Isaiah 50
50
Salvation Through the Lord’s Servant
1Thus says the Lord:
Where is the bill of divorce
with which I dismissed your mother?#Responding to the people’s complaint of utter abandonment by God, the prophet asserts that their sins were responsible for their banishment. Since there was no bill of divorce, the bond between the Lord and his people still exists and he has the power to deliver them (v. 2).
Or to which of my creditors
have I sold you?
It was for your sins you were sold,
for your rebellions your mother was dismissed.#Is 54:6–8; Dt 24:1–4; Mt 19:3; Mk 10:2–4.
2Why was no one there when I came?
Why did no one answer when I called?#Israel’s faith in God is weak; the people do not answer God’s call, nor believe promises of deliverance.
Is my hand too short to ransom?
Have I not the strength to deliver?
See, with my rebuke I dry up the sea,
I turn rivers into wilderness;
Their fish rot for lack of water,
and die of thirst.#Ex 7:18; Ps 105:29.
3I clothe the heavens in black,
and make sackcloth their covering.
4#The third of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4); in vv. 4–9 the servant speaks; in vv. 10–11 God addresses the people directly. The Lord God has given me
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to answer the weary
a word that will waken them.
Morning after morning
he wakens my ear to hear as disciples do;
5The Lord God opened my ear;
I did not refuse,
did not turn away.#The servant, like a well-trained disciple, does not refuse the divine vocation.
6I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who tore out my beard;#He willingly submits to insults and beatings. Tore out my beard: a grave and painful insult.
My face I did not hide
from insults and spitting.#2 Sm 10:4–6; Mt 26:67; 27:30.
7The Lord God is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
Therefore I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.#Ez 3:9.
8He who declares my innocence is near.
Who will oppose me?
Let us appear together.
Who will dispute my right?
Let them confront me.
9See, the Lord God is my help;
who will declare me guilty?
See, they will all wear out like a garment,
consumed by moths.#Is 51:6–8; Ps 102:27.
10Who among you fears the Lord,#The Lord offers a choice to those who walk in darkness: either trust in the true light (v. 10), or walk in their false light and suffer the consequences.
heeds his servant’s voice?
Whoever walk in darkness,
without any light,
Yet trust in the name of the Lord
and rely upon their God!#Is 43:1–2; 44:1–2.
11All you who kindle flames
and set flares alight,
Walk by the light of your own fire
and by the flares you have burnt!
This is your fate from my hand:
you shall lie down in a place of torment.
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Isaiah 50: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 50
50
1This is what the Lord says:
“Was your mother sent away because I divorced her?
Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors?
No, you were sold because of your sins.
And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.
2Why was no one there when I came?
Why didn’t anyone answer when I called?
Is it because I have no power to rescue?
No, that is not the reason!
For I can speak to the sea and make it dry up!
I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish.
3I dress the skies in darkness,
covering them with clothes of mourning.”
The Lord’s Obedient Servant
4The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
5The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,
and I have listened.
I have not rebelled or turned away.
6I offered my back to those who beat me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
I did not hide my face
from mockery and spitting.
7Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.
8He who gives me justice is near.
Who will dare to bring charges against me now?
Where are my accusers?
Let them appear!
9See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side!
Who will declare me guilty?
All my enemies will be destroyed
like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!
10Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
11But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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