Isaias (Isaiah) 49
49
1GIVE ear, ye islands, and hearken, ye people from afar. The Lord hath called me from the womb: from the bowels of my mother he hath been mindful of my name.
2And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he hath protected me and hath made me as a chosen arrow. In his quiver he hath hidden me.
3And he said to me: Thou art my servant Israel, for in thee will I glory.
4And I said: I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength without cause and in vain. Therefore my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
5And now saith the Lord, that formed me from the womb to be his servant, that I may bring back Jacob unto him. And Israel will not be gathered together: And I am glorified in the eyes of the Lord: and my God is made my strength.
6And he said: It is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold, I have given thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that thou mayst be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth.
7Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to the soul that is despised, to the nation that is abhorred, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see, and princes shall rise up, and adore for the Lord's sake, because he is faithful, and for the Holy One of Israel who hath chosen thee.
8Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have helped thee. And I have preserved thee and given thee to be a covenant of the people, that thou mightest raise up the earth and possess the inheritances that were destroyed.
9That thou mightest say to them that are bound: Come forth. And to them that are in darkness: Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways: and their pastures shall be in every plain.
10They shall not hunger, nor thirst: neither shall the heat nor the sun strike them. For he that is merciful to them shall be their shepherd, and at the fountains of waters he shall give them drink.
11And I will make all my mountains a way: and my paths shall be exalted.
12Behold, these shall come from afar: and, behold, these from the north and from the sea, and these from the south country.
13Give praise, O ye heavens, and rejoice, O earth; ye mountains, give praise with jubilation: because the Lord hath comforted his people and will have mercy on his poor ones.
14And Sion said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me.
15Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee.
16Behold, I have graven thee in my hands: thy walls are always before my eyes.
17Thy builders are come: they that destroy thee and make thee waste shall go out of thee.
18Lift up thy eyes round about, and see. All these are gathered together; they are come to thee. I live, saith the Lord. Thou shalt be clothed with all these as with an ornament: and as a bride thou shalt put them about thee.
19For thy deserts and thy desolate places and the land of thy destruction shall now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants: and they that swallowed thee up shall be chased far away.
20The children of thy barrenness shall still say in thy ears: The place is too strait for me. Make me room to dwell in.
21And thou shalt say in thy heart: Who hath begotten these? I was barren and brought not forth, led away and captive: and who hath brought up these? I was destitute and alone: and these, where were they?
22Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and will set up my standard to the people. And they shall bring thy sons in their arms and carry thy daughters upon their shoulders.
23And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and queens thy nurses. They shall worship thee with their face toward the earth: and they shall lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be confounded that wait for him.
24Shall the prey be taken from the strong? Or can that which was taken by the mighty be delivered?
25For thus saith the Lord: Yea verily. Even the captivity shall be taken away from the strong: and that which was taken by the mighty shall be delivered. But I will judge those that have judged thee: and thy children I will save.
26And I will feed thy enemies with their own flesh: and they shall be made drunk with their own blood, as with new wine. And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord that save thee, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
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Isaias (Isaiah) 49: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 49
49
The Lord’s Servant Commissioned
1Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
2He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
3He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”
4I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”
5And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.
6He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
7The Lord, the Redeemer
and Holy One of Israel,
says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,
to the one who is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.
Princes will also bow low
because of the Lord, the faithful one,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Promises of Israel’s Restoration
8This is what the Lord says:
“At just the right time, I will respond to you.#49:8 Greek version reads I heard you. Compare 2 Cor 6:2.
On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
and assign it to its own people again.
9I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
and on hills that were previously bare.
10They will neither hunger nor thirst.
The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
he will lead them beside cool waters.
11And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12See, my people will return from far away,
from lands to the north and west,
and from as far south as Egypt.#49:12 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, which read from the region of Aswan, which is in southern Egypt. Masoretic Text reads from the region of Sinim.”
13Sing for joy, O heavens!
Rejoice, O earth!
Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14Yet Jerusalem#49:14 Hebrew Zion. says, “The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”
15“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
16See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17Soon your descendants will come back,
and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18Look around you and see,
for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
19“Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
will be far away.
20The generations born in exile will return and say,
‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
21Then you will think to yourself,
‘Who has given me all these descendants?
For most of my children were killed,
and the rest were carried away into exile.
I was left here all alone.
Where did all these people come from?
Who bore these children?
Who raised them for me?’”
22This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will give a signal to the godless nations.
They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms;
they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.
23Kings and queens will serve you
and care for all your needs.
They will bow to the earth before you
and lick the dust from your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”
24Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior?
Who can demand that a tyrant#49:24 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Syriac version, and Latin Vulgate (also see 49:25); Masoretic Text reads a righteous person. let his captives go?
25But the Lord says,
“The captives of warriors will be released,
and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved.
For I will fight those who fight you,
and I will save your children.
26I will feed your enemies with their own flesh.
They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood.
All the world will know that I, the Lord,
am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Israel.#49:26 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.”
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