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
Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth
1Listen to #The upper case pronouns here and in the following verses reflect the position that Isaiah is referring to the Messiah, the divine Servant and Son of God. Some have argued that Isaiah is referring instead to himself or to Israel (see v 3 and the note there).Me, O islands and coastlands,
And pay attention, you peoples from far away.
The Lord has called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He has named Me.
2He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,
In the shadow of His hand He has kept Me hidden;
And He has made Me a sharpened arrow,
In His quiver He has hidden Me.
3And [the Lord] said to Me, “You are My #At first glance it would seem that Israel is the servant. However, many scholars maintain that the Messiah is being addressed as Israel because He represents and fulfills what Israel as a nation was meant to be: the source of salvation to the world. Note also that in v 6 the Servant is destined to restore Israel, which indicates that He is not Israel itself.Servant, Israel,
In Whom I will show My glory.”
4Then I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity (pride, uselessness);
However My justice is with the Lord,
And My reward is with My God.”
5And now says the Lord, 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 I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God is My strength—
6He says, “It is too trivial a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the #Lit spared.survivors of Israel;
I will also make You a light to the nations
That My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One says,
To the thoroughly despised One,
To the One hated by the nation
To the Servant of rulers,
“#Rising and bowing down are both gestures of respect: kings arise from their thrones.Kings will see and arise,
Princes shall also bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8This is what the Lord says,
“In a #One ancient rabbi explained this as a time predestined for good.favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You;
And I will keep watch over You and give You for a covenant of the people,
To restore the land [from its present state of ruin] and to apportion and give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands,
9Saying to those who are bound and captured, ‘Go forth,’
And to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, ‘Show yourselves [come into the light of the Savior].’
They will feed along the roads [on which they travel],
And their pastures will be on all the bare heights.
10They will not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;
For He who has compassion on them will lead them,
And He will guide them to springs of water.
11And I will make all My mountains a roadway,
And My highways will be raised.
12In fact, these will come from far away;
And, lo, these shall come from the north and from the west,
And these from the land of #A reading favored by DSS; MT has Sinim, traditionally interpreted as China, which is unlikely. The Greek (LXX) indicates Persia, the Latin (Vulgate) has “southern land.”Aswan (southern Egypt).”
13Shout for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
And break forth into singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people
And will have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14But Zion (Jerusalem in captivity) said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And my Lord has forgotten me.”
15[The Lord answered] “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
16Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the #In Jewish tradition there is a story representing Israel as God’s daughter, who asks Him to stamp a seal of her on His heart and arm (Song 8:6). God replies that such a seal cannot always be seen, so He has instead inscribed her upon His palms.palms of My hands;
Your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me.
17Your #So DSS and ancient versions; MT reads sons.builders hurry;
Your destroyers and devastators
Will go away from you.
18Lift up your eyes and look around [at the returning exiles];
All these gather together and they come to you [to rebuild you].
As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You [Zion] will indeed clothe yourself with all of them as jewels and tie them on as a bride.
19For your ruins and desolate places and your land [once the scene] of destruction—
Certainly now [in the coming years] will be too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who once engulfed you will be far away.
20The children of your bereavement [those born in captivity] will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me’;
Make room for me that I may live here.
21Then [Zion], you will say in your heart,
‘Who has borne me these children,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And am barren, an exile and a wanderer?
And who has reared these?
Indeed, I was left alone;
# Lit These, where are they. From where then did these children come?’ ”
22This is what the Lord God says,
“Listen carefully, I will lift up My hand to the [Gentile] nations
And set up My banner to the peoples;
And they will bring your sons in the fold of their garments,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23Kings will be your attendants,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth
And lick the dust of your feet;
And you shall know [with an understanding based on personal experience] that I am the Lord;
For they shall not be put to shame who wait and hope expectantly for Me.
24“Can the spoils of war be taken from the mighty man,
Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?”
25Indeed, this is what the Lord says,
“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the tyrant’s spoils of war will be rescued;
For I will contend with your opponent,
And I will save your children.
26I will make those who oppress you consume their own flesh [in mutually destructive wars]
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And all #Lit flesh.mankind will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
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