Isaiah 49
1 Nangcae tuipui thung ih praenawk, ka lok hae tahngai oh; nangcae prae kangthla ah kaom kaminawk, tahngai oh; Angraeng mah zok thung hoiah ang kawk boeh; kam no zok thungah ka oh naah ka hmin hoiah ang kawk boeh.
All you people who live on islands [in the ocean] and in other distant areas, pay attention [DOU] to what I will say! Yahweh called/chose me before I was born; he chose/appointed me when I was still in my mother’s womb.
2 Anih mah ka pakha hae kanoe sumsen baktiah sak moe, a ban tahlip thungah ang hawk; taak het ih palaa baktiah ang noetsak moe, angmah ih kalii tabu thungah ang pacaengh;
[When I grew up], he caused my messages to be like [SIM] a sharp sword. He has protected me with his hand [SYN]. [He protects me] [MET] like someone protects sharp arrows in a quiver.
3 kai khaeah, Aw Israel, nang loe ka tamna ah na oh, nang rang hoiah ka lensawkhaih amtueng tih, tiah ang naa.
He said to me, “You will serve my Israeli [people], and you will cause people to honor me.”
4 Kai loe azom pui ah tok ka sak moe, tidoeh angcoeng ai, azom pui ah ni tha ka pasaeng boeh; toe ka tok loe ka Sithaw khaeah oh moe, ka hnuk han koi tangqum doeh Angraeng ban ah oh.
I replied, “My work has been useless; I have used my strength, but I have accomplished nothing worthwhile; everything that I have done has been (in vain/useless). However, Yahweh can honor me as he pleases; my God is the one who will reward me [as I deserve].”
5 Angraeng hmaa ah lensawkhaih hoiah ka oh moe, ka Sithaw loe kai thacakhaih ah oh hanah, Israel kaminawk angmah taengah nawnto amkhuengsak ai cadoeh, Jakob to tamna ah angmah khaeah zaeh let hanah, kam no zok thung hoi khenzawnkung Angraeng mah hae tiah lok thuih;
Yahweh formed me when I was in [my mother’s] womb in order that I would serve him; he appointed me to bring [the people of] Israel back to himself [DOU]. Yahweh has honored me, and he is the one who has caused me to be strong.
6 Jakob ih acaengnawk to pathawk moe, ka pathlung ih Israel caanawk to amlaemsak let hanah, ka tamna ah na oh khue to khawt ai; long boenghaih ahmuen khoek to ka pahlonghaih ah na oh hanah, Gentel kaminawk aanghaih ah kang suek, tiah thuih.
He says to me, “It is not enough for you to serve me by bringing the descendants of Jacob back to worship me again [DOU]; I also want you to be like [MET] a light for the non-Jews; I want you to take my [my message] about how to be saved to [people] all over the world.”
7 Angraeng, Israel akrangkung hoi Ciimcai Israel Sithaw mah, minawk mah patoek moe, ukkungnawk ih tamna toksah kami hoi prae kami boih mah panuet ih kaminawk khaeah, Oep kaom Angraeng, nang qoikung, Ciimcai Israel Sithaw tahmenhaih rang hoiah siangpahrang hoi ukkungnawk mah nang to hnuk o naah, nihcae angthawk o ueloe, nang to bok o tih.
Yahweh, the one who saves us, the Holy God of us Israeli [people], says to the one who was despised and rejected by the [people of many] nations, the one who is the slave of rulers, “[Some day] kings will stand up to respect you when they see you, and princes will bow down before you because [you serve] me, Yahweh, the one who faithfully [does what I promise]. I am the Holy God to whom you Israelis belong, the one who has chosen you.”
8 Angraeng mah hae tiah thuih; Talawk koi kaom aniah kang pathim moe, pahlonghaih niah kang bomh; nang to kang khetzawn moe, kaminawk lokmaihaih ah kang sak han; long to caksak moe, kamro tangcae qawk to toepsak hanah,
This is also what Yahweh says: “At a time when it pleases me, I will answer your prayers. On the day when you will be rescued [from your oppressors], I will help you. I will protect you and enable you to establish an agreement with other nations. And by what you do, I will re-establish your nation of Israel and allow you to live/settle again in your land that was abandoned.
9 thongkrah kaminawk khaeah, Tacawt oh; vinghaih thungah kaom kaminawk khaeah, Loih oh! tiah thuikung ah kang suek han.
I will say to those who were captured [and (exiled/taken to Babylonia)], ‘Leave [Babylonia] and return to your own country!’ And I will say to those who are in dark prisons, ‘Come out into the light!’ When that happens, they will again be like [MET] sheep that eat grass in green pastures, on hills where [previously] there was no grass.
10 Nihcae loe zok amthlam mak ai, tui doeh anghae o mak ai; ni kabae hoi ni kana mah doeh kangh mak ai; nihcae palungnathaih tawn kami mah nihcae to zae ueloe, tuipuek ohhaih ahmuen ah caeh haih tih.
They will not be hungry or thirsty [any more]; the hot sun will not beat upon them again [DOU]. I, Yahweh, will act mercifully toward them and lead them; I will lead them to where there are springs of cool water.
11 Kai ih maenawk to loklam ah kang coengsak boih moe, kai ih manglaih loklamnawk doeh ka sangsak han.
And I will cause the mountains to become [as though they were] level roads, and I will prepare good highways [for my people to travel on, to return to Jerusalem].
12 Khenah, to kaminawk loe angthla parai prae hoiah angzo o tih; khenah, thoemto kaminawk loe aluek bang hoi niduem bang hoiah angzo o tih, thoemto kaminawk loe Sinim prae bang hoiah angzo o tih, tiah thuih.
My people will return from far away; some will come from the north, some from the west, some from southern Egypt.”
13 Aw vannawk, laa to sah oh; Aw long, anghoe ah; Aw maesomnawk, laa to sah oh; Angraeng mah angmah ih kaminawk to pathloep boeh, patangkhang kaminawk nuiah tahmenhaih tawn tih boeh.
[Because of what Yahweh has promised to do], everything should shout joyfully— the sky and the earth and the mountains should sing, because Yahweh comforts his people, and he will pity those who are suffering.
14 Toe Zion mah loe Angraeng mah kai ang pahnet boeh moe, ang pahnawt sut boeh, tiah thuih.
[The people of] Jerusalem say, “Yahweh has abandoned us; he has forgotten about us.”
15 Nongpata mah tahnu nae acaa nawkta to pahnet moe, angmah tapenkung ih caa nuiah tahmenhaih tawn ai ah om tih maw? Ue, nihcae mah pahnet o thaih cadoeh, kai mah loe kang pahnet thai mak ai.
But [Yahweh replies], “That is not true! (Can a woman forget the infant that she is nursing?/A woman certainly cannot forget the infant that she is nursing!) [RHQ] (Can she stop being kind to the child to whom she has given birth?/She certainly cannot stop being kind to the child to whom she has given birth!) [RHQ] But even if a woman would do that, I will not forget you!
16 Khenah, ka banpadae pongah na vangpui ih krang to ka soi, nang ih sipae loe ka hmaa ah oh poe.
Note that I have written your [names] on the palms of my hands; in my mind I can always see the walls of your city.
17 Na caanawk loe karangah toksah o tih; nang amrosak kaminawk mah na cawn o taak tih.
Soon your children will be returning there (OR, Those who rebuild your city will work more quickly than those who destroyed it), and all those who destroyed your city will leave.
18 Doeng tahang ah loe, na taengah khen ah; na caanawk boih amkhueng o moe, nang khaeah angzoh o. Angraeng mah, Kai ka hing baktih, nang khuk ih kahoih khukbuen baktih toengah hae kaminawk mah doeh angkhuk o toeng tih; amthoep het sava sah tangla baktih toengah nihcae doeh amthoep o toeng tih, tiah thuih.
You will look around and see all of your children coming back to you. As surely as I live, they will be around you [for you to show to people] like [SIM] a bride shows her wedding ornaments!
19 Jerusalem nang loe amro moe, na pong sut boeh, na prae doeh amro boeh; nang ih kaminawk khosak hanah thoengkae boeh; nang paaeh kaminawk doeh kamhoe ah om o tih boeh.
Your land has been ruined and caused to become desolate/abandoned [DOU], but [some day] it will be filled with people, and those who conquered you will be far away.
20 Na caanawk duek pacoengah, na tapen let ih caanawk mah, ka ohhaih ahmuen loe khawt ai; ka oh thai hanah ohhaih ahmuen to na paek ah, tiah na hni o tih.
The children who were born while you were (exiled/in Babylonia) [MET] will return [to Jerusalem] and say, ‘This city is too small for us; We need more space to live in!’
21 To naah na palung thungah, Mi mah maw hae kaminawk hae ang tapen pae? Ka caanawk loe duek o boih boeh; kai loe tamna ah ka oh moe, pahnawt sut ah ka oh boeh; haek ving ah ka oh boeh pongah, kam het rumram boeh, toe hae kaminawk loe mi mah maw pacah? Kaimabueng ang caeh o taak sut, toe hae kaminawk loe naa hoiah maw angzoh o? tiah poek tih.
Then you will think to yourselves [MTY], ‘It is amazing that we have [RHQ] all these children! Most of our children were dead, and the rest were exiled. We were left here alone; so we do not know [RHQ] where all these children have come from! Who raised them?'”
22 Angraeng Sithaw mah hae tiah thuih; Khenah, Gentel kaminawk khaeah ka ban ka payangh moe, kaminawk khaeah kahni ka payang han; nihcae mah na capanawk hoi na canunawk to ban hoi tapom o ueloe, palaeng ah thueng o tih.
This is what Yahweh our God says: “Watch! [It is as though] I will lift up my hand to signal to those who are not Israelis. And they will carry your little sons and daughters on their shoulders and bring them back to you.
23 Siangpahrangnawk loe nangcae pacahkung ah om o tih, siangpahrang zunawk doeh nangcae tapenkung amno ah om o tih; nihcae loe long ah akuep o ueloe, na khok pong ih maiphu to palaek o tih; to naah kai loe Angraeng ni, tiah na panoek o tih; kai oephaih tawn kaminawk loe azathaih tong o mak ai, tiah thuih.
Kings will serve you and will tutor/teach your children, and their queens will take care of your young children. They will prostrate themselves in front of you and [humble themselves by] licking the dust off your feet. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do]; and those who trust in me will never be disappointed.”
24 Lomh ih hmuen loe thacak kami ban thung hoiah laa thai tih maw? To tih ai boeh loe katoeng kami mah naeh ih kami to loisak thai tih maw?
There is no one [RHQ] who can snatch valuable things from a soldier who has captured those things [in a war]; there is no one [RHQ] who can force a (tyrant/cruel man) to free the people whom he has captured.
25 Toe Angraeng mah hae tiah thuih; Thacak kami mah naeh ih tamnanawk to laa thaih ueloe, hmawsaeng kami mah lomh ih hmuennawk doeh laa pae thai tih; nangcae misa tuh kami to ka tuk moe, na caanawk to ka pahlong han.
But Yahweh says this: “[Some day], those who have been captured will be freed, and the valuable things that (tyrants/cruel men) have snatched from others will be returned, because I will fight against those who fight against you, and I will rescue your children.
26 Nangcae pacaekthlaek kaminawk hanah angmacae ih ngan to ka caksak han; nihcae loe misurtui paquih baktiah angmacae ih athii to paqui o tih; to naah kaminawk boih mah, Kai loe nangcae Pahlongkung, nangcae Krangkung hoi Angraeng ah ka oh, thacak Jakob ih Sithaw ah doeh ka oh, tiah panoek o tih, tiah thuih.
And I will cause your enemies to destroy themselves [MET] instead of murdering others. When that happens, everyone [in the world] will know that I, Yahweh, am the one who saves you, the one who rescues you from your enemies; everyone will know that I am the mighty God to whom [you descendants of] [MTY] Jacob belong.”
