Isaiah 43

1 But nowe thus sayeth the Lord, that created thee, O Iaakob: and hee that formed thee, O Israel, Feare not: for I haue redeemed thee: I haue called thee by thy name, thou art mine.

But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation. The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this: “Do not be afraid, because I previously rescued you. I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.

2 When thou passest through the waters, I wil be with thee, and through the floods, that they doe not ouerflowe thee. When thou walkest through the very fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle vpon thee.

When you [experience dangerous situations], and [you feel like] [MET] you are crossing deep rivers, I will be with you. When you have very big troubles/difficulties, you will [LIT] be able to endure them. When [people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel’s three friends by] throwing them in a fire, you will not [die, just like Daniel’s three friends were not] burned up,

3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, thy Sauiour: I gaue Egypt for thy ransome, Ethiopia, and Seba for thee.

because I am Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you. I will enable [the army of the emperor of Persia] to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you; similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia, and Seba [in Arabia], in order that you can be saved.

4 Because thou wast precious in my sight, and thou wast honourable, and I loued thee, therefore will I giue man for thee, and people for thy sake.

I will cause other countries to be conquered, instead of your country; I will trade them for you, in order that you will not be killed, because you are very precious [DOU] to me and because I love you.

5 Feare not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy seede from the East, and gather thee from the West.

Do not be afraid, because I am with you. [Some day] I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.

6 I will say to the North, Giue: and to the South, Keepe not backe: bring my sonnes from farre, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

I will command the [rulers of the nations to] the north and to the south, ‘Allow all the people of Israel to return [to their country], from the most distant places on the earth.

7 Euery one shall be called by my Name: for I created him for my glorie, formed him and made him.

Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return, because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me; I am the one who has done that [DOU].’

8 I will bring foorth the blinde people, and they shall haue eyes, and the deafe, and they shall haue eares.

Summon the people who have eyes but [it is as though] they are blind; summon those who have ears but [because they do not listen to me, it is as though] they are deaf.

9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this and shewe vs former things? let them bring foorth their witnesses, that they may be iustified: but let them heare, and say, It is truth.

Gather people of all nations together, ones from all people-groups, [and ask them this]: ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now? And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’ Then bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things, and what they predicted was what happened,’ [but they will be lying].”

10 You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my seruant, whom I haue chosen: therefore yee shall knowe and beleeue me and yee shall vnderstand that I am: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel (are my witnesses/know what I have done), and you are the ones who serve me. I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me, and understand that I am the only one who is [truly] God. There is no other [true] God. There was no other [true] God previously, and there will never be another [true] God.

11 I, euen I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Sauiour.

I, [only] I, am Yahweh, and there is no other one who can save you.

12 I haue declared, and I haue saued, and I haue shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore you are my witnesses, sayeth the Lord, that I am God.

I said that I would rescue [your ancestors], and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed [that I had done it]. No foreign god among you did that! And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.

13 Yea, before the day was, I am, and there is none that can deliuer out of mine hand: I will doe it, and who shall let it?

I am God, the one who has existed forever and who will exist forever; no one can snatch people from my hand, and no one can alter/change what I have done.”

14 Thus sayeth the Lord your redeemer, the holy one of Israel, For your sake I haue sent to Babel, and brought it downe: they are all fugitiues, and the Chaldeans crie in the shippes.

Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says: “For your sake, I will send [an army] to [attack] Babylon. They will force the people of that city to flee in ships which they have been proud of.

15 I am the Lord your holy one, the creator of Israel, your King.

I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.

16 Thus sayeth the Lord which maketh a way in the Sea, and a path in the mighty waters.

I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water, making a road through the [Red] Sea.

17 When hee bringeth out the charet and horse, the armie and the power lie together, and shall not rise: they are extinct, and quenched as towe.

Then I summoned the great army [of Egypt] to come with all their chariots and horses. [But when they tried to pursue my people], I caused the waves to flow over them [and they drowned]; their lives ended [like the light of a candle ends when someone] [MET] snuffs out the wick.

18 Remember yee not the former things, neither regard the things of olde.

But do not think [only] about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].

19 Behold, I do a new thing: now shall it come foorth: shall you not knowe it? I wil euen make a way in the desert, and floods in the wildernesse.

Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do. I have already started to do it; can you see it? I am going to make a road through the desert. And I will cause there to be streams in the wasteland/desert.

20 The wilde beastes shall honour mee, the dragons and the ostriches, because I gaue water in the desert, and floods in the wildernesse to giue drinke to my people, euen to mine elect.

The jackals/wolves and owls and other wild creatures will thank me for giving them water in the desert. I will cause streams to appear in the dry desert in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;

21 This people haue I formed for my selfe: they shall shewe foorth my praise.

I will do that for the people whom I have created [and chosen] to belong to me, and [some day] they will cause many others to praise me.

22 And thou hast not called vpon mee, O Iaakob, but thou hast wearied me, O Israel.

But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to request my help. It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of worshiping me.

23 Thou hast not brought me the sheepe of thy burnt offrings, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I haue not caused thee to serue with an offring, nor wearied thee with incense.

You have not brought to me sheep or goats for offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar]; you have not honored me by [bringing to me any] sacrifices, even though the offerings of grain and incense [that I asked you] to bring to me were not a burden to you.

24 Thou boughtest mee no sweete sauour with money, neither hast thou made mee drunke with the fatte of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made mee to serue with thy sinnes, and wearied mee with thine iniquities.

You have bought for me fragrant reeds, and you have brought me the fat from your sacrifices. But these have not pleased me, because you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed, and made me weary because of all (your iniquities/the wrong things that you have done).

25 I, euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake, and will not remember thy sinnes.

I am the one who is able to forgive you for all your sins; I am the only one who can do that, with the result that I will never think about them again.

26 Put me in remembrance: let vs be iudged together: count thou that thou maist be iustified.

Tell me what I have done that you do not like. Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you (are innocent/have done nothing wrong) [IRO]?

27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers haue transgressed against me.

No, [what has happened is that] the first ancestor of you Israelis sinned [against me], and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.

28 Therefore I haue prophaned the rulers of the Sanctuarie, and haue made Iaakob a curse, and Israel a reproche.

That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced; and I have allowed others to destroy you people of Israel and caused you to be despised.”