Isaiah 43

1 But now thus saith Yhwh 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; thou art mine.

But now this is what the Lord says to Jacob, the one who created you; to Israel, the one who formed you: “Don't be afraid! I have saved you! I have called you by name; you are mine!

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

When you walk through the water, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they won't flood over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you on fire.

3 For I am Yhwh thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for your freedom; I traded Ethiopia and Seba for you.

4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Because you are so valuable to me, because I honor you, and because I love you, I give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your lives.

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

Don't be afraid, for I am with you! I will bring you and your children from the east and the west, and gather you together.

6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

I will tell the north, ‘Hand them over!’ and the south, ‘Don't stop them!’ Bring my sons back from far away and my daughters from distant lands.

7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Bring back everyone who bears my name, those I created for my honor, those I formed and made.

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

Bring back those who have eyes but are blind, those who have ears but are deaf.

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

Have all the nations gather together! Have all the peoples assemble! Who among them could have said this, and predict what was going to happen? Have them bring their witnesses to prove that they're right. Then have them listen, and say, ‘It's true!’

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith Yhwh, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

However, you are my witnesses, the Lord declares, and my chosen servant, so that you can think about it, and believe me and understand that I am God. No god preceded me, and none will come after me.

11 I, even I, am Yhwh; and beside me there is no saviour.

I, yes I am the Lord, and there is no Savior apart from me.

12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Yhwh, that I am God.

I predicted what was going to happen, then I saved you, then I announced it—there was no foreign god among you that did this. You are my witnesses that I am God, declares the Lord.

13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

I am God from the beginning. No one can snatch anybody from my hand. No one can reverse what I do.

14 Thus saith Yhwh, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: For your sake I will send attackers against Babylon and bring them down. All the Babylonians will be like fugitives, escaping in the ships they're so proud of.

15 I am Yhwh, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

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

16 Thus saith Yhwh, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

This is what the Lord says, the one who makes a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters;

17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

the one who brought out a great army with it horses and chariots and lay them down, never to rise again, snuffed out like a burning wick.

18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

But don't dwell on the past; don't concentrate on what happened back then.

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

Just look at something new I'm going to do now! In fact it's started already. Can't you see it? Yes, I'm making a way through the wilderness, rivers in the desert!

20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

The wild animals will be grateful to me, the jackals and the owls, because I'm providing water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, so my people, my chosen people, can drink.

21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

I made this people for myself so that through their praise for me they could make me known.

22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

But you haven't called on me for help, Jacob. You've grown tired of me, Israel.

23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.

You haven't brought me sheep for burnt offerings; you haven't honored me with your sacrifices. I haven't burdened you by asking for grain offerings; I haven't tired you out by demanding incense.

24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

You haven't used your money to buy scented calamus; you have not pleased me with the fat of your sacrifices. Instead you have burdened me with your sins, and tired me out with your guilt.

25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

I, yes I am the God who wipes out your sins because of who I am, and who doesn't remember your sins any more.

26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Remind me of the evidence so we can come to a decision together! Present your case to prove that you're right!

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

Your very first father sinned, and your leaders rebelled against me.

28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

So I treated the priests of the sanctuary with contempt, and I handed Jacob over to be destroyed, and Israel to be scorned.”