Isaiah 43
43
Israel’s Only Savior
1But now thus says the Lord,
# ch. 44:2, 21, 24 he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
# ch. 41:14 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
# ch. 45:3, 4; [Gen. 32:28] I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 #
Ps. 66:12 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
#
Ps. 66:12 when you walk through fire #ch. 42:25; [Dan. 3:25, 27]you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3For #See Ex. 20:2 I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
# [ch. 45:14; 52:3, 4] I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and #Ps. 72:10Seba in exchange for you.
4Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
5 # ch. 41:10, 13, 14; 44:2; Jer. 30:10, 11 Fear not, for I am with you;
# ch. 49:12; [ch. 60:8, 9; Ps. 107:3] I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
6I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring #[2 Cor. 6:18]my sons from afar
and #[2 Cor. 6:18]my daughters from the end of the earth,
7everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
8Bring out #ch. 42:19the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
who are deaf, yet have ears!
9 # ch. 41:1, 21, 22 All the nations gather together,
and the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this,
and show us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,
and let them hear and say, It is true.
10 # ver. 12; ch. 44:8 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and #ch. 42:1 my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
# See ch. 41:4 Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.
11 # ch. 45:21; Hos. 13:4 I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.
12I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and #[See ver. 10 above]you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
13Also #ch. 41:4; Ps. 90:2; [John 8:58]henceforth I am he;
there is none who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can turn it back?”
14Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
# [ver. 4] “For your sake I send to Babylon
and #[ch. 47:1] bring them all down as fugitives,
# ch. 23:13 even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
15I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.”
16Thus says the Lord,
# ch. 51:10; Ex. 14:21, 22; Ps. 77:19 who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17who #See Ex. 14:4-9 brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
# [Ps. 76:5, 6] they are extinguished, #ch. 1:31; [Ps. 118:12]quenched like a wick:
18 # [Jer. 16:14; 23:7] “Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19 # [ch. 42:9; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:5] Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
# ch. 35:8 I will make a way in the wilderness
# ch. 41:18; 48:21 and rivers in the desert.
20The wild beasts will honor me,
# See ch. 13:22 the jackals and the ostriches,
# [ch. 49:10] for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
21the people whom I formed for myself
#
Ps. 79:13; [Ps. 22:3; 105:1; Luke 1:74, 75; 1 Pet. 2:9] that they might declare my praise.
22“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but #Mic. 6:3you have been weary of me, O Israel!
23 # [Amos 5:25] You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
# [See ver. 22 above] or wearied you with frankincense.
24You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.
25“I, I am he
# ch. 44:22; [Ezek. 36:25, 26] who blots out #[ch. 46:8]your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
26Put me in remembrance; #ch. 1:18let us argue together;
set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
27 # [Ezek. 16:3] Your first father sinned,
and #[Jer. 5:31]your mediators transgressed against me.
28Therefore #Lam. 2:2 I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
and #[Jer. 24:9; 29:22]deliver Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.
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Isaiah 43: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Isaiah 43
43
The Lord Has Rescued His People
1Descendants of Jacob,
I, the Lord, created you
and formed your nation.
Israel, don't be afraid.
I have rescued you.
I have called you by name;
now you belong to me.
2When you cross deep rivers,
I will be with you,
and you won't drown.
When you walk through fire,
you won't be burned
or scorched by the flames.
3I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
the God who saves you.
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia,#43.3 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
and the region of Seba#43.3 Seba: A region in southwest Arabia. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba probably stood for all that was known of Africa in biblical times.
in exchange for you.
4To me, you are very dear,
and I love you.
That's why I gave up nations
and people to rescue you.
5Don't be afraid! I am with you.
From both east and west
I will bring you together.
6I will say to the north
and to the south,
“Free my sons and daughters!
Let them return
from distant lands.
7They are my people—
I created each of them
to bring honor to me.”
The Lord Alone Is God
The Lord said:
8Bring my people together.
They have eyes and ears,
but they can't see or hear.
9Tell everyone of every nation
to gather around.
None of them can honestly say,
“We told you so!”
If someone heard them say this,
then tell us about it now.
10My people, you are my witnesses
and my chosen servant.
I want you to know me,
to trust me, and understand
that I alone am God.
I have always been God;
there can be no others.
11I alone am the Lord;
only I can rescue you.
12I promised to save you,
and I kept my promise.
You are my witnesses
that no other god did this.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13I am God now and forever.
No one can snatch you from me
or stand in my way.
The Lord Will Prepare the Way
14I, the Lord, will rescue you!
I am Israel's holy God,
and this is my promise:
For your sake, I will send
an army against Babylon
to drag its people away,
crying as they go.#43.14 crying as they go: Or “in their glorious ships.”
15I am the Lord, your holy God,
Israel's Creator and King.
16I am the one who cut a path
through the mighty ocean.
17I sent an army to chase you
with chariots and horses;
now they lie dead,
unable to move.
They are like an oil lamp
with the flame snuffed out.
Forget the Past
The Lord said:
18Forget what happened long ago!
Don't think about the past.
19I am creating something new.
There it is! Do you see it?
I have put roads in deserts,
streams#43.19 streams: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “paths.” in thirsty lands.
20Every wild animal honors me,
even jackals#43.20 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller. and owls.
I provide water in deserts—
streams in thirsty lands
for my chosen people.
21I made them my own nation,
so they would praise me.
22I, the Lord, said to Israel:
You have become weary of me,
but not from worshiping me.
23You have not honored me
by sacrificing sheep
or other animals.
And I have not burdened you
with demands for sacrifices
or sweet-smelling incense.
24You have not brought
delicious spices for me
or given me the best part
of your sacrificed animals.
Instead, you burden me down
with your terrible sins.
25But I wipe away your sins
because of who I am.
And so, I will forget
the wrongs you have done.
26Meet me in court!
State your case and prove
that you are right.
27Your earliest ancestor#43.27 earliest ancestor: Jacob, also known as Israel.
and all your leaders#43.27 leaders: Probably prophets, but perhaps also priests and kings.
rebelled against me.
28That's why I don't allow
your priests to serve me;
I let Israel be destroyed
and your people disgraced.
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© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.