40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”

says your ¹  God.

40:2 “Speak kindly to ²  Jerusalem, ³  and tell her

that her time of warfare is over, ⁴ 

that her punishment is completed. ⁵ 

For the Lord has made her pay double ⁶  for all her sins.”

40:3 A voice cries out,

“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;

construct in the desert a road for our God.

40:4 Every valley must be elevated,

and every mountain and hill leveled.

The rough terrain will become a level plain,

the rugged landscape a wide valley.

40:5 The splendor ⁷  of the Lord will be revealed,

and all people ⁸  will see it at the same time.

For ⁹  the Lord has decreed it.” ¹⁰ 

40:6 A voice says, “Cry out!”

Another asks, ¹¹  “What should I cry out?”

The first voice responds: ¹²  “All people are like grass, ¹³ 

and all their promises ¹⁴  are like the flowers in the field.

40:7 The grass dries up,

the flowers wither,

when the wind sent by the Lord ¹⁵  blows on them.

Surely humanity ¹⁶  is like grass.

40:8 The grass dries up,

the flowers wither,

but the decree of our God is forever reliable.” ¹⁷ 

40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!

Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! ¹⁸ 

Shout, don’t be afraid!

Say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

40:10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; ¹⁹ 

his military power establishes his rule. ²⁰ 

Look, his reward is with him;

his prize goes before him. ²¹ 

40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;

he gathers up the lambs with his arm;

he carries them close to his heart; ²² 

he leads the ewes along.

40:12 Who has measured out the waters ²³  in the hollow of his hand,

or carefully ²⁴  measured the sky, ²⁵ 

or carefully weighed ²⁶  the soil of the earth,

or weighed the mountains in a balance,

or the hills on scales? ²⁷ 

40:13 Who comprehends ²⁸  the mind ²⁹  of the Lord,

or gives him instruction as his counselor? ³⁰ 

40:14 From whom does he receive directions? ³¹ 

Who ³²  teaches him the correct way to do things, ³³ 

or imparts knowledge to him,

or instructs him in skillful design? ³⁴ 

40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

they are regarded as dust on the scales.

He lifts ³⁵  the coastlands ³⁶  as if they were dust.

40:16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; ³⁷ 

its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings. ³⁸ 

40:17 All the nations are insignificant before him;

they are regarded as absolutely nothing. ³⁹ 

40:18 To whom can you compare God?

To what image can you liken him?

40:19 A craftsman casts ⁴⁰  an idol;

a metalsmith overlays it with gold

and forges silver chains for it.

40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; ⁴¹ 

he then seeks a skilled craftsman

to make ⁴²  an idol that will not fall over.

40:21 Do you not know?

Do you not hear?

Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?

Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?

40:22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon; ⁴³ 

its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. ⁴⁴ 

He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, ⁴⁵ 

and spreads it out ⁴⁶  like a pitched tent. ⁴⁷ 

40:23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;

he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.

40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”

says the Holy One. ⁴⁸ 

40:26 Look up at the sky! ⁴⁹ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ⁵⁰ 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ⁵¹ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

40:27 Why do you say, Jacob,

Why do you say, Israel,

“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, ⁵² 

My God is not concerned with my vindication”? ⁵³ 

40:28 Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is an eternal God,

the creator of the whole earth. ⁵⁴ 

He does not get tired or weary;

there is no limit to his wisdom. ⁵⁵ 

40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired;

to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.

40:30 Even youths get tired and weary;

even strong young men clumsily stumble. ⁵⁶ 

40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help ⁵⁷  find renewed strength;

they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, ⁵⁸ 

they run without growing weary,

they walk without getting tired.

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ⁵⁹ 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ⁶⁰ 

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ⁶¹ 

Who ⁶²  officially commissions him for service? ⁶³ 

He hands nations over to him, ⁶⁴ 

and enables him to subdue ⁶⁵  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ⁶⁶ 

41:3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed; ⁶⁷ 

he advances with great speed. ⁶⁸ 

41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? ⁶⁹ 

Who ⁷⁰  summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one. ⁷¹ 

41:5 The coastlands ⁷²  see and are afraid;

the whole earth ⁷³  trembles;

they approach and come.

41:6 They help one another; ⁷⁴ 

one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’

41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages ⁷⁵  the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding, ⁷⁶ 

and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”

41:8 “You, my servant Israel,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

offspring of Abraham my friend, ⁷⁷ 

41:9 you whom I am bringing back ⁷⁸  from the earth’s extremities,

and have summoned from the remote regions –

I told you, “You are my servant.”

I have chosen you and not rejected you.

41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!

Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! ⁷⁹ 

I strengthen you –

yes, I help you –

yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! ⁸⁰ 

41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;

your adversaries ⁸¹  will be reduced to nothing ⁸²  and perish.

41:12 When you will look for your opponents, ⁸³  you will not find them;

your enemies ⁸⁴  will be reduced to absolutely nothing.

41:13 For I am the Lord your God,

the one who takes hold of your right hand,

who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’

41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, ⁸⁵ 

men of ⁸⁶  Israel.

I am helping you,” says the Lord,

your protector, ⁸⁷  the Holy One of Israel. ⁸⁸ 

41:15 “Look, I am making you like ⁸⁹  a sharp threshing sledge,

new and double-edged. ⁹⁰ 

You will thresh the mountains and crush them;

you will make the hills like straw. ⁹¹ 

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; ⁹² 

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes

and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.

I will turn the desert into a pool of water

and the arid land into springs.

41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;

I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.

41:20 I will do this so ⁹³  people ⁹⁴  will observe and recognize,

so they will pay attention and understand

that the Lord’s power ⁹⁵  has accomplished this,

and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.” ⁹⁶ 

41:21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.

“Produce your evidence,” ⁹⁷  says Jacob’s king. ⁹⁸ 

41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!

Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, ⁹⁹ 

so we may examine them ¹⁰⁰  and see how they were fulfilled. ¹⁰¹ 

Or decree for us some future events!

41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, ¹⁰² 

so we might know you are gods.

Yes, do something good or bad,

so we might be frightened and in awe. ¹⁰³ 

41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;

the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. ¹⁰⁴ 

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north ¹⁰⁵  and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. ¹⁰⁶ 

He steps on ¹⁰⁷  rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?

Who announced it ¹⁰⁸  ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?

Indeed, none of them decreed it!

Indeed, none of them announced it!

Indeed, no one heard you say anything!

41:27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’ ¹⁰⁹ 

I sent a herald to Jerusalem. ¹¹⁰ 

41:28 I look, but there is no one,

among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,

that I might ask questions and receive answers.

41:29 Look, all of them are nothing, ¹¹¹ 

their accomplishments are nonexistent;

their metal images lack any real substance. ¹¹² 

42:1 ¹¹³ 

“Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ¹¹⁴  for the nations. ¹¹⁵ 

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets. ¹¹⁶ 

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ¹¹⁷ 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ¹¹⁸ 

42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed ¹¹⁹ 

before establishing justice on the earth;

the coastlands ¹²⁰  will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” ¹²¹ 

42:5 This is what the true God, ¹²²  the Lord, says –

the one who created the sky and stretched it out,

the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, ¹²³ 

the one who gives breath to the people on it,

and life to those who live on it: ¹²⁴ 

42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; ¹²⁵ 

I take hold of your hand.

I protect you ¹²⁶  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ¹²⁷ 

and a light ¹²⁸  to the nations, ¹²⁹ 

42:7 to open blind eyes, ¹³⁰ 

to release prisoners ¹³¹  from dungeons,

those who live in darkness from prisons.

42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!

I will not share my glory with anyone else,

or the praise due me with idols.

42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; ¹³² 

now I announce new events.

Before they begin to occur,

I reveal them to you.” ¹³³ 

42:10 Sing to the Lord a brand new song!

Praise him ¹³⁴  from the horizon of the earth,

you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it, ¹³⁵ 

you coastlands ¹³⁶  and those who live there!

42:11 Let the desert and its cities shout out,

the towns where the nomads of Kedar live!

Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully;

let them shout loudly from the mountaintops.

42:12 Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; ¹³⁷ 

let them praise his deeds in the coastlands. ¹³⁸ 

42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero,

like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; ¹³⁹ 

he shouts, yes, he yells,

he shows his enemies his power. ¹⁴⁰ 

42:14 “I have been inactive ¹⁴¹  for a long time;

I kept quiet and held back.

Like a woman in labor I groan;

I pant and gasp. ¹⁴² 

42:15 I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up; ¹⁴³ 

I will dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn streams into islands, ¹⁴⁴ 

and dry up pools of water. ¹⁴⁵ 

42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; ¹⁴⁶ 

I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. ¹⁴⁷ 

I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,

and level out the rough ground. ¹⁴⁸ 

This is what I will do for them.

I will not abandon them.

42:17 Those who trust in idols

will turn back and be utterly humiliated, ¹⁴⁹ 

those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”

42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!

Take notice, ¹⁵⁰  you blind ones!

42:19 My servant is truly blind,

my messenger is truly deaf.

My covenant partner, ¹⁵¹  the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. ¹⁵² 

42:20 You see ¹⁵³  many things, but don’t comprehend; ¹⁵⁴ 

their ears are open, but do not hear.”

42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice

by magnifying his law and displaying it. ¹⁵⁵ 

42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;

all of them are trapped in pits ¹⁵⁶ 

and held captive ¹⁵⁷  in prisons.

They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;

they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” ¹⁵⁸ 

42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?

Who will listen attentively in the future? ¹⁵⁹ 

42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?

Who handed Israel over to the looters? ¹⁶⁰ 

Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?

They refused to follow his commands;

they disobeyed his law. ¹⁶¹ 

42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them,

along with the devastation ¹⁶²  of war.

Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; ¹⁶³ 

it burned against them, but they did notice. ¹⁶⁴ 

43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says,

the one who created you, O Jacob,

and formed you, O Israel:

“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect ¹⁶⁵  you.

I call you by name, you are mine.

43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;

when you pass ¹⁶⁶  through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not harm ¹⁶⁷  you.

43:3 For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ¹⁶⁸  your deliverer.

I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,

Ethiopia and Seba ¹⁶⁹  in place of you.

43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, ¹⁷⁰ 

and I love you,

I will hand over people in place of you,

nations in place of your life.

43:5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

From the east I will bring your descendants;

from the west I will gather you.

43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’

and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’

Bring my sons from distant lands,

and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,

43:7 everyone who belongs to me, ¹⁷¹ 

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed – yes, whom I made!

43:8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,

those who are deaf, even though they have ears!

43:9 All nations gather together,

the peoples assemble.

Who among them announced this?

Who predicted earlier events for us? ¹⁷² 

Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;

let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,

“my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may consider ¹⁷³  and believe in me,

and understand that I am he.

No god was formed before me,

and none will outlive me. ¹⁷⁴ 

43:11 I, I am the Lord,

and there is no deliverer besides me.

43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,

and there was no other god among you.

You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power; ¹⁷⁵ 

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

43:14 This is what the Lord says,

your protector, ¹⁷⁶  the Holy One of Israel: ¹⁷⁷ 

“For your sake I send to Babylon

and make them all fugitives, ¹⁷⁸ 

turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. ¹⁷⁹ 

43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, ¹⁸⁰ 

the one who created Israel, your king.”

43:16 This is what the Lord says,

the one who made a road through the sea,

a pathway through the surging waters,

43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, ¹⁸¹ 

together with a mighty army.

They fell down, ¹⁸²  never to rise again;

they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:

43:18 “Don’t remember these earlier events; ¹⁸³ 

don’t recall these former events.

43:19 “Look, I am about to do something new.

Now it begins to happen! ¹⁸⁴  Do you not recognize ¹⁸⁵  it?

Yes, I will make a road in the desert

and paths ¹⁸⁶  in the wilderness.

43:20 The wild animals of the desert honor me,

the jackals and ostriches,

because I put water in the desert

and streams in the wilderness,

to quench the thirst of my chosen people,

43:21 the people whom I formed for myself,

so they might praise me.” ¹⁸⁷ 

43:22 “But you did not call for me, O Jacob;

you did not long ¹⁸⁸  for me, O Israel.

43:23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings;

you did not honor me with your sacrifices.

I did not burden you with offerings;

I did not make you weary by demanding ¹⁸⁹  incense.

43:24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; ¹⁹⁰ 

you did not present to me ¹⁹¹  the fat of your sacrifices.

Yet you burdened me with your sins;

you made me weary with your evil deeds. ¹⁹² 

43:25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;

your sins I do not remember.

43:26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate!

You, prove to me that you are right! ¹⁹³ 

43:27 The father of your nation ¹⁹⁴  sinned;

your spokesmen ¹⁹⁵  rebelled against me.

43:28 So I defiled your holy princes,

and handed Jacob over to destruction,

and subjected ¹⁹⁶  Israel to humiliating abuse.”

44:1 “Now, listen, Jacob my servant,

Israel whom I have chosen!”

44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –

the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:

“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,

Jeshurun, ¹⁹⁷  whom I have chosen!

44:3 For I will pour water on the parched ground ¹⁹⁸ 

and cause streams to flow ¹⁹⁹  on the dry land.

I will pour my spirit on your offspring

and my blessing on your children.

44:4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, ²⁰⁰ 

like poplars beside channels of water.

44:5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,’

and another will use ²⁰¹  the name ‘Jacob.’

One will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’

and use the name ‘Israel.’” ²⁰² 

44:6 This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says,

their protector, ²⁰³  the Lord who commands armies:

“I am the first and I am the last,

there is no God but me.

44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! ²⁰⁴ 

Let him announce it and explain it to me –

since I established an ancient people – ²⁰⁵ 

let them announce future events! ²⁰⁶ 

44:8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! ²⁰⁷ 

Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?

You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?

There is no other sheltering rock; ²⁰⁸  I know of none.

44:9 All who form idols are nothing;

the things in which they delight are worthless.

Their witnesses cannot see;

they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.

44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol

that will prove worthless? ²⁰⁹ 

44:11 Look, all his associates ²¹⁰  will be put to shame;

the craftsmen are mere humans. ²¹¹ 

Let them all assemble and take their stand!

They will panic and be put to shame.

44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool ²¹² 

and forges metal over the coals.

He forms it ²¹³  with hammers;

he makes it with his strong arm.

He gets hungry and loses his energy; ²¹⁴ 

he drinks no water and gets tired.

44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; ²¹⁵ 

he marks out an outline of its form; ²¹⁶ 

he scrapes ²¹⁷  it with chisels,

and marks it with a compass.

He patterns it after the human form, ²¹⁸ 

like a well-built human being,

and puts it in a shrine. ²¹⁹ 

44:14 He cuts down cedars

and acquires a cypress ²²⁰  or an oak.

He gets ²²¹  trees from the forest;

he plants a cedar ²²²  and the rain makes it grow.

44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; ²²³ 

he takes some of it and warms himself.

Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

Then he makes a god and worships it;

he makes an idol and bows down to it. ²²⁴ 

44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –

over that half he cooks ²²⁵  meat;

he roasts a meal and fills himself.

Yes, he warms himself and says,

‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’

44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;

he bows down to it and worships it.

He prays to it, saying,

‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’

44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,

for their eyes are blind and cannot see;

their minds do not discern. ²²⁶ 

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’ ²²⁷ 

44:20 He feeds on ashes; ²²⁸ 

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ²²⁹ 

44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob,

O Israel, for you are my servant.

I formed you to be my servant;

O Israel, I will not forget you! ²³⁰ 

44:22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,

the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. ²³¹ 

Come back to me, for I protect ²³²  you.”

44:23 Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes; ²³³ 

shout out, you subterranean regions ²³⁴  of the earth.

O mountains, give a joyful shout;

you too, O forest and all your trees! ²³⁵ 

For the Lord protects ²³⁶  Jacob;

he reveals his splendor through Israel. ²³⁷ 

44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, ²³⁸  says,

the one who formed you in the womb:

“I am the Lord, who made everything,

who alone stretched out the sky,

who fashioned the earth all by myself, ²³⁹ 

44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers ²⁴⁰ 

and humiliates ²⁴¹  the omen readers,

who overturns the counsel of the wise men ²⁴² 

and makes their advice ²⁴³  seem foolish,

44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants ²⁴⁴ 

and brings to pass the announcements ²⁴⁵  of his messengers,

who says about Jerusalem, ²⁴⁶  ‘She will be inhabited,’

and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,

her ruins I will raise up,’

44:27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!

I will dry up your sea currents,’

44:28 who commissions ²⁴⁷  Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd ²⁴⁸ 

to carry out all my wishes ²⁴⁹ 

and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’

and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’” ²⁵⁰ 

45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen ²⁵¹  one,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold ²⁵² 

in order to subdue nations before him,

and disarm kings, ²⁵³ 

to open doors before him,

so gates remain unclosed:

45:2 “I will go before you

and level mountains. ²⁵⁴ 

Bronze doors I will shatter

and iron bars ²⁵⁵  I will hack through.

45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, ²⁵⁶ 

riches stashed away in secret places,

so you may recognize that I am the Lord,

the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.

45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,

Israel, my chosen one,

I call you by name

and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize ²⁵⁷  me.

45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer, ²⁵⁸ 

there is no God but me.

I arm you for battle, ²⁵⁹  even though you do not recognize ²⁶⁰  me.

45:6 I do this ²⁶¹  so people ²⁶²  will recognize from east to west

that there is no God but me;

I am the Lord, I have no peer.

45:7 I am ²⁶³  the one who forms light

and creates darkness; ²⁶⁴ 

the one who brings about peace

and creates calamity. ²⁶⁵ 

I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ²⁶⁶  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ²⁶⁷  so salvation may grow, ²⁶⁸ 

and deliverance may sprout up ²⁶⁹  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ²⁷⁰ 

45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, ²⁷¹ 

one who is like a mere ²⁷²  shard among the other shards on the ground!

The clay should not say to the potter, ²⁷³ 

“What in the world ²⁷⁴  are you doing?

Your work lacks skill!” ²⁷⁵ 

45:10 Danger awaits one who says ²⁷⁶  to his father,

“What in the world ²⁷⁷  are you fathering?”

and to his mother,

“What in the world are you bringing forth?” ²⁷⁸ 

45:11 This is what the Lord says,

the Holy One of Israel, ²⁷⁹  the one who formed him,

concerning things to come: ²⁸⁰ 

“How dare you question me ²⁸¹  about my children!

How dare you tell me what to do with ²⁸²  the work of my own hands!

45:12 I made the earth,

I created the people who live ²⁸³  on it.

It was me – my hands ²⁸⁴  stretched out the sky, ²⁸⁵ 

I give orders to all the heavenly lights. ²⁸⁶ 

45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; ²⁸⁷ 

I will make all his ways level.

He will rebuild my city;

he will send my exiled people home,

but not for a price or a bribe,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

45:14 This is what the Lord says:

“The profit ²⁸⁸  of Egypt and the revenue ²⁸⁹  of Ethiopia,

along with the Sabeans, those tall men,

will be brought to you ²⁹⁰  and become yours.

They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. ²⁹¹ 

They will bow down to you

and pray to you: ²⁹² 

‘Truly God is with ²⁹³  you; he has no peer; ²⁹⁴ 

there is no other God!’”

45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,

O God of Israel, deliverer!

45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;

those who fashion idols will all be humiliated. ²⁹⁵ 

45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord; ²⁹⁶ 

you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. ²⁹⁷ 

45:18 For this is what the Lord says,

the one who created the sky –

he is the true God, ²⁹⁸ 

the one who formed the earth and made it;

he established it,

he did not create it without order, ²⁹⁹ 

he formed it to be inhabited –

“I am the Lord, I have no peer.

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ³⁰⁰ 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ³⁰¹ 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ³⁰² 

45:20 Gather together and come!

Approach together, you refugees from the nations!

Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,

those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! ³⁰³ 

Let them consult with one another!

Who predicted this in the past?

Who announced it beforehand?

Was it not I, the Lord?

I have no peer, there is no God but me,

a God who vindicates and delivers; ³⁰⁴ 

there is none but me.

45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, ³⁰⁵ 

all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!

For I am God, and I have no peer.

45:23 I solemnly make this oath ³⁰⁶  –

what I say is true and reliable: ³⁰⁷ 

‘Surely every knee will bow to me,

every tongue will solemnly affirm; ³⁰⁸ 

45:24 they will say about me,

“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” ³⁰⁹ 

All who are angry at him will cower before him. ³¹⁰ 

45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord

and will boast in him. ³¹¹ 

46:1 Bel ³¹²  kneels down,

Nebo ³¹³  bends low.

Their images weigh down animals and beasts. ³¹⁴ 

Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. ³¹⁵ 

46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;

they are unable to rescue the images; ³¹⁶ 

they themselves ³¹⁷  head off into captivity. ³¹⁸ 

46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, ³¹⁹ 

all you who are left from the family of Israel, ³²⁰ 

you who have been carried from birth, ³²¹ 

you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. ³²² 

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, ³²³ 

even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.

I made you and I will support you;

I will carry you and rescue you. ³²⁴ 

46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?

Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!

46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse

and weigh out silver on the scale ³²⁵ 

hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.

They then bow down and worship it.

46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;

they put it in its place and it just stands there;

it does not ³²⁶  move from its place.

Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;

it does not deliver him from his distress.

46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! ³²⁷ 

Think about it, you rebels! ³²⁸ 

46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! ³²⁹ 

Truly I am God, I have no peer; ³³⁰ 

I am God, and there is none like me,

46:10 who announces the end from the beginning

and reveals beforehand ³³¹  what has not yet occurred,

who says, ‘My plan will be realized,

I will accomplish what I desire,’

46:11 who summons an eagle ³³²  from the east,

from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.

Yes, I have decreed, ³³³ 

yes, I will bring it to pass;

I have formulated a plan,

yes, I will carry it out.

46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, ³³⁴ 

you who distance yourself from doing what is right. ³³⁵ 

46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;

I am bringing my salvation near, ³³⁶  it does not wait.

I will save Zion; ³³⁷ 

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” ³³⁸ 

47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,

O virgin ³³⁹  daughter Babylon!

Sit on the ground, not on a throne,

O daughter of the Babylonians!

Indeed, ³⁴⁰  you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.

47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!

Remove your veil,

strip off your skirt,

expose your legs,

cross the streams!

47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!

Your genitals will be on display! ³⁴¹ 

I will get revenge;

I will not have pity on anyone,” ³⁴² 

47:4 says our protector –

the Lord who commands armies is his name,

the Holy One of Israel. ³⁴³ 

47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, ³⁴⁴ 

O daughter of the Babylonians!

Indeed, ³⁴⁵  you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’

47:6 I was angry at my people;

I defiled my special possession

and handed them over to you.

You showed them no mercy; ³⁴⁶ 

you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. ³⁴⁷ 

47:7 You said,

‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ ³⁴⁸ 

You did not think about these things; ³⁴⁹ 

you did not consider how it would turn out. ³⁵⁰ 

47:8 So now, listen to this,

O one who lives so lavishly, ³⁵¹ 

who lives securely,

who says to herself, ³⁵² 

‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! ³⁵³ 

I will never have to live as a widow;

I will never lose my children.’ ³⁵⁴ 

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed. ³⁵⁵ 

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, ³⁵⁶ 

despite ³⁵⁷  your many incantations

and your numerous amulets. ³⁵⁸ 

47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; ³⁵⁹ 

you thought, ³⁶⁰  ‘No one sees me.’

Your self-professed ³⁶¹  wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,

when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ ³⁶² 

47:11 Disaster will overtake you;

you will not know how to charm it away. ³⁶³ 

Destruction will fall on you;

you will not be able to appease it.

Calamity will strike you suddenly,

before you recognize it. ³⁶⁴ 

47:12 Persist ³⁶⁵  in trusting ³⁶⁶  your amulets

and your many incantations,

which you have faithfully recited ³⁶⁷  since your youth!

Maybe you will be successful ³⁶⁸  –

maybe you will scare away disaster. ³⁶⁹ 

47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. ³⁷⁰ 

Let them take their stand –

the ones who see omens in the sky,

who gaze at the stars,

who make monthly predictions –

let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! ³⁷¹ 

47:14 Look, they are like straw,

which the fire burns up;

they cannot rescue themselves

from the heat ³⁷²  of the flames.

There are no coals to warm them,

no firelight to enjoy. ³⁷³ 

47:15 They will disappoint you, ³⁷⁴ 

those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. ³⁷⁵ 

Each strays off in his own direction, ³⁷⁶ 

leaving no one to rescue you.”

48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob, ³⁷⁷ 

you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’

and are descended from Judah, ³⁷⁸ 

who take oaths in the name of the Lord,

and invoke ³⁷⁹  the God of Israel –

but not in an honest and just manner. ³⁸⁰ 

48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; ³⁸¹ 

they trust in ³⁸²  the God of Israel,

whose name is the Lord who commands armies.

48:3 “I announced events beforehand, ³⁸³ 

I issued the decrees and made the predictions; ³⁸⁴ 

suddenly I acted and they came to pass.

48:4 I did this ³⁸⁵  because I know how stubborn you are.

Your neck muscles are like iron

and your forehead like bronze. ³⁸⁶ 

48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;

before they happened, I predicted them for you,

so you could never say,

‘My image did these things,

my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’

48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! ³⁸⁷ 

Will you not admit that what I say is true? ³⁸⁸ 

From this point on I am announcing to you new events

that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. ³⁸⁹ 

48:7 Now they come into being, ³⁹⁰  not in the past;

before today you did not hear about them,

so you could not say,

‘Yes, ³⁹¹  I know about them.’

48:8 You did not hear,

you do not know,

you were not told beforehand. ³⁹² 

For I know that you are very deceitful; ³⁹³ 

you were labeled ³⁹⁴  a rebel from birth.

48:9 For the sake of my reputation ³⁹⁵  I hold back my anger;

for the sake of my prestige ³⁹⁶  I restrain myself from destroying you. ³⁹⁷ 

48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have purified you ³⁹⁸  in the furnace of misery.

48:11 For my sake alone ³⁹⁹  I will act,

for how can I allow my name to be defiled? ⁴⁰⁰ 

I will not share my glory with anyone else! ⁴⁰¹ 

48:12 Listen to me, O Jacob,

Israel, whom I summoned!

I am the one;

I am present at the very beginning

and at the very end. ⁴⁰² 

48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;

my right hand spread out the sky.

I summon them;

they stand together.

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them ⁴⁰³  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ⁴⁰⁴  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ⁴⁰⁵ 

48:15 I, I have spoken –

yes, I have summoned him;

I lead him and he will succeed. ⁴⁰⁶ 

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, ⁴⁰⁷  I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. ⁴⁰⁸ 

48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, ⁴⁰⁹  says,

the Holy One of Israel: ⁴¹⁰ 

“I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you how to succeed,

who leads you in the way you should go.

48:18 If only you had obeyed my ⁴¹¹  commandments,

prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, ⁴¹² 

deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. ⁴¹³ 

48:19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand, ⁴¹⁴ 

and your children ⁴¹⁵  like its granules.

Their name would not have been cut off

and eliminated from my presence. ⁴¹⁶ 

48:20 Leave Babylon!

Flee from the Babylonians!

Announce it with a shout of joy!

Make this known!

Proclaim it throughout the earth! ⁴¹⁷ 

Say, ‘The Lord protects ⁴¹⁸  his servant Jacob.

48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;

he makes water flow out of a rock for them;

he splits open a rock and water flows out.’ ⁴¹⁹ 

48:22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.

49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! ⁴²⁰ 

Pay attention, you people who live far away!

The Lord summoned me from birth; ⁴²¹ 

he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. ⁴²² 

49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

he hid me in the hollow of his hand;

he made me like a sharpened ⁴²³  arrow,

he hid me in his quiver. ⁴²⁴ 

49:3 He said to me, “You are my servant,

Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.” ⁴²⁵ 

49:4 But I thought, ⁴²⁶  “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” ⁴²⁷ 

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me. ⁴²⁸ 

49:5 So now the Lord says,

the one who formed me from birth ⁴²⁹  to be his servant –

he did this ⁴³⁰  to restore Jacob to himself,

so that Israel might be gathered to him;

and I will be honored ⁴³¹  in the Lord’s sight,

for my God is my source of strength ⁴³²  –

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ⁴³³  of Israel? ⁴³⁴ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ⁴³⁵ 

so you can bring ⁴³⁶  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁴³⁷  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁴³⁸  says

to the one who is despised ⁴³⁹  and rejected ⁴⁴⁰  by nations, ⁴⁴¹ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁴⁴² 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

49:8 This is what the Lord says:

“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;

in the day of deliverance I will help you;

I will protect you ⁴⁴³  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ⁴⁴⁴ 

to rebuild ⁴⁴⁵  the land ⁴⁴⁶ 

and to reassign the desolate property.

49:9 You will say ⁴⁴⁷  to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ⁴⁴⁸  ‘Emerge.’ ⁴⁴⁹ 

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;

the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them, ⁴⁵⁰ 

for one who has compassion on them will guide them;

he will lead them to springs of water.

49:11 I will make all my mountains into a road;

I will construct my roadways.”

49:12 Look, they come from far away!

Look, some come from the north and west,

and others from the land of Sinim! ⁴⁵¹ 

49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! ⁴⁵² 

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the ⁴⁵³  oppressed.

49:14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the sovereign master ⁴⁵⁴  has forgotten me.’

49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? ⁴⁵⁵ 

Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? ⁴⁵⁶ 

Even if mothers ⁴⁵⁷  were to forget,

I could never forget you! ⁴⁵⁸ 

49:16 Look, I have inscribed your name ⁴⁵⁹  on my palms;

your walls are constantly before me.

49:17 Your children hurry back,

while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.

49:18 Look all around you! ⁴⁶⁰ 

All of them gather to you.

As surely as I live,” says the Lord,

“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;

you will put them on as if you were a bride.

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ⁴⁶¹ 

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

49:20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement

will say within your hearing,

‘This place is too cramped for us, ⁴⁶² 

make room for us so we can live here.’ ⁴⁶³ 

49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ⁴⁶⁴ 

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced. ⁴⁶⁵ 

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ⁴⁶⁶  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ⁴⁶⁷ 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ⁴⁶⁸  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,

or captives be rescued from a conqueror? ⁴⁶⁹ 

49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord,

“captives will be taken from a warrior;

spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.

I will oppose your adversary

and I will rescue your children.

49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;

they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. ⁴⁷⁰ 

Then all humankind ⁴⁷¹  will recognize that

I am the Lord, your deliverer,

your protector, ⁴⁷²  the powerful ruler of Jacob.” ⁴⁷³ 

50:1 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate

by which I divorced her?

Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? ⁴⁷⁴ 

Look, you were sold because of your sins; ⁴⁷⁵ 

because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. ⁴⁷⁶ 

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ⁴⁷⁷ 

Is my hand too weak ⁴⁷⁸  to deliver ⁴⁷⁹  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ⁴⁸⁰  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ⁴⁸¹ 

50:3 I can clothe the sky in darkness;

I can cover it with sackcloth.”

50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, ⁴⁸² 

so that I know how to help the weary. ⁴⁸³ 

He wakes me up every morning;

he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. ⁴⁸⁴ 

50:5 The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly; ⁴⁸⁵ 

I have not rebelled,

I have not turned back.

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, ⁴⁸⁶ 

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,

so I am not humiliated.

For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; ⁴⁸⁷ 

I know I will not be put to shame.

50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! ⁴⁸⁸ 

Who is my accuser? ⁴⁸⁹  Let him challenge me! ⁴⁹⁰ 

50:9 Look, the sovereign Lord helps me.

Who dares to condemn me?

Look, all of them will wear out like clothes;

a moth will eat away at them.

50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?

Who obeys ⁴⁹¹  his servant?

Whoever walks in deep darkness, ⁴⁹² 

without light,

should trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire

and who equip yourselves with ⁴⁹³  flaming arrows, ⁴⁹⁴ 

walk ⁴⁹⁵  in the light ⁴⁹⁶  of the fire you started

and among the flaming arrows you ignited! ⁴⁹⁷ 

This is what you will receive from me: ⁴⁹⁸ 

you will lie down in a place of pain. ⁴⁹⁹ 

51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, ⁵⁰⁰ 

who seek the Lord!

Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,

at the quarry ⁵⁰¹  from which you were dug! ⁵⁰² 

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ⁵⁰³ 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ⁵⁰⁴ 

but I blessed him ⁵⁰⁵  and gave him numerous descendants. ⁵⁰⁶ 

51:3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion;

he will console all her ruins.

He will make her wilderness like Eden,

her desert like the Garden of the Lord.

Happiness and joy will be restored to ⁵⁰⁷  her,

thanksgiving and the sound of music.

51:4 Pay attention to me, my people!

Listen to me, my people!

For ⁵⁰⁸  I will issue a decree, ⁵⁰⁹ 

I will make my justice a light to the nations. ⁵¹⁰ 

51:5 I am ready to vindicate, ⁵¹¹ 

I am ready to deliver, ⁵¹² 

I will establish justice among the nations. ⁵¹³ 

The coastlands ⁵¹⁴  wait patiently for me;

they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power. ⁵¹⁵ 

51:6 Look up at the sky!

Look at the earth below!

For the sky will dissipate ⁵¹⁶  like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like clothes;

its residents will die like gnats.

But the deliverance I give ⁵¹⁷  is permanent;

the vindication I provide ⁵¹⁸  will not disappear. ⁵¹⁹ 

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ⁵²⁰ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

51:8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;

a clothes moth will devour them like wool.

But the vindication I provide ⁵²¹  will be permanent;

the deliverance I give will last.”

51:9 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! ⁵²² 

Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!

Did you not smash ⁵²³  the Proud One? ⁵²⁴ 

Did you not ⁵²⁵  wound the sea monster? ⁵²⁶ 

51:10 Did you not dry up the sea,

the waters of the great deep?

Did you not make ⁵²⁷  a path through the depths of the sea,

so those delivered from bondage ⁵²⁸  could cross over?

51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;

they will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them, ⁵²⁹ 

happiness and joy will overwhelm ⁵³⁰  them;

grief and suffering will disappear. ⁵³¹ 

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ⁵³² 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ⁵³³ 

51:13 Why do you forget ⁵³⁴  the Lord, who made you,

who stretched out the sky ⁵³⁵ 

and founded the earth?

Why do you constantly tremble all day long ⁵³⁶ 

at the anger of the oppressor,

when he makes plans to destroy?

Where is the anger of the oppressor? ⁵³⁷ 

51:14 The one who suffers ⁵³⁸  will soon be released;

he will not die in prison, ⁵³⁹ 

he will not go hungry. ⁵⁴⁰ 

51:15 I am the Lord your God,

who churns up the sea so that its waves surge.

The Lord who commands armies is his name!

51:16 I commission you ⁵⁴¹  as my spokesman; ⁵⁴² 

I cover you with the palm of my hand, ⁵⁴³ 

to establish ⁵⁴⁴  the sky and to found the earth,

to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” ⁵⁴⁵ 

51:17 Wake up! Wake up!

Get up, O Jerusalem!

You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you,

which was full of his anger! ⁵⁴⁶ 

You drained dry

the goblet full of intoxicating wine. ⁵⁴⁷ 

51:18 There was no one to lead her

among all the children she bore;

there was no one to take her by the hand

among all the children she raised.

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ⁵⁴⁸ 

51:20 Your children faint;

they lie at the head of every street

like an antelope in a snare.

They are left in a stupor by the Lord’s anger,

by the battle cry of your God. ⁵⁴⁹ 

51:21 So listen to this, oppressed one,

who is drunk, but not from wine!

51:22 This is what your sovereign master, ⁵⁵⁰  the Lord your God, says:

“Look, I have removed from your hand

the cup of intoxicating wine, ⁵⁵¹ 

the goblet full of my anger. ⁵⁵² 

You will no longer have to drink it.

51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors ⁵⁵³ 

who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’

You made your back like the ground,

and like the street for those who walked over you.”

52:1 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion!

Put on your beautiful clothes,

O Jerusalem, ⁵⁵⁴  holy city!

For uncircumcised and unclean pagans

will no longer invade you.

52:2 Shake off the dirt! ⁵⁵⁵ 

Get up, captive ⁵⁵⁶  Jerusalem!

Take off the iron chains around your neck,

O captive daughter Zion!

52:3 For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,

and you will not be redeemed for money.”

52:4 For this is what the sovereign Lord says:

“In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt;

Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.

52:5 And now, what do we have here?” ⁵⁵⁷  says the Lord.

“Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing,

those who rule over them taunt,” ⁵⁵⁸  says the Lord,

“and my name is constantly slandered ⁵⁵⁹  all day long.

52:6 For this reason my people will know my name,

for this reason they will know ⁵⁶⁰  at that time ⁵⁶¹  that I am the one who says,

‘Here I am.’”

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains ⁵⁶² 

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ⁵⁶³ 

52:8 Listen, ⁵⁶⁴  your watchmen shout;

in unison they shout for joy,

for they see with their very own eyes ⁵⁶⁵ 

the Lord’s return to Zion.

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects ⁵⁶⁶  Jerusalem.

52:10 The Lord reveals ⁵⁶⁷  his royal power ⁵⁶⁸ 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ⁵⁶⁹  earth sees

our God deliver. ⁵⁷⁰ 

52:11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there!

Don’t touch anything unclean!

Get out of it!

Stay pure, you who carry the Lord’s holy items! ⁵⁷¹ 

52:12 Yet do not depart quickly

or leave in a panic. ⁵⁷² 

For the Lord goes before you;

the God of Israel is your rear guard.

52:13 “Look, my servant will succeed! ⁵⁷³ 

He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted ⁵⁷⁴  –

52:14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) ⁵⁷⁵ 

he was so disfigured ⁵⁷⁶  he no longer looked like a man; ⁵⁷⁷ 

52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human ⁵⁷⁸  –

so now ⁵⁷⁹  he will startle ⁵⁸⁰  many nations.

Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, ⁵⁸¹ 

for they will witness something unannounced to them,

and they will understand something they had not heard about.

53:1 Who would have believed ⁵⁸²  what we ⁵⁸³  just heard? ⁵⁸⁴ 

When ⁵⁸⁵  was the Lord’s power ⁵⁸⁶  revealed through him?

53:2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, ⁵⁸⁷ 

like a root out of parched soil; ⁵⁸⁸ 

he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, ⁵⁸⁹ 

no special appearance that we should want to follow him. ⁵⁹⁰ 

53:3 He was despised and rejected by people, ⁵⁹¹ 

one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;

people hid their faces from him; ⁵⁹² 

he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. ⁵⁹³ 

53:4 But he lifted up our illnesses,

he carried our pain; ⁵⁹⁴ 

even though we thought he was being punished,

attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. ⁵⁹⁵ 

53:5 He was wounded because of ⁵⁹⁶  our rebellious deeds,

crushed because of our sins;

he endured punishment that made us well; ⁵⁹⁷ 

because of his wounds we have been healed. ⁵⁹⁸ 

53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;

each of us had strayed off on his own path,

but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. ⁵⁹⁹ 

53:7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, ⁶⁰⁰ 

but he did not even open his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,

like a sheep silent before her shearers,

he did not even open his mouth. ⁶⁰¹ 

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial ⁶⁰²  –

but who even cared? ⁶⁰³ 

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; ⁶⁰⁴ 

because of the rebellion of his own ⁶⁰⁵  people he was wounded.

53:9 They intended to bury him with criminals, ⁶⁰⁶ 

but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb, ⁶⁰⁷ 

because ⁶⁰⁸  he had committed no violent deeds,

nor had he spoken deceitfully.

53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,

once restitution is made, ⁶⁰⁹ 

he will see descendants and enjoy long life, ⁶¹⁰ 

and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.

53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,

he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. ⁶¹¹ 

“My servant ⁶¹²  will acquit many, ⁶¹³ 

for he carried their sins. ⁶¹⁴ 

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ⁶¹⁵ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ⁶¹⁶ 

because he willingly submitted ⁶¹⁷  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ⁶¹⁸  on behalf of the rebels.”

54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!

Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one are more numerous

than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

54:2 Make your tent larger,

stretch your tent curtains farther out! ⁶¹⁹ 

Spare no effort,

lengthen your ropes,

and pound your stakes deep. ⁶²⁰ 

54:3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

your children will conquer ⁶²¹  nations

and will resettle desolate cities.

54:4 Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame!

Don’t be intimidated, ⁶²²  for you will not be humiliated!

You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth;

you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment. ⁶²³ 

54:5 For your husband is the one who made you –

the Lord who commands armies is his name.

He is your protector, ⁶²⁴  the Holy One of Israel. ⁶²⁵ 

He is called “God of the entire earth.”

54:6 “Indeed, the Lord will call you back

like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, ⁶²⁶ 

like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned ⁶²⁷  you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

54:8 In a burst ⁶²⁸  of anger I rejected you ⁶²⁹  momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, ⁶³⁰  the Lord.

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, ⁶³¹ 

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood ⁶³²  would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ⁶³³  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ⁶³⁴  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ⁶³⁵ 

your gates out of beryl, ⁶³⁶ 

and your outer wall ⁶³⁷  out of beautiful ⁶³⁸  stones.

54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,

and your children will enjoy great prosperity. ⁶³⁹ 

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ⁶⁴⁰ 

You will not experience oppression; ⁶⁴¹ 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ⁶⁴² 

for nothing frightening ⁶⁴³  will come near you.

54:15 If anyone dares to ⁶⁴⁴  challenge you, it will not be my doing!

Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated. ⁶⁴⁵ 

54:16 Look, I create the craftsman,

who fans the coals into a fire

and forges a weapon. ⁶⁴⁶ 

I create the destroyer so he might devastate.

54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;

you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. ⁶⁴⁷ 

This is what the Lord will do for his servants –

I will vindicate them,” ⁶⁴⁸ 

says the Lord.

55:1 “Hey, ⁶⁴⁹  all who are thirsty, come to the water!

You who have no money, come!

Buy and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk

without money and without cost! ⁶⁵⁰ 

55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? ⁶⁵¹ 

Why spend ⁶⁵²  your hard-earned money ⁶⁵³  on something that will not satisfy?

Listen carefully ⁶⁵⁴  to me and eat what is nourishing! ⁶⁵⁵ 

Enjoy fine food! ⁶⁵⁶ 

55:3 Pay attention and come to me!

Listen, so you can live! ⁶⁵⁷ 

Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to ⁶⁵⁸  you,

just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. ⁶⁵⁹ 

55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, ⁶⁶⁰ 

a ruler and commander of nations.”

55:5 Look, you will summon nations ⁶⁶¹  you did not previously know;

nations ⁶⁶²  that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁶⁶³ 

for he bestows honor on you.

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ⁶⁶⁴ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ⁶⁶⁵ 

and sinful people their plans. ⁶⁶⁶ 

They should return ⁶⁶⁷  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ⁶⁶⁸ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ⁶⁶⁹ 

55:8 “Indeed, ⁶⁷⁰  my plans ⁶⁷¹  are not like ⁶⁷²  your plans,

and my deeds ⁶⁷³  are not like ⁶⁷⁴  your deeds,

55:9 for just as the sky ⁶⁷⁵  is higher than the earth,

so my deeds ⁶⁷⁶  are superior to ⁶⁷⁷  your deeds

and my plans ⁶⁷⁸  superior to your plans.

55:10 ⁶⁷⁹ 

The rain and snow fall from the sky

and do not return,

but instead water the earth

and make it produce and yield crops,

and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.

55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make

does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. ⁶⁸⁰ 

No, it is realized as I desire

and is fulfilled as I intend.” ⁶⁸¹ 

55:12 Indeed you will go out with joy;

you will be led along in peace;

the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you,

and all the trees in the field will clap their hands.

55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,

firs will grow in place of nettles;

they will be a monument to the Lord, ⁶⁸² 

a permanent reminder that will remain. ⁶⁸³ 

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ⁶⁸⁴  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ⁶⁸⁵ 

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, ⁶⁸⁶ 

the people who commit themselves to obedience, ⁶⁸⁷ 

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. ⁶⁸⁸ 

56:3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of ⁶⁸⁹  the Lord should say,

‘The Lord will certainly ⁶⁹⁰  exclude me from his people.’

The eunuch should not say,

‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to ⁶⁹¹  my covenant,

56:5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument ⁶⁹² 

that will be better than sons and daughters.

I will set up a permanent monument ⁶⁹³  for them that will remain.

56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of ⁶⁹⁴  the Lord and serve him,

who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –

all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

and who are faithful to ⁶⁹⁵  my covenant –

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. ⁶⁹⁶ 

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” ⁶⁹⁷ 

56:8 The sovereign Lord says this,

the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:

“I will still gather them up.” ⁶⁹⁸ 

56:9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour,

all you wild animals in the forest!

56:10 All their watchmen ⁶⁹⁹  are blind,

they are unaware. ⁷⁰⁰ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ⁷⁰¹  lie down,

and love to snooze.

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full. ⁷⁰² 

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain. ⁷⁰³ 

56:12 Each one says, ⁷⁰⁴ 

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’ ⁷⁰⁵ 

57:1 The godly ⁷⁰⁶  perish,

but no one cares. ⁷⁰⁷ 

Honest people disappear, ⁷⁰⁸ 

when no one ⁷⁰⁹  minds ⁷¹⁰ 

that the godly ⁷¹¹  disappear ⁷¹²  because of ⁷¹³  evil. ⁷¹⁴ 

57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;

they rest on their beds. ⁷¹⁵ 

57:3 But approach, you sons of omen readers,

you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes! ⁷¹⁶ 

57:4 At whom are you laughing?

At whom are you opening your mouth

and sticking out your tongue?

You are the children of rebels,

the offspring of liars, ⁷¹⁷ 

57:5 you who practice ritual sex ⁷¹⁸  under the oaks and every green tree,

who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs. ⁷¹⁹ 

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion. ⁷²⁰ 

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance. ⁷²¹ 

57:7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed;

you go up there to offer sacrifices.

57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols. ⁷²² 

Indeed, ⁷²³  you depart from me ⁷²⁴  and go up

and invite them into bed with you. ⁷²⁵ 

You purchase favors from them, ⁷²⁶ 

you love their bed,

and gaze longingly ⁷²⁷  on their genitals. ⁷²⁸ 

57:9 You take olive oil as tribute ⁷²⁹  to your king, ⁷³⁰ 

along with many perfumes. ⁷³¹ 

You send your messengers to a distant place;

you go all the way to Sheol. ⁷³² 

57:10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, ⁷³³ 

but you do not say, ‘I give up.’ ⁷³⁴ 

You get renewed energy, ⁷³⁵ 

so you don’t collapse. ⁷³⁶ 

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me? ⁷³⁷ 

Because I have been silent for so long, ⁷³⁸ 

you are not afraid of me. ⁷³⁹ 

57:12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds, ⁷⁴⁰ 

but they will not help you.

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ⁷⁴¹  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ⁷⁴² 

a breeze carries them away. ⁷⁴³ 

But the one who looks to me for help ⁷⁴⁴  will inherit the land

and will have access to ⁷⁴⁵  my holy mountain.”

57:14 He says, ⁷⁴⁶ 

“Build it! Build it! Clear a way!

Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!”

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ⁷⁴⁷  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ⁷⁴⁸ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ⁷⁴⁹ 

57:16 For I will not be hostile ⁷⁵⁰  forever

or perpetually angry,

for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me, ⁷⁵¹ 

the life-giving breath I created.

57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;

I attacked them and angrily rejected them, ⁷⁵² 

yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. ⁷⁵³ 

57:18 I have seen their behavior, ⁷⁵⁴ 

but I will heal them and give them rest,

and I will once again console those who mourn. ⁷⁵⁵ 

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. ⁷⁵⁶ 

Complete prosperity ⁷⁵⁷  is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

57:20 But the wicked are like a surging sea

that is unable to be quiet;

its waves toss up mud and sand.

57:21 There will be no prosperity,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!

Yell as loud as a trumpet!

Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; ⁷⁵⁸ 

confront Jacob’s family with their sin! ⁷⁵⁹ 

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements, ⁷⁶⁰ 

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

58:3 They lament, ⁷⁶¹  ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, ⁷⁶² 

you oppress your workers. ⁷⁶³ 

58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by ⁷⁶⁴  arguments, brawls,

and fistfights. ⁷⁶⁵ 

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ⁷⁶⁶ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ⁷⁶⁷ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ⁷⁶⁸  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. ⁷⁶⁹ 

I want you ⁷⁷⁰  to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed, ⁷⁷¹ 

and to break every burdensome yoke.

58:7 I want you ⁷⁷²  to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ⁷⁷³ 

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ⁷⁷⁴ 

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ⁷⁷⁵ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ⁷⁷⁶ 

your godly behavior ⁷⁷⁷  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ⁷⁷⁸ 

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must ⁷⁷⁹  remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

58:10 You must ⁷⁸⁰  actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed. ⁷⁸¹ 

Then your light will dispel the darkness, ⁷⁸² 

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. ⁷⁸³ 

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions. ⁷⁸⁴ 

He will give you renewed strength, ⁷⁸⁵ 

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; ⁷⁸⁶ 

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’ ⁷⁸⁷ 

58:13 You must ⁷⁸⁸  observe the Sabbath ⁷⁸⁹ 

rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. ⁷⁹⁰ 

You must look forward to the Sabbath ⁷⁹¹ 

and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect. ⁷⁹² 

You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,

and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. ⁷⁹³ 

58:14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord, ⁷⁹⁴ 

and I will give you great prosperity, ⁷⁹⁵ 

and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.” ⁷⁹⁶ 

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. ⁷⁹⁷ 

59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak ⁷⁹⁸  to deliver you;

his ear is not too deaf to hear you. ⁷⁹⁹ 

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;

your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. ⁸⁰⁰ 

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ⁸⁰¹ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ⁸⁰²  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ⁸⁰³ 

and give birth to sin.

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. ⁸⁰⁴ 

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes. ⁸⁰⁵ 

59:7 They are eager to do evil, ⁸⁰⁶ 

quick to shed innocent blood. ⁸⁰⁷ 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. ⁸⁰⁸ 

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ⁸⁰⁹ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ⁸¹⁰ 

59:9 For this reason deliverance ⁸¹¹  is far from us ⁸¹² 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ⁸¹³  but see only darkness; ⁸¹⁴ 

we wait for ⁸¹⁵  a bright light, ⁸¹⁶  but live ⁸¹⁷  in deep darkness. ⁸¹⁸ 

59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,

we grope like those who cannot see; ⁸¹⁹ 

we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.

Though others are strong, we are like dead men. ⁸²⁰ 

59:11 We all growl like bears,

we coo mournfully like doves;

we wait for deliverance, ⁸²¹  but there is none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, ⁸²² 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. ⁸²³ 

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up ⁸²⁴  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. ⁸²⁵ 

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness ⁸²⁶  stands far off.

Indeed, ⁸²⁷  honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased, ⁸²⁸ 

for there is no justice.

59:16 He sees there is no advocate; ⁸²⁹ 

he is shocked ⁸³⁰  that no one intervenes.

So he takes matters into his own hands; ⁸³¹ 

his desire for justice drives him on. ⁸³² 

59:17 He wears his desire for justice ⁸³³  like body armor, ⁸³⁴ 

and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. ⁸³⁵ 

He puts on the garments of vengeance ⁸³⁶ 

and wears zeal like a robe.

59:18 He repays them for what they have done,

dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries

and punishing his enemies. ⁸³⁷ 

He repays the coastlands. ⁸³⁸ 

59:19 In the west, people respect ⁸³⁹  the Lord’s reputation; ⁸⁴⁰ 

in the east they recognize his splendor. ⁸⁴¹ 

For he comes like a rushing ⁸⁴²  stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord. ⁸⁴³ 

59:20 “A protector ⁸⁴⁴  comes to Zion,

to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” ⁸⁴⁵  says the Lord.

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to ⁸⁴⁶  them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” ⁸⁴⁷  says the Lord.

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor ⁸⁴⁸  of the Lord shines on you!

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ⁸⁴⁹  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ⁸⁵⁰  appears over you.

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

60:4 Look all around you! ⁸⁵¹ 

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ⁸⁵² 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ⁸⁵³ 

For the riches of distant lands ⁸⁵⁴  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁸⁵⁵ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁸⁵⁶  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ⁸⁵⁷ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁸⁵⁸ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁸⁵⁹ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ⁸⁶⁰  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ⁸⁶¹ 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ⁸⁶²  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ⁸⁶³  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ⁸⁶⁴ 

the Holy One of Israel, ⁸⁶⁵  for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. ⁸⁶⁶ 

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁸⁶⁷ 

60:12 Indeed, ⁸⁶⁸  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ⁸⁶⁹ 

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ⁸⁷⁰ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ⁸⁷¹ 

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ ⁸⁷² 

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ⁸⁷³  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ⁸⁷⁴ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ⁸⁷⁵  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁸⁷⁶ 

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ⁸⁷⁷  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ⁸⁷⁸  iron.

I will make prosperity ⁸⁷⁹  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ⁸⁸⁰ 

60:18 Sounds of violence ⁸⁸¹  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ⁸⁸²  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ⁸⁸³ 

60:20 Your sun will no longer set;

your moon will not disappear; ⁸⁸⁴ 

the Lord will be your permanent source of light;

your time ⁸⁸⁵  of sorrow will be over.

60:21 All of your people will be godly; ⁸⁸⁶ 

they will possess the land permanently.

I will plant them like a shoot;

they will be the product of my labor,

through whom I reveal my splendor. ⁸⁸⁷ 

60:22 The least of you will multiply into ⁸⁸⁸  a thousand;

the smallest of you will become a large nation.

When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!” ⁸⁸⁹ 

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ⁸⁹⁰  me. ⁸⁹¹ 

He has commissioned ⁸⁹²  me to encourage ⁸⁹³  the poor,

to help ⁸⁹⁴  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ⁸⁹⁵ 

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁸⁹⁶  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ⁸⁹⁷  instead of discouragement. ⁸⁹⁸ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁸⁹⁹ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁹⁰⁰ 

61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins

and restore the places that were desolate; ⁹⁰¹ 

they will reestablish the ruined cities,

the places that have been desolate since ancient times.

61:5 ⁹⁰² 

“Foreigners will take care of ⁹⁰³  your sheep;

foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.

61:6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,

servants of our God.’ ⁹⁰⁴ 

You will enjoy ⁹⁰⁵  the wealth of nations

and boast about ⁹⁰⁶  the riches you receive from them. ⁹⁰⁷ 

61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; ⁹⁰⁸ 

instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. ⁹⁰⁹ 

Yes, ⁹¹⁰  they will possess a double portion in their land

and experience lasting joy.

61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice

and hate robbery and sin.

I will repay them because of my faithfulness; ⁹¹¹ 

I will make a permanent covenant with them.

61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,

their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will recognize that

the Lord has blessed them.” ⁹¹² 

61:10 I ⁹¹³  will greatly rejoice ⁹¹⁴  in the Lord;

I will be overjoyed because of my God. ⁹¹⁵ 

For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;

he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. ⁹¹⁶ 

I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;

I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. ⁹¹⁷ 

61:11 For just as the ground produces its crops

and a garden yields its produce,

so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance ⁹¹⁸  to grow,

and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations. ⁹¹⁹ 

62:1 “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;

for the sake of Jerusalem ⁹²⁰  I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines brightly ⁹²¹ 

and her deliverance burns like a torch.”

62:2 Nations will see your vindication,

and all kings your splendor.

You will be called by a new name

that the Lord himself will give you. ⁹²² 

62:3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,

a royal turban in the hand of your God.

62:4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”

and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”

Indeed, ⁹²³  you will be called “My Delight is in Her,” ⁹²⁴ 

and your land “Married.” ⁹²⁵ 

For the Lord will take delight in you,

and your land will be married to him. ⁹²⁶ 

62:5 As a young man marries a young woman,

so your sons ⁹²⁷  will marry you.

As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,

so your God will rejoice over you.

62:6 I ⁹²⁸  post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

they should keep praying all day and all night. ⁹²⁹ 

You who pray to ⁹³⁰  the Lord, don’t be silent!

62:7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, ⁹³¹ 

until he makes Jerusalem the pride ⁹³²  of the earth.

62:8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,

by his strong arm: ⁹³³ 

“I will never again give your grain

to your enemies as food,

and foreigners will not drink your wine,

which you worked hard to produce.

62:9 But those who harvest the grain ⁹³⁴  will eat it,

and will praise the Lord.

Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine ⁹³⁵ 

in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”

62:10 Come through! Come through the gates!

Prepare the way for the people!

Build it! Build the roadway!

Remove the stones!

Lift a signal flag for the nations!

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ⁹³⁶ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ⁹³⁷ 

62:12 They will be called, “The Holy People,

the Ones Protected ⁹³⁸  by the Lord.”

You will be called, “Sought After,

City Not Abandoned.”

63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, ⁹³⁹ 

dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? ⁹⁴⁰ 

Who ⁹⁴¹  is this one wearing royal attire, ⁹⁴² 

who marches confidently ⁹⁴³  because of his great strength?

“It is I, the one who announces vindication,

and who is able to deliver!” ⁹⁴⁴ 

63:2 Why are your clothes red?

Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat? ⁹⁴⁵ 

63:3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;

no one from the nations joined me.

I stomped on them ⁹⁴⁶  in my anger;

I trampled them down in my rage.

Their juice splashed on my garments,

and stained ⁹⁴⁷  all my clothes.

63:4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,

and then payback time arrived. ⁹⁴⁸ 

63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help;

I was shocked because there was no one offering support. ⁹⁴⁹ 

So my right arm accomplished deliverance;

my raging anger drove me on. ⁹⁵⁰ 

63:6 I trampled nations in my anger,

I made them drunk ⁹⁵¹  in my rage,

I splashed their blood on the ground.” ⁹⁵² 

63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,

of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.

I will tell about all ⁹⁵³  the Lord did for us,

the many good things he did for the family of Israel, ⁹⁵⁴ 

because of ⁹⁵⁵  his compassion and great faithfulness.

63:8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,

children who are not disloyal.” ⁹⁵⁶ 

He became their deliverer.

63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. ⁹⁵⁷ 

The messenger sent from his very presence ⁹⁵⁸  delivered them.

In his love and mercy he protected ⁹⁵⁹  them;

he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. ⁹⁶⁰ 

63:10 But they rebelled and offended ⁹⁶¹  his holy Spirit, ⁹⁶² 

so he turned into an enemy

and fought against them.

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ⁹⁶³ 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ⁹⁶⁴  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ⁹⁶⁵ 

63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, ⁹⁶⁶ 

who divided the water before them,

gaining for himself a lasting reputation, ⁹⁶⁷ 

63:13 who led them through the deep water?

Like a horse running on flat land ⁹⁶⁸  they did not stumble.

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ⁹⁶⁹ 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ⁹⁷⁰  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ⁹⁷¹ 

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ⁹⁷²  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ⁹⁷³ 

63:16 For you are our father,

though Abraham does not know us

and Israel does not recognize us.

You, Lord, are our father;

you have been called our protector from ancient times. ⁹⁷⁴ 

63:17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray ⁹⁷⁵  from your ways, ⁹⁷⁶ 

and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? ⁹⁷⁷ 

Return for the sake of your servants,

the tribes of your inheritance!

63:18 For a short time your special ⁹⁷⁸  nation possessed a land, ⁹⁷⁹ 

but then our adversaries knocked down ⁹⁸⁰  your holy sanctuary.

63:19 We existed from ancient times, ⁹⁸¹ 

but you did not rule over them,

they were not your subjects. ⁹⁸² 

64:1 ⁹⁸³  If only you would tear apart the sky ⁹⁸⁴  and come down!

The mountains would tremble ⁹⁸⁵  before you!

64:2 As when fire ignites dry wood,

or fire makes water boil,

let your adversaries know who you are, ⁹⁸⁶ 

and may the nations shake at your presence!

64:3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, ⁹⁸⁷ 

you came down, and the mountains trembled ⁹⁸⁸  before you.

64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, ⁹⁸⁹ 

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who intervenes for those who wait for him.

64:5 You assist ⁹⁹⁰  those who delight in doing what is right, ⁹⁹¹ 

who observe your commandments. ⁹⁹² 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ⁹⁹³ 

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ⁹⁹⁴ 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

64:7 No one invokes ⁹⁹⁵  your name,

or makes an effort ⁹⁹⁶  to take hold of you.

For you have rejected us ⁹⁹⁷ 

and handed us over to our own sins. ⁹⁹⁸ 

64:8 Yet, ⁹⁹⁹  Lord, you are our father.

We are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the product of your labor. ¹⁰⁰⁰ 

64:9 Lord, do not be too angry!

Do not hold our sins against us continually! ¹⁰⁰¹ 

Take a good look at your people, at all of us! ¹⁰⁰² 

64:10 Your chosen ¹⁰⁰³  cities have become a desert;

Zion has become a desert,

Jerusalem ¹⁰⁰⁴  is a desolate ruin.

64:11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, ¹⁰⁰⁵ 

the place where our ancestors praised you,

has been burned with fire;

all our prized possessions have been destroyed. ¹⁰⁰⁶ 

64:12 In light of all this, ¹⁰⁰⁷  how can you still hold back, Lord?

How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us?

65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; ¹⁰⁰⁸ 

I appeared to those who did not look for me. ¹⁰⁰⁹ 

I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

to a nation that did not invoke ¹⁰¹⁰  my name.

65:2 I spread out my hands all day long

to my rebellious people,

who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,

and who did what they desired. ¹⁰¹¹ 

65:3 These people continually and blatantly offend me ¹⁰¹² 

as they sacrifice in their sacred orchards ¹⁰¹³ 

and burn incense on brick altars. ¹⁰¹⁴ 

65:4 They sit among the tombs ¹⁰¹⁵ 

and keep watch all night long. ¹⁰¹⁶ 

They eat pork, ¹⁰¹⁷ 

and broth ¹⁰¹⁸  from unclean sacrificial meat is in their pans.

65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!

Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’

These people are like smoke in my nostrils,

like a fire that keeps burning all day long.

65:6 Look, I have decreed: ¹⁰¹⁹ 

I will not keep silent, but will pay them back;

I will pay them back exactly what they deserve, ¹⁰²⁰ 

65:7 for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,” ¹⁰²¹  says the Lord.

“Because they burned incense on the mountains

and offended ¹⁰²²  me on the hills,

I will punish them in full measure.” ¹⁰²³ 

65:8 This is what the Lord says:

“When ¹⁰²⁴  juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes,

someone says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for it contains juice.’ ¹⁰²⁵ 

So I will do for the sake of my servants –

I will not destroy everyone. ¹⁰²⁶ 

65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,

and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains.

My chosen ones will take possession of the land; ¹⁰²⁷ 

my servants will live there.

65:10 Sharon ¹⁰²⁸  will become a pasture for sheep,

and the Valley of Achor ¹⁰²⁹  a place where cattle graze; ¹⁰³⁰ 

they will belong to my people, who seek me. ¹⁰³¹ 

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ¹⁰³²  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ¹⁰³³ 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ¹⁰³⁴  –

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ¹⁰³⁵ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ¹⁰³⁶ 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ¹⁰³⁷ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

65:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry!

Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty!

Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!

65:14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts! ¹⁰³⁸ 

But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; ¹⁰³⁹ 

you will wail because your spirits will be crushed. ¹⁰⁴⁰ 

65:15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. ¹⁰⁴¹ 

The sovereign Lord will kill you,

but he will give his servants another name.

65:16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth ¹⁰⁴² 

will do so in the name of the faithful God; ¹⁰⁴³ 

whoever makes an oath in the earth

will do so in the name of the faithful God. ¹⁰⁴⁴ 

For past problems will be forgotten;

I will no longer think about them. ¹⁰⁴⁵ 

65:17 For look, I am ready to create

new heavens and a new earth! ¹⁰⁴⁶ 

The former ones ¹⁰⁴⁷  will not be remembered;

no one will think about them anymore. ¹⁰⁴⁸ 

65:18 But be happy and rejoice forevermore

over what I am about to create!

For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem ¹⁰⁴⁹  to be a source of joy, ¹⁰⁵⁰ 

and her people to be a source of happiness. ¹⁰⁵¹ 

65:19 Jerusalem will bring me joy,

and my people will bring me happiness. ¹⁰⁵² 

The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow

will never be heard in her again.

65:20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days ¹⁰⁵³ 

or an old man die before his time. ¹⁰⁵⁴ 

Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, ¹⁰⁵⁵ 

anyone who fails to reach ¹⁰⁵⁶  the age of a hundred will be considered cursed.

65:21 They will build houses and live in them;

they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

65:22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, ¹⁰⁵⁷ 

or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, ¹⁰⁵⁸ 

for my people will live as long as trees, ¹⁰⁵⁹ 

and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced. ¹⁰⁶⁰ 

65:23 They will not work in vain,

or give birth to children that will experience disaster. ¹⁰⁶¹ 

For the Lord will bless their children

and their descendants. ¹⁰⁶² 

65:24 Before they even call out, ¹⁰⁶³  I will respond;

while they are still speaking, I will hear.

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ¹⁰⁶⁴ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ¹⁰⁶⁵ 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ¹⁰⁶⁶ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ¹⁰⁶⁷  says the Lord.

66:1 This is what the Lord says:

“The heavens are my throne

and the earth is my footstool.

Where then is the house you will build for me?

Where is the place where I will rest?

66:2 My hand made them; ¹⁰⁶⁸ 

that is how they came to be,” ¹⁰⁶⁹  says the Lord.

I show special favor ¹⁰⁷⁰  to the humble and contrite,

who respect what I have to say. ¹⁰⁷¹ 

66:3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; ¹⁰⁷² 

the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck; ¹⁰⁷³ 

the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it; ¹⁰⁷⁴ 

the one who offers incense also praises an idol. ¹⁰⁷⁵ 

They have decided to behave this way; ¹⁰⁷⁶ 

they enjoy these disgusting practices. ¹⁰⁷⁷ 

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ¹⁰⁷⁸  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ¹⁰⁷⁹ 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,

you who respect what he has to say! ¹⁰⁸⁰ 

Your countrymen, ¹⁰⁸¹  who hate you

and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,

say, “May the Lord be glorified,

then we will witness your joy.” ¹⁰⁸² 

But they will be put to shame.

66:6 The sound of battle comes from the city;

the sound comes from the temple!

It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.

66:7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth!

Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy!

66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Who has ever seen this?

Can a country ¹⁰⁸³  be brought forth in one day?

Can a nation be born in a single moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!

66:9 “Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”

asks the Lord.

“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”

asks your God. ¹⁰⁸⁴ 

66:10 Be happy for Jerusalem

and rejoice with her, all you who love her!

Share in her great joy,

all you who have mourned over her!

66:11 For ¹⁰⁸⁵  you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished; ¹⁰⁸⁶ 

you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts. ¹⁰⁸⁷ 

66:12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,

the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. ¹⁰⁸⁸ 

You will nurse from her breast ¹⁰⁸⁹  and be carried at her side;

you will play on her knees.

66:13 As a mother consoles a child, ¹⁰⁹⁰ 

so I will console you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, ¹⁰⁹¹ 

and you will be revived. ¹⁰⁹² 

The Lord will reveal his power to his servants

and his anger to his enemies. ¹⁰⁹³ 

66:15 For look, the Lord comes with fire,

his chariots come like a windstorm, ¹⁰⁹⁴ 

to reveal his raging anger,

his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. ¹⁰⁹⁵ 

66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity ¹⁰⁹⁶ 

with fire and his sword;

the Lord will kill many. ¹⁰⁹⁷ 

66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, ¹⁰⁹⁸  those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice ¹⁰⁹⁹  – they will all be destroyed together,” ¹¹⁰⁰  says the Lord. 66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ¹¹⁰¹  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ¹¹⁰²  they will come and witness my splendor. 66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ¹¹⁰³  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ¹¹⁰⁴  Lud ¹¹⁰⁵  (known for its archers ¹¹⁰⁶ ), Tubal, Javan, ¹¹⁰⁷  and to the distant coastlands ¹¹⁰⁸  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. 66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen ¹¹⁰⁹  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ¹¹¹⁰  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ¹¹¹¹  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers. 66:21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord. 66:22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord, “so your descendants and your name will remain. 66:23 From one month ¹¹¹²  to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people ¹¹¹³  will come to worship me,” ¹¹¹⁴  says the Lord. 66:24 “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, ¹¹¹⁵  and the fire that consumes them will not die out. ¹¹¹⁶  All people will find the sight abhorrent.” ¹¹¹⁷