Isaiah 53

1 Who believed what we have heard? And, the arm of Yahweh, to whom was it revealed?

Has anyone believed our news? Who has the Lord shown his power to?

2 When he came up as a sapling before him. And as a root-sprout out of dry ground, He had neither beauty nor majesty, —When we beheld him, there was nothing to behold, that we should desire him;

Like a young shoot he grew up before him, like a root growing up from dry ground. He had no beauty or glory to make us look at him; nothing about his appearance attracted us to him.

3 Despised was he, and forsaken of men, Man of pains and familiar with sickness, —Yea, like one from whom the face is hidden, Despised, and we esteemed him not.

People despised him and rejected him. He was a man who really suffered and who experienced the deepest pain. We treated him like someone you turn away from in disgust—we despised him and had no respect for him.

4 Yet surely, our sicknesses, he, carried, And, as for our pains, he bare the burden of them, —But, we, accounted him stricken. Smitten of God and humbled,

However, he was the one who carried our weaknesses, he was loaded down with our pain—but we assumed he was being hit, beaten, and humiliated by God.

5 Yet, he, was pierced for transgressions that were ours, was crushed for iniquities that were ours, —the chastisement for our well-being, was upon him, And by his stripes, there is healing for us.

But he was wounded because of our rebellious acts, he was crushed because of our guilt. He experienced the discipline that brings us peace, and his wounds heal us.

6 We all, like sheep, had gone astray, Every man—to his way, had we burned, —And Yahweh! caused to light upon him The guilt of, us all!

All of us have wandered off, just like sheep. Each of us has gone our own way, and the Lord allowed all our guilt to fall on him.

7 Hard pressed—yet, he, humbled himself Nor opened his mouth—As, a lamb, to the slaughter, is led, And, as a sheep, before her shearers, is dumb—Nor opened his mouth.

He was persecuted and mistreated, but he didn't say anything. He was led like a lamb to be killed, and in the same way that a sheep about to be sheared is silent, he didn't say a word.

8 By constraint and by sentence, was he taken away, And of his age, who considered That he was cut off out of the land of the living, For my people’s transgression, did the stroke fall on him?

Through force and a death sentence he was killed—who cared what happened to him? He was executed, removed from the land of the living; he was killed because of my people's wickedness.

9 And, appointed with lawless men, was his grave, And with the wicked, his tomb, —Though no violence, had he done, Nor was guile in his mouth.

They buried him as if he was someone evil, giving him a grave among the rich, even though he hadn't done anything wrong, and he hadn't told any lies.

10 Yet, Yahweh, purposed to bruise him, He laid on him sickness: —If his soul become an offering for guilt, He shall see a seed, He shall prolong his days, —And the purpose of Yahweh, in his hand, shall prosper:

However, it was the Lord's will for him to be crushed and to suffer, for when he gives his life as a guilt offering he will see his descendants, he will have a long life, and what the Lord wants will be achieved through him.

11 Of the travail of his soul, shall he see He shall be satisfied with his knowledge, A setting right when set right himself, shall my Servant win for the Many, Since of their iniquities, he, taketh the burden.

After his suffering, he will see the results and be satisfied. Through his knowledge my servant who does what is right will set many right, and he will bear their sins.

12 Therefore, will I give him a portion in the great, And the strong, shall he apportion as spoil, Because he poured out, to death his own soul, And with transgressors, let himself be numbered, —Yea, he, the sin of Many, bare, And for transgressors, interposeth.

That's why I'm going to grant him a place among the great, and give him the prize of the victorious, because he poured out his life in death and was counted as one of the rebels. He took on himself the sins of many and asked forgiveness for the rebels.