,#Is 29:6; 30:27–29; Dn 3:25,27
you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.
3For I am the Lord your God,#Ex 20:2; Is 41:13
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.#Is 19:20; 43:11; 45:15,21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4Because you are precious in my sight#2Kg 1:13–14; Ps 36:7; 72:14; Pr 3:15; Is 28:16
and honored, and I love you,#Is 63:9
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,#Is 41:8; 61:9
and gather you from the west.#Is 49:12
6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,#2Co 6:18
and my daughters from the ends of the earth#Is 45:22 —
7everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”
8Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,#Is 6:9; 42:19; Ezk 12:2
and are deaf, yet have ears.
9All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.#Is 34:1; 41:1
Who among them can declare this,#Is 41:22–23,26
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”
10“You are my witnesses”#Is 44:8; Ac 1:8 —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
“and my servant whom I have chosen,#Is 41:8
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.#Is 41:4
No god was formed before me,
and there will be none after me.#Is 44:6,8; 45:5–6
11I — I am the Lord.
Besides me, there is no Savior.#Is 43:3; 45:21; Hs 13:4
12I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed —
and not some foreign god#43:12 Lit not a foreigner among you.
So you are my witnesses” —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
“and#43:12 Or that I am God.#Ps 46:10; 50:7; Is 45:22; 46:9
13Also, from today on I am he alone,
and none can rescue from my power.#Dt 32:39; Jn 10:28–29
I act, and who can reverse it?” #Jb 9:12; Is 14:27
God’s Deliverance of Rebellious Israel
14This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,#Jb 19:25; Ps 19:14; 78:35; Pr 23:11; Is 41:14; Jr 50:34 the Holy One of Israel#Is 1:4 says:
Because of you, I will send an army#43:14 an army supplied for clarity to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,#43:14 Or will break down all their bars
even the Chaldeans#Is 23:13 in the ships in which they rejoice.#43:14 Hb obscure
15I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16This is what the Lord says —
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through raging water,#Ex 14:21–22; Ps 77:19; Is 11:15; 44:27; 50:2; 51:10; 63:11–12
17who brings out the chariot and horse,#Ex 15:19
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, put out like a wick#Ps 118:12; Is 1:31) —
18“Do not remember the past events;
pay no attention to things of old.#Is 65:17; Jr 23:7
19Look, I am about to do something new;#Is 42:9; 48:6; 2Co 5:17
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,#Ex 17:6; Nm 20:11; Dt 8:15; Ps 78:16; Is 35:1,6; 41:18–19; 49:10; 51:3
rivers#43:19 DSS read paths in the desert.
20Wild animals —
jackals and ostriches — will honor me,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,#Is 41:17–18; 48:21
to give drink to my chosen people.
21The people I formed for myself
will declare my praise.#Ps 102:18; Is 42:12; Lk 1:74–75; 1Pt 2:9
22“But, Jacob, you have not called on me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of me.#Mc 6:3; Mal 1:13; 3:14
23You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.#Zch 7:5–6; Mal 1:6–8
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.#43:23 I.e., with demands for offerings and incense
24You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me#Ps 95:10; Is 1:14; 7:13; Ezk 6:9; Mal 2:17 with your iniquities.#Is 13:11
25“I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions#Is 44:22; 55:7; Jr 50:20; Heb 2:17
for my own sake#Is 37:35; 48:9,11; Ezk 36:22
and remember your sins no more.#Is 38:17; Jr 31:34; Mk 2:7
26Remind me. Let’s argue the case together.#Is 1:18; 41:1; 50:8
Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated.
27Your first father sinned,#Is 51:2; Ezk 16:3
and your mediators have rebelled against me.#Is 9:15; 28:7; 29:10; Jr 5:31
28So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction#Is 24:6; 34:5; Jr 24:9; Dn 9:11; Zch 8:13
and Israel for scorn.
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