< Isaiah 43 >

1 Toe vaihi loe Aw Jakob, nang sahkung, Aw Israel, nang omsakkung, Angraeng mah hae tiah thuih; Aw Israel zii hmah; kai mah kang krang boeh moe, ahmin hoiah kang kawk boeh; nang loe kai ih hmuen ah ni na oh boeh.
But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation. The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this: “Do not be afraid, because I previously rescued you. I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.
2 Tui nang kat naah doeh, kang oh thuih han; vapui nang kat naah doeh, tui mah na uem mak ai; hmai pongah na caeh naah doeh, na kangh mak ai; hmaipalai mah doeh na kangh mak ai.
When you [experience dangerous situations], and [you feel like] [MET] you are crossing deep rivers, I will be with you. When you have very big troubles/difficulties, you will [LIT] be able to endure them. When [people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel’s three friends by] throwing them in a fire, you will not [die, just like Daniel’s three friends were not] burned up,
3 Kai loe nang pahlongkung, nang ih Angraeng Sithaw hoi Ciimcai Israel Sithaw ah ka oh; nang akrang hanah Izip, Ethiopia hoi Seba prae to ka paek.
because I am Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you. I will enable [the army of the emperor of Persia] to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you; similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia, and Seba [in Arabia], in order that you can be saved.
4 Nang loe ka mik hnukah atho kana ah na oh moe, pakoeh koiah na oh; kang palung pongah nang hanah kaminawk to kang paek, na hing hanah acaeng kaminawk kang paek han.
I will cause other countries to be conquered, instead of your country; I will trade them for you, in order that you will not be killed, because you are very precious [DOU] to me and because I love you.
5 Zii hmah; nang hoi nawnto ka oh; na caengnawk to ni angzae bang, niduem bang hoiah ka hoih moe, nawnto ka pakhueng han;
Do not be afraid, because I am with you. [Some day] I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.
6 aluek bang hanah, Prawt oh, tiah ka naa moe, aloih bang khaeah, Naeh o caeng hmah; angthla parai ahmuen hoiah ka capanawk to hoi oh loe, ka canunawk to long boenghaih ahmuen hoiah hoi oh, tiah ka thuih pae han.
I will command the [rulers of the nations to] the north and to the south, ‘Allow all the people of Israel to return [to their country], from the most distant places on the earth.
7 Ka hmin hoiah kawk ih kaminawk, ka lensawkhaih amtuengsak han ih ni ka sak moe, ka ohsak, ue, kai mah ni anih to ka sak.
Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return, because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me; I am the one who has done that [DOU].’
8 Mik tawnh o e, mikmaeng kaminawk, naa tawnh o e, naapang kaminawk to angzo o haih ah.
Summon the people who have eyes but [it is as though] they are blind; summon those who have ears but [because they do not listen to me, it is as though] they are deaf.
9 Prae kaminawk boih nawnto amkhueng o nasoe, kaminawk angcuu o nasoe; nihcae thungah mi kawbaktih mah maw hae hmuen hae thui ueloe, hmaloe ah kaom hmuennawk to mi mah maw aicae khaeah thui tih? Nihcae loe toeng o, tiah panoek thai hanah, hnukungnawk to angzo o haih nasoe; to tih ai boeh loe lok tahngai o nasoe loe, loktang to thui o nasoe.
Gather people of all nations together, ones from all people-groups, [and ask them this]: ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now? And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’ Then bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things, and what they predicted was what happened,’ [but they will be lying].”
10 Kai loe anih boeh ni, tiah panoek moe, nang tang o pacoengah, kai nang panoek o tangtang thai hanah, nangcae loe kai hnukung, kang qoih o ih tamna ah na oh o, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel (are my witnesses/know what I have done), and you are the ones who serve me. I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me, and understand that I am the only one who is [truly] God. There is no other [true] God. There was no other [true] God previously, and there will never be another [true] God.
11 Kai, Kai loe Angraeng ah ka oh; Kai ai ah loe pahlongkung om ai.
I, [only] I, am Yahweh, and there is no other one who can save you.
12 Kai loe thuih moe, ka thuih ih lok baktih toengah ka pahlong, kamtueng ah doeh ka sak boeh, nangcae salakah prae kalah sithaw to om ai; to pongah nangcae loe Kai hnukung ah na oh o, Kai loe Sithaw ah ka oh.
I said that I would rescue [your ancestors], and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed [that I had done it]. No foreign god among you did that! And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.
13 Ue, Kai loe ani om ai naah Sithaw ah ka oh boeh; ka ban thung hoi kalomh thaih mi doeh om ai; ka sak ih hmuen hae mi mah maw aek thai tih? tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
I am God, the one who has existed forever and who will exist forever; no one can snatch people from my hand, and no one can alter/change what I have done.”
14 Nangcae akrangkung, Ciimcai Israel Sithaw mah hae tiah thuih; nangcae pongah Babylon ah kami ka patoeh moe, kaproeng Khaldian kaminawk to nihcae amoekhaih palongpui thungah ka kraksak boih han.
Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says: “For your sake, I will send [an army] to [attack] Babylon. They will force the people of that city to flee in ships which they have been proud of.
15 Kai loe Angraeng ah ka oh, Ciimcai nangcae ih Sithaw, Israel sahkung, nangcae ih Siangpahrang ah ka oh, tiah thuih.
I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.
16 Tuipui thungah loklam sahkung, kalen parai tuipui thungah caehhaih lam sahkung,
I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water, making a road through the [Red] Sea.
17 hrang lakok hoi hrangnawk, pop parai misatuh kaminawk zaehoikung, nihcae angthawk thaih han ai ah, nawnto amtimsak moe, kadueh hmai baktiah nihcae paduekkung Angraeng mah hae tiah thuih;
Then I summoned the great army [of Egypt] to come with all their chariots and horses. [But when they tried to pursue my people], I caused the waves to flow over them [and they drowned]; their lives ended [like the light of a candle ends when someone] [MET] snuffs out the wick.
18 hnukbang ih hmuennawk to pahnet oh loe, canghnii ih hmuennawk to poek o hmah lai ah.
But do not think [only] about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].
19 Khenah, hmuen kangtha ka sak han boeh; vaihi tacawt tahang tih boeh; praezaek ah loklam to ka sak moe, long karoem ahmuen ah tui ka longsak han, tito na panoek o ai maw?
Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do. I have already started to do it; can you see it? I am going to make a road through the desert. And I will cause there to be streams in the wasteland/desert.
20 Ka qoih ih kami, kaimah ih kaminawk to tui paek hanah, praezaek ah tui ka paek moe, long karoem ahmuen ah tui ka longsak pongah, taw ih moisannawk, tasuinawk hoi bukbuhnawk mah kai to pakoeh o tih.
The jackals/wolves and owls and other wild creatures will thank me for giving them water in the desert. I will cause streams to appear in the dry desert in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;
21 Nihcae mah kai pakoeh o hanah, kaimah ni hae kaminawk hae ka sak.
I will do that for the people whom I have created [and chosen] to belong to me, and [some day] they will cause many others to praise me.
22 Toe Aw Jakob, nang mah loe nang kawk ai; Aw Israel, kai hae nang hmawt sut boeh.
But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to request my help. It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of worshiping me.
23 Kai khaeah hmai angbawnhaih hanah tuu to na sin ai, hmuen tathlanghaih hoiah doeh nang pakoeh ai. Hmuen paekhaih hoiah tok kang sahsak ai, hmuenzit ah oh han ai ah hmuihoih tui paek hanah doeh kang hnih ai.
You have not brought to me sheep or goats for offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar]; you have not honored me by [bringing to me any] sacrifices, even though the offerings of grain and incense [that I asked you] to bring to me were not a burden to you.
24 Kai hanah hmuihoih tui nang qan pae ai, angbawnhaih kathawk moi hoiah doeh kai zok nam hah sak ai; toe na zaehaih to hmuenzit ah nang phawsak moe, na sakpazaehaih hoiah kai nang phosak.
You have bought for me fragrant reeds, and you have brought me the fat from your sacrifices. But these have not pleased me, because you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed, and made me weary because of all (your iniquities/the wrong things that you have done).
25 Kai, kaimah roe mah ni, kaimah hanah na zaehaih to kang takhoe pae, na zaehaihnawk to ka pakuem mak ai boeh.
I am the one who is able to forgive you for all your sins; I am the only one who can do that, with the result that I will never think about them again.
26 Kalaem tangcae hmuen to na thui ah; nawnto thui o si; na loih thai hanah, thui ah.
Tell me what I have done that you do not like. Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you (are innocent/have done nothing wrong) [IRO]?
27 Hmaloe ih nam pa loe zaehaih to sak boeh, nang patuk kaminawk loe ka nuiah kahoih ai hmuen to sak o boeh.
No, [what has happened is that] the first ancestor of you Israelis sinned [against me], and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.
28 To pongah hmuenciim ah toksah qaimanawk to amhnong kami ah ka sak, Jakob to ka tangoeng moe, Israel to loksae ka bah.
That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced; and I have allowed others to destroy you people of Israel and caused you to be despised.”

< Isaiah 43 >