Isaiah 49

1 Listen, O isles, to me, and hearken, ye peoples from far. Jehovah has called me from the womb. From the bowels of my mother he has made mention of my name.

Listen to Me, O islands; pay attention, O distant peoples: The LORD called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me.

2 And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword. He has hid me in the shadow of his hand, and he has made me a polished shaft. He has kept me close in his quiver.

He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow; He hid Me in His quiver.

3 And he said to me, Thou are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, in whom I will display My glory.”

4 But I said, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity. Yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, and my recompense with my God.

But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength in futility and vanity; yet My vindication is with the LORD, and My reward is with My God.”

5 And now says Jehovah who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered to him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God has become my strength),

And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that Israel might be gathered to Him— for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is My strength—

6 yea, he says, It is too light a thing that thou should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou may be my salvation to the end of the earth.

He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

7 Thus says Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise, rulers, and they shall worship, because of Jehovah who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen thee.

Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”

8 Thus says Jehovah, In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in a day of salvation I have helped thee. And I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages,

This is what the LORD says: “In the time of favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I will help You; I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to apportion its desolate inheritances,

9 saying to those who are bound, Go forth; to those who are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pasture shall be on all bare heights.

to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them. For he who has mercy on them will lead them. He will guide them even by springs of water.

They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

I will turn all My mountains into roads, and My highways will be raised up.

12 Lo, these shall come from far, and, lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.

Behold, they will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Aswan.”

13 Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains. For Jehovah has comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted.

Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; break forth in song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

14 But Zion said, Jehovah has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, yet I will not forget thee.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!

16 Behold, I have engraved thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before me.

Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

17 Thy sons make haste. Thy destroyers and those who made thee waste shall go forth from thee.

Your builders hasten back; your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold. All these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, says Jehovah, thou shall surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride.

Lift up your eyes and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them on like a bride.

19 For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land that has been destroyed, surely now thou shall be too narrow for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed thee up shall be far away.

For your ruined and desolate places and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

20 The sons of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too narrow for me. Give a place to me that I may dwell.

Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’

21 Then thou shall say in thy heart, Who has begotten these for me, seeing I have been bereaved of my sons, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone, these, where were they?

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’”

22 Thus says the lord Jehovah: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples. And they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and raise My banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. They shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet. And thou shall know that I am Jehovah, and those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”

24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?

Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?

25 But thus says Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered. For I will contend with him who contends with thee, and I will save thy sons.

Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.

26 And I will feed those who oppress thee with their own flesh. And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine. And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”