Isaiah 43
43
God Promises to Rescue his People
1Israel, the LORD who created you says,
“Do not be afraid — I will save you.
I have called you by name — you are mine.
2When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
When you pass through fire, you will not be burnt;
the hard trials that come will not hurt you.
3For I am the LORD your God,
the holy God of Israel, who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Ethiopia#43.3 Ethiopia: See Word List. and Seba.
4I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honour.
5Do not be afraid — I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west,
I will bring your people home.
6I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
7They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
Israel is the LORD's Witness
8God says,
“Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!
9Summon the nations to come to the trial.
Which of their gods can predict the future?
Which of them foretold what is happening now?
Let these gods bring in their witnesses
to prove that they are right,
to testify to the truth of their words.
10“People of Israel, you are my witnesses;
I chose you to be my servant,
so that you would know me and believe in me
and understand that I am the only God.
Besides me there is no other god;
there never was and never will be.
11“I alone am the LORD,
the only one who can save you.
12I predicted what would happen,
and then I came to your aid.
No foreign god has ever done this;
you are my witnesses.
13I am God and always will be.
No one can escape from my power;
no one can change what I do.”
Escape from Babylon
14Israel's holy God, the LORD who saves you, says,
“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;
I will break down the city gates,
and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.
15I am the LORD, your holy God.
I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”
16Long ago the LORD made a road through the sea,
a path through the swirling waters.
17He led a mighty army to destruction,
an army of chariots and horses.
Down they fell, never to rise,
snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!
18But the LORD says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already — you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
20Even the wild animals will honour me;
jackals and ostriches will praise me
when I make rivers flow in the desert
to give water to my chosen people.
21They are the people I made for myself,
and they will sing my praises!”
Israel's Sin
22The LORD says,
“But you were tired of me, Israel;
you did not worship me.
23You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;
you did not honour me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you by demanding offerings
or wear you out by asking for incense.
24You didn't buy incense for me
or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.
Instead you burdened me with your sins;
you wore me out with the wrongs you committed.
25And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,
and I do this because of who I am.
I will not hold your sins against you.
26“Let us go to court; bring your accusation!
Present your case to prove you are in the right!
27Your earliest ancestor#43.27 your earliest ancestor: A reference either to Jacob or to Abraham, or possibly to Adam. sinned;
your leaders sinned against me,
28and your rulers profaned#43.28 One ancient translation your rulers profaned; Hebrew I profaned the rulers of. my sanctuary.
So I brought destruction on Israel;
I let my own people be insulted.”
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Isaiah 43: GNBDC
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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