Isaiah 49

1 Listen, islands, to me; and listen, you peoples, from far: YHWH has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother has he made mention of my name:

Hearken, O isles, unto me, And attend, O peoples, from afar, Jehovah from the womb hath called me, From the bowels of my mother He hath made mention of my name.

2 and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand, he has hidden me; and he has made me a polished arrow, in his quiver has he kept me close:

And he maketh my mouth as a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He hath hid me, And He maketh me for a clear arrow, In His quiver He hath hid me.

3 and he said to me, "You are my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified."

And He saith to me, 'My servant Thou art, O Israel, In whom I beautify Myself.'

4 But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with YHWH, and my reward with my God."

And I said, 'For a vain thing I laboured, For emptiness and vanity my power I consumed, But my judgment [is] with Jehovah, And my wage with my God.

5 Now says YHWH who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered to him; for I am honorable in the eyes of YHWH, and my God has become my strength.

And now, said Jehovah, who is forming me from the belly for a servant to Him, To bring back Jacob unto Him, (Though Israel is not gathered, Yet I am honoured in the eyes of Jehovah, And my God hath been my strength.)

6 And he says, "Is it too insignificant a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the remnant of Israel? I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may bring salvation to the farthest part of the earth."

And He saith, 'It hath been a light thing That thou art to Me for a servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And the preserved of Israel to bring back, And I have given thee for a light of nations, To be My salvation unto the end of the earth.'

7 Thus says YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to the one who is despised, to those abhorred as a nation, the servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of YHWH who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

Thus said Jehovah, Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, To the despised in soul, To the abominated of a nation, To the servant of rulers: 'Kings see, and have risen, princes, and worship, For the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful, The Holy of Israel, and He chooseth thee.'

8 Thus says YHWH, "In an acceptable time I have answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you as a covenant to the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage:

Thus said Jehovah: 'In a time of good pleasure I answered thee, And in a day of salvation I helped thee, And I keep thee, and give thee, For a covenant of the people, To establish the earth, To cause to inherit desolate inheritances.

9 saying to those who are bound, 'Come out.'; to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' "They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture.

To say to the bound, Go out, To those in darkness, Be uncovered. On the ways they feed, And in all high places is their pasture.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them: for he who has mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water he will guide them.

They do not hunger, nor thirst, Nor smite them doth mirage and sun, For He who is pitying them doth lead them, And by fountains of waters doth tend them.

11 I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

And I have made all My mountains for a way, And My highways are lifted up.

12 Look, these shall come from far; and look, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Syene."

Lo, these from afar come in, And lo, these from the north, and from the sea, And these from the land of Sinim.

13 Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for YHWH has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Sing, O heavens, and joy, O earth, And break forth, O mountains, with singing, For comforted hath Jehovah His people, And His afflicted ones He doth pity.

14 But Zion said, "YHWH has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me."

And Zion saith, 'Jehovah hath forsaken me, And my Lord hath forgotten me.'

15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Forget doth a woman her suckling, The loved one — the son of her womb? Yea, these forget — but I — I forget not thee.

16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Lo, on the palms of the hand I have graven thee, Thy walls [are] before Me continually.

17 Your builders hurry; your destroyers and those who devastated you shall depart from you.

Hastened have those building thee, Those destroying thee, and laying thee waste, go out from thee.

18 Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live," says YHWH, "you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride.

Lift up round about thine eyes and see, All of them have been gathered, They have come to thee. I live, an affirmation of Jehovah! Surely all of them as an ornament thou puttest on, And thou bindest them on like a bride.

19 "For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now you shall be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.

Because thy wastes, and thy desolate places, And the land of thy ruins, Surely now are straitened because of inhabitants, And far off have been those consuming thee.

20 The children of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, The place is too small for me; give place to me that I may dwell.

Again do the sons of thy bereavement say in thine ears: 'The place is too strait for me, Come nigh to me — and I dwell.'

21 Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought up these? Look, I was left alone; these, where were they?'"

And thou hast said in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten for me — these? And I bereaved and gloomy, A captive, and turned aside, And these — who hath nourished? Lo, I — I was left by myself, these — whence [are] they?

22 Thus says the Lord YHWH, "Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my banner to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Thus said the Lord Jehovah: 'Lo, I lift up unto nations My hand, And unto peoples I raise up Mine ensign, And they have brought thy sons in the bosom, And thy daughters on the shoulder are carried.

23 Kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am YHWH; and those who wait for me shall not be disappointed."

And kings have been thy nursing fathers, And their princesses thy nursing mothers; Face to the earth — they bow down to thee, And the dust of thy feet they lick up, And thou hast known that I [am] Jehovah, That those expecting Me are not ashamed.

24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?

Is prey taken from the mighty? And the captive of the righteous delivered?

25 But thus says YHWH, "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the tyrant shall be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.

For thus said Jehovah: Even the captive of the mighty is taken, And the prey of the terrible is delivered, And with thy striver I strive, and thy sons I save.

26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, YHWH, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

And I have caused thine oppressors to eat their own flesh, And as new wine they drink their own blood, And known have all flesh that I, Jehovah, Thy saviour, and thy redeemer, [Am] the Mighty One of Jacob!'