Isaiah 43

1 But now, says the Lord your Maker, O Jacob, and your life-giver, O Israel: have no fear, for I have taken up your cause; naming you by your name, I have made you mine.

But now thus hath said the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; mine art thou.

2 When you go through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not go over you: when you go through the fire, you will not be burned; and the flame will have no power over you.

Whenever thou passest through the waters, I am with thee; and through the rivers, —they shall not overflow thee: whenever thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be scorched; neither shall the flame burn on thee.

3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your saviour; I have given Egypt as a price for you, Ethiopia and Seba for you.

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt for thy ransom, Cush and Seba in place of thee.

4 Because of your value in my eyes, you have been honoured, and loved by me; so I will give men for you, and peoples for your life.

Since thou art precious in my eyes, art honorable, and I indeed do love thee: therefore will I give men in place of thee, and nations instead of thy soul.

5 Have no fear, for I am with you: I will take your seed from the east, and get you together from the west;

Fear not, for I am with thee; from the east will I bring thy seed, and from the west will I gather thee.

6 I will say to the north, Give them up; and to the south, Do not keep them back; send back my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth;

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Withhold not: bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

7 Every one who is named by my name, and whom I have made for my glory, who has been formed and designed by me.

Every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory; whom I have formed; yea, whom I have made.

8 Send out the blind people who have eyes, and those who have ears, but they are shut.

Bring forward the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

9 Let all the nations come together, and let the peoples be present: who among them is able to make this clear, and give us word of earlier things? let their witnesses come forward, so that they may be seen to be true, and that they may give ear, and say, It is true.

Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can announce this? and cause us to hear former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have taken for myself: so that you may see and have faith in me, and that it may be clear to you that I am he; before me there was no God formed, and there will not be after me.

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: in order that ye may know and believe me, and understand, that I am he; before me there was no god formed, and after me there will be none.

11 I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no saviour but me.

I, I am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.

12 I gave the word, and made it clear, and there was no strange god among you: for this reason you are my witnesses, says the Lord.

I myself have announced it, and I have saved, and I have let it be heard, and there was no strange [god] among you; and ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and I am God.

13 From time long past I am God, and from this day I am he: there is no one who is able to take you out of my hand: when I undertake a thing, by whom will my purpose be changed?

Yea, from the [first] day am I he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: if I will work, is there one that can hinder it?

14 The Lord, who has taken up your cause, the Holy One of Israel, says, Because of you I have sent to Babylon, and made all their seers come south, and the Chaldaeans whose cry is in the ships.

Thus hath said the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, For your sake did I send to Babylon, and in swift vessels brought I them all down, and the Chaldeans, in the ships of their joyful song.

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Maker of Israel, your King.

I am the Lord, the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

16 This is the word of the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, and a road through the deep waters;

Thus hath said the Lord, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

17 Who sends out the war-carriages and the horses, the army with all its force; they have come down, they will not get up again; like a feebly burning light they are put out.

Who bringeth forth chariot and horse, army and power: together shall they lie down, they shall not rise up again; they are extinct, like a wick are they quenched.

18 Give no thought to the things which are past; let the early times go out of your minds.

Remember not the former things, and ancient events regard no more.

19 See, I am doing a new thing; now it is starting; will you not take note of it? I will even make a way in the waste land, and rivers in the dry country.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; will ye not acknowledge it? I will even make in the wilderness a way, and in the desert rivers.

20 The beasts of the field will give me honour, the jackals and the ostriches: because I send out waters in the waste land, and rivers in the dry country, to give drink to the people whom I have taken for myself:

The beasts of the field shall honor me, the monsters and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my elect;

21 Even the people whom I made to be the witnesses of my praise.

This people which I have formed for myself; my praise shall they relate.

22 But you have made no prayer to me, O Jacob: and you have given no thought to me, O Israel.

But on me hast thou not called, O Jacob; for thou art become weary of me, O Israel.

23 You have not made me burned offerings of sheep, or given me honour with your offerings of beasts; I did not make you servants to give me an offering, and I did not make you tired with requests for perfumes.

Thou hast not brought unto me the lamb of thy burnt-offerings; and with thy sacrifices hast thou not honored me: I have not troubled thee with meat-offerings, nor wearied thee with frankincense.

24 You have not got me sweet-smelling plants with your money, or given me pleasure with the fat of your offerings: but you have made me a servant to your sins, and you have made me tired with your evil doings.

Thou hast not bought for me sweet cane, and with the fat of thy sacrifices hast thou not satisfied me; but thou hast troubled me with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities.

25 I, even I, am he who takes away your sins; and I will no longer keep your evil doings in mind.

I, it is I that blot out thy transgressions for my own sake, and thy sins I will not remember.

26 Put me in mind of this; let us take up the cause between us: put forward your cause, so that you may be seen to be in the right.

Put me in remembrance; let us plead together: relate thou, in order that thou mayest be justified.

27 Your first father was a sinner, and your guides have gone against my word.

Thy first father did sin, and they that plead for thee transgressed against me.

28 Your chiefs have made my holy place unclean, so I have made Jacob a curse, and Israel a thing of shame.

Therefore do I profane the holy princes, and I give up Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.