Isaiah 53

1 LORD, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

(Who will believe what we will tell them [about God’s servant]?/Hardly anyone will believe what we will tell them [about God’s servant].) [RHQ] (Who will see what Yahweh does by his great power?/Very few people will see what Yahweh does by his great power.) [MTY, RHQ]

2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nor special appearance that we should desire him.

While God watches, his servant will grow up [appearing/seeming to be very insignificant/unimportant], like a weak young plant that shoots up from a root [of a tree that is growing] in dry ground. There will be nothing beautiful or majestic about him, nothing that would cause us to want to be with him.

3 He was despised, and rejected by people; a man of sorrows, and familiar with illness; and as one from whom people hide their face. He was despised, and we did not value him.

People will despise and reject him. {He will be despised and rejected.} He will endure much pain, and he will suffer much. [Because his face will be very disfigured], people will not [want to] look at him; people will despise him and think that he is not worth paying any attention to.

4 Surely he bore our diseases, and took our pains; yet we considered him stricken, and struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he will be [punished for] the sicknesses [of our souls]; he will endure great pain for us. But we will think that he is being punished by God, afflicted/punished [for his own sins].

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, and he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.

But his body will be bruised because of the evil things that we did, wounded because of our sins. He will be beaten in order that things will go well for our [souls]; and because he will be whipped, [our souls] can be healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

All of us have gone away [from God] like [SIM] sheep who have strayed away [from their shepherd]. We have turned away [from doing the things that God wants in order] to do the things that we wanted [MET]. [We deserve to be punished, but] Yahweh will punish him instead of punishing us for all of our sins.

7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he did not open his mouth. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth.

He will be abused and caused to suffer, but he will not say anything [to complain]. They will lead him [to where they will execute him], [like they lead] a lamb to where it will be slaughtered. And like a sheep does not (bleat/make any noise) when the shearer [cuts off its wool], he will not say anything [MTY] [to defend himself when he is killed].

8 In his oppression his justice was taken away. Who will consider his generation? For his life was cut off from the earth. For the transgression of my people he was led to death.

After he is arrested and put on trial, he will be taken away [and executed]. And no one [RHQ] will be able to talk about his descendants, because he will die [EUP] [without being married and having children]. He will be (afflicted/caused to suffer) for the wrong things that we have done.

9 And they assigned his grave with the wicked, yet with the rich at his death, though he had committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth.

Although he will never have done any wrong or deceived [MTY] anyone, people will plan to bury his corpse where wicked people are buried, but instead, a rich man will [bury him] after he dies.

10 Yet the LORD was pleased to crush him and make him ill. Although his soul is made a reparation offering, he will see his offspring, he will prolong his days, and the desire of the LORD will succeed by his hand.

But it will be Yahweh’s will that he be afflicted and caused to suffer. And [when he dies], Yahweh will cause him to be an offering to remove the guilt of sinners. But later he will have many [spiritual] children, and he will live (a long time/forever) after he [dies and] becomes alive [again], and he [MTY] will accomplish everything that Yahweh has planned.

11 After the suffering of his soul he will see light and be satisfied by his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, will make many righteous, and he will bear their iniquities.

When he sees all that he will accomplish because of his suffering, he will be satisfied. And because of what will have happened to him, Yahweh’s righteous servant will cause the guilt of many people to be ended, because he will remove [the guilt for] their sins.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he will divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and he was numbered with transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for their transgressions.

So Yahweh will consider him to be one of the truly great people; he will [be like a king who] divides up [among his soldiers] the (spoils/things they took from their enemies after defeating them) [MET], because he will sacrifice himself and die. [Even though people] will consider him to be a sinner, he will remove the guilt of many [people], and he will intercede/pray that those who have done things that are wrong [will be forgiven].