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.

Now, therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh—Creating thee, O Jacob, and Fashioning thee O Israel, —Do not fear, For I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name. Mine, thou art!

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.

When thou passest through the waters, with thee, I am, Or, through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee, —When thou walkest through fire, thou shall not be scorched, And, a flame, shall not kindle upon 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,—Yahweh, am, Thy God, The Holy One of Israel Ready to save thee, —I have given, as thy ransom, Egypt, Ethiopia and Seba, in thy stead.

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.

Because thou art precious in mine eyes, art honoured And, I, love thee, —And will give mankind, in thy stead, Yea, peoples, for thy life,

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

Do not fear for, with thee, I am, —From the East, will I bring in 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 Do not withhold! Bring in My sons from far, and My daughters from the end 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 who is called by my Name, Whom for mine own glory, I have created—formed—yea, made!

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

Bring forth A blind people that have, eyes, and A 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.

All the nations, are gathered together Yea there is an assembling of peoples, Who among them, can tell this, And things in advance, can let us hear? Let them set forth their witnesses that they may get their right, Or let them hear, and say 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 Declareth Yahweh, And my Servant, whom I have chosen, —That ye may take note—and believe me, And perceive that, I, am He, Before me, was not formed a GOD, Nor after me, shall one come into being:

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

I—I, am Yahweh, —And there is none besides me ready to save:

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, have told—and will save, and make known, That there is among you no strange one; And, ye, are my witnesses, Declareth Yahweh That, 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?

Even from To-day, I, am He, And none, out of my hand, can deliver, —I work and who reverseth?

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 saith Yahweh, Your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel, —For your sakes, have I sent into Babylon, And will bring down as fugitives, all of them, —Even the Chaldeans, in the ships which cause them loud outcry.

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

I—Yahweh, am Your 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, saith Yahweh, —Who setteth in the sea, a way, —And in the mighty waters, a path;

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, Force and strength, Together, shall they lie down They shall not arise, They are extinguished 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.

Do not keep in mind former things, —And things of old, do not consider:

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 me! doing a new thing, Now, shall it spring forth, Will ye not take note thereof? Surely I will set In the desert, a way, In a desolate land, 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 wild beast of the field shall honour me, Jackals, and ostriches, Because I have given—In the desert, waters, Rivers in, desolate land, To give drink unto my people, my chosen:

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

A people which I have fashioned for myself, My praise, shall they record.

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

Yet not upon me, hast thou called, O Jacob, —For thou hast been wearied 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 in to me small cattle as thine ascending-offerings, Nor, with thy sacrifices, hast thou honoured me, —I have not oppressed thee with meal-offerings, Nor have I 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 with silver, fragrant calamus, Nor with the fat of thy sacrifices, hast thou sated me, —Thou hast done nothing but oppress me with thy sins, Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

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

I—I, am he that is ready, To wipe out thy transgressions for mine own sake, —And, thy sins, 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 mind, Let us enter into judgment at once, —Recount, thou, that thou mayest be justified:

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

Thy chief father, hath sinned, And thine interpreters, have 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.

So then I must needs profane the rulers of the holy place, —And deliver Jacob to be devoted to destruction, and Israel, unto reviling!