Isaiah 51
51
The Lord’s Comfort for Zion
1 # ver. 7 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for #Ezek. 33:24he was but one when I called him,
that I might bless him and multiply him.
3For the Lord #ch. 40:1; 52:9 comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like #Gen. 2:8; Ezek. 28:13; 31:9; Joel 2:3 Eden,
her desert like #Gen. 13:10 the garden of the Lord;
# ch. 35:10 joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4 #
Ps. 78:1 “Give attention to me, my people,
and give ear to me, my nation;
# ch. 2:3 for a law#51:4 Or for teaching; also verse 7 will go out from me,
and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 # ch. 46:13 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
# See ch. 11:11 the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 # ch. 40:26 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
#
Ps. 102:26; [Matt. 24:25; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 21:1] for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;#51:6 Or will die like gnats
# [Ps. 102:27, 28] but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
7 # ver. 1 “Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people #Ps. 37:31 in whose heart is my law;
# ch. 41:14; Matt. 10:28 fear not the reproach of man,
nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 # ch. 50:9 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
# [See ver. 6 above] but my righteousness will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.”
9 # ver. 17; ch. 52:1 Awake, awake, #[Ps. 93:1] put on strength,
O #ch. 40:10; 52:10; 53:1; Luke 1:51 arm of the Lord;
awake, #Ps. 44:1 as in days of old,
the generations of long ago.
Was it not you who cut #ch. 30:7 Rahab in pieces,
who pierced #ch. 27:1; Ps. 74:13, 14; Ezek. 29:3the dragon?
10 # ch. 43:16; Ex. 14:21; Ps. 106:9 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to pass over?
11 # See ch. 35:10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12“I, I am he #ch. 40:1; 66:13 who comforts you;
who are you that you are afraid of #Ps. 118:6 man who dies,
of the son of man who is made #See ch. 40:6like grass,
13and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
# ch. 40:22 who stretched out the heavens
and #See ch. 48:13 laid the foundations of the earth,
and you fear continually all the day
because of the wrath of #ch. 14:4the oppressor,
when he sets himself to destroy?
And where is the wrath of #ch. 14:4the oppressor?
14 # ch. 45:13 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released;
he shall not die and go down #Zech. 9:11to the pit,
neither shall his bread be lacking.
15I am the Lord your God,
#
Jer. 31:35
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name.
16 # ch. 59:21; [ch. 50:4] And I have put my words in your mouth
# ch. 49:2 and covered you in the shadow of my hand,
# ch. 40:22 establishing#51:16 Or planting the heavens
and #See ch. 48:13laying the foundations of the earth,
and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
17 # ver. 9; ch. 52:1 Wake yourself, wake yourself,
stand up, O Jerusalem,
#
Job 21:20; Jer. 25:15; [Matt. 20:22; 26:39, 42; Mark 10:38; 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 18:11] you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the bowl, #Ps. 60:3; Zech. 12:2the cup of staggering.
18 # [Ps. 74:9; Jer. 5:31] There is none to guide her
among all the sons she has borne;
there is none to take her by the hand
among all the sons she has brought up.
19 # ch. 47:9 These two things have happened to you—
who will console you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
who will comfort you?#51:19 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text how shall I comfort you
20 #
Lam. 2:11, 12 Your sons have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an #Deut. 14:5 antelope #[Ps. 141:10]in a net;
they are full of the wrath of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.
21 # ch. 54:11 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted,
who are drunk, but not with wine:
22Thus says your Lord, the Lord,
your God #Jer. 50:34; [ch. 49:25] who pleads the cause of his people:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand #[See ver. 17 above]the cup of staggering;
the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;
23 #
Jer. 25:17, 26, 28 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
# [ch. 47:6] who have said to you,
‘Bow down, that we may pass over’;
and #[ch. 52:2]you have made your back like the ground
and like the street for them to pass over.”
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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 51
51
Salvation for Zion
1Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave birth to you.
When I called him, he was only one;
I blessed him and made him many.#Gn 12:1; 15:5; Dt 1:10; Is 29:22; 41:8; 63:16; Ezk 33:24
3For the Lord will comfort Zion;#Is 40:1
he will comfort all her waste places,
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,#Gn 2:8; Jl 2:3
and her desert like the garden of the Lord.#Gn 13:10
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.
4Pay attention to me, my people,
and listen to me, my nation;
for instruction will come from me,
and my justice for a light to the nations.#Is 42:6; 49:6
I will bring it about quickly.
5My righteousness is near,#Is 46:13; 54:17
my salvation appears,
and my arms will bring justice to the nations.#Is 40:10
The coasts and islands will put their hope in me,
and they will look to my strength.#51:5 Lit arm
6Look up to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.#51:6 Or die in like manner#Ps 102:25–26; Is 34:4; Mt 24:35; Heb 1:10–12; 2Pt 3:10
But my salvation will last forever,#Is 45:17; 2Tm 2:10; Heb 5:9
and my righteousness will never be shattered.
7Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my instruction:#Ps 37:31
do not fear disgrace by men,
and do not be shattered by their taunts.
8For moths will devour them like a garment,#Is 50:9
and worms will eat them like wool.#Is 14:11
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
9Wake up, wake up!
Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations long ago.
Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces,#Jb 26:12; Ps 89:10; Is 30:7
who pierced the sea monster?#Ps 74:13; Is 27:1
10Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea,#Is 11:15–16; 50:2; 63:11–12
the waters of the great deep,
who made the sea-bed into a road
for the redeemed to pass over?#Ex 15:13
11And the ransomed of the Lord will return#Is 35:10
and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy.
Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.
12I — I am the one who comforts you.
Who are you that you should fear humans who die,#Ps 118:6; Is 2:22
or a son of man who is given up like grass?#Is 40:6–7; Jms 1:10–11; 1Pt 1:24
13But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.#Is 44:24; 45:12; Am 9:6; Zch 12:1
You are in constant dread all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who has set himself to destroy.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?#Is 49:26
14The prisoner#51:14 Hb obscure is soon to be set free;
he will not die and go to the Pit,
and his food will not be lacking.
15For I am the Lord your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar#Ps 107:25; Jr 31:35 —
his name is the Lord of Armies.
16I have put my words in your mouth,#Is 59:21
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,#Ex 33:22; Is 49:2
in order to plant#51:16 Syr reads to stretch out the heavens,
to found the earth,
and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
17Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of his fury#Jb 21:20; Is 63:6; Jr 25:15; Mt 20:22; 26:39; Jn 18:1; Rv 14:10
from the Lord’s hand;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs —
the cup that causes people to stagger.
18There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has raised;
there is no one to take hold of her hand
among all the offspring she has brought up.
19These two things have happened to you:#Is 47:9
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I#51:19 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg read you? Who can comfort you?
20Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net.
They are full of the Lord’s fury,
the rebuke of your God.
21So listen to this, suffering
and drunken one — but not with wine.#Is 29:9
22This is what your Lord says —
the Lord, even your God,
who defends his people#Is 3:12–13; 49:25; Jr 50:34 —
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
that goblet, the cup of my fury.
You will never drink it again.
23I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,#Is 49:26; Jr 25:15–17,26,28; Zch 12:2
‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like a street for those who walk on it.
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