Isaiah 43

1 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.

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.

2 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.

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.

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

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.

4 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.

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.

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

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

6 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.

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;

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

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

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

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

9 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.”

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.

10 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.

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.

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

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

12 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.

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.

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

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?

14 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

17 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.”

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.

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

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

19 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.

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.

20 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.

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:

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

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

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

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

23 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.

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.

24 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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