Isaiah 43

1 And now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and who formed you, O Israel: Do not be afraid. For I have redeemed you, and I have called you by your name. You are mine.

And now, thus said YHWH, Your Creator, O Jacob, and your Fashioner, O Israel: Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you, I have called on your name—you [are] Mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not cover you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not scorch you.

When you pass into waters, I [am] with you, And into floods, they do not overflow you, When you go into fire, you are not burned, And a flame does not burn against you.

3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have presented Egypt as your atonement, Ethiopia and Seba on your behalf.

For I—your God YHWH, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior, I have appointed Egypt your atonement, Cush and Seba in your stead.

4 Since then, you have become honorable in my eyes, and glorious. I have loved you, and I will present men on behalf of you, and people on behalf of your life.

Since you were precious in My eyes, You were honored, and I have loved you, And I appoint men in your stead, And peoples instead of your life.

5 Fear not, for I am with you. I will lead your offspring from the East, and I will gather you from the West.

Do not be afraid, for I [am] with you, I bring in your seed from the east, And I gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the North, “Release him,” and to the South, “Do not turn him away.” Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

I am saying to the north, “Give up,” And to the south, “Do not restrain.” Bring in My sons from afar, And My daughters from the end of the earth.

7 And each one who calls upon my name, I have created for my glory. I have formed him, and I have made him.

Everyone who is called by My Name, Even for My glory I have created him, I have formed him, indeed, I have made him.

8 Lead forth the people who are blind and have eyes, who are deaf and have ears.

He brought out a blind people who have eyes, And deaf ones who have ears.

9 All the nations have been assembled together, and the tribes have been collected. Who among you will announce this, and who will cause us to listen to the things that are first? Let them present their witnesses. Let them act justly, and listen, and say: “It is true.”

All the nations have been gathered together, And the peoples are assembled, Who among them declares this, And causes us to hear former things? They give their witnesses, And they are declared righteous, And they hear and say, “Truth.”

10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and you are my servant, whom I have chosen, so that you may know, and may believe in me, and so that you may understand that I am the same. Before me, there was no god formed, and after me there will be none.

You [are] My witnesses, a declaration of YHWH, And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you know and give credence to Me, And understand that I [am] He, Before Me there was no God formed, And after Me there is none.

11 I am. I am the Lord. And there is no savior apart from me.

I [am] YHWH, And besides Me there is no savior.

12 I have announced, and I have saved. I have caused it to be heard. And there was no stranger among you. You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and I am God.

I declared, and saved, and proclaimed, And there is no stranger with you, And you [are] My witnesses, a declaration of YHWH, And I [am] God.

13 And from the beginning, I am the same. And there is no one who can rescue from my hand. I act, and who can turn it aside?

Even from the day I [am] He, And there is no deliverer from My hand, I work, and who turns it back?

14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake, I sent to Babylon, and tore down all their bars, with the Chaldeans who glory in their ships.

Thus said YHWH, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I have sent to Babylon for your sake, And caused bars to descend—all of them, And the Chaldeans, whose song [is] in the ships.

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

I [am] YHWH, your Holy One, Creator of Israel, your King.”

16 Thus says the Lord, who gave you a way through the sea and a path through the torrent of waters,

Thus said YHWH, Who is giving a way in the sea, And a path in the strong waters.

17 who led out the chariot and the horse, the column of robust troops. They went to sleep together, and they will not arise. They have been crushed like flax, and they have been extinguished.

Who is bringing forth chariot and horse, A force, even a strong one: “They lie down together—they do not rise, They have been extinguished, They have been quenched as flax.”

18 You need not call to mind the past, nor consider the things of antiquity.

Do not remember former things, And do not consider ancient things.

19 Behold, I am accomplishing new things. And presently, they will spring forth. With certainty, you will know them. I will make a way in the desert, and rivers in an impassible place.

Behold, I am doing a new thing, now it springs up, Do you not know it? Indeed, I put a way in a wilderness, In a desolate place—floods.

20 The wild beasts of the field will glorify me, with the serpents and the ostriches. For I have brought waters to the desert, rivers to inaccessible places, in order to give drink to my people, to my elect.

The beast of the field honors Me, Dragons and daughters of an ostrich, For I have given waters in a wilderness, Floods in a desolate place, To give drink to My people—My chosen.

21 This is the people whom I have formed for myself. They will speak my praise.

I have formed this people for Myself, They recount My praise.

22 But you have not called upon me, O Jacob, nor have you struggled for me, O Israel.

And you have not called Me, O Jacob, For you have been wearied of Me, O Israel,

23 You have not offered me the ram of your holocaust, and you have not glorified me with your victims. I have not burdened you with oblations, nor have I wearied you with incense.

You have not brought to Me, The lamb of your burnt-offerings, And [with] your sacrifices you have not honored Me, I have not caused you to serve with a present, Nor wearied you with frankincense.

24 You have bought me no sweet cane with money, and you have not inebriated me with the fat of your victims. Yet truly, you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.

You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, And have not filled Me [with] the fat of your sacrifices, Only—you have caused Me to serve with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

25 I am. I am the very One who wipes away your iniquities for my own sake. And I will not remember your sins.

I [am] He who is blotting out Your transgressions for My own sake, And I do not remember your sins.

26 Call me to mind, and let us go to judgment together. If you have anything to justify yourself, explain it.

Cause Me to remember—we are judged together, Declare that you may be justified.

27 Your first father sinned, and your interpreters have betrayed me.

Your first father sinned, And your interpreters transgressed against Me,

28 And so, I have defiled the holy leaders. I have handed over Jacob to slaughter, and Israel to calumny.

And I defile princes of the sanctuary, And I give Jacob to destruction, and Israel to revilings!