Isaiah 43
1 But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation. The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this: “Do not be afraid, because I previously rescued you. I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.
| ועתה כה אמר יהוה בראך יעקב ויצרך ישראל אל תירא כי גאלתיך קראתי בשמך לי אתה׃ |
2 When you [experience dangerous situations], and [you feel like] [MET] you are crossing deep rivers, I will be with you. When you have very big troubles/difficulties, you will [LIT] be able to endure them. When [people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel’s three friends by] throwing them in a fire, you will not [die, just like Daniel’s three friends were not] burned up,
| כי תעבר במים אתך אני ובנהרות לא ישטפוך כי תלך במו אש לא תכוה ולהבה לא תבער בך׃ |
3 because I am Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you. I will enable [the army of the emperor of Persia] to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you; similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia, and Seba [in Arabia], in order that you can be saved.
| כי אני יהוה אלהיך קדוש ישראל מושיעך נתתי כפרך מצרים כוש וסבא תחתיך׃ |
4 I will cause other countries to be conquered, instead of your country; I will trade them for you, in order that you will not be killed, because you are very precious [DOU] to me and because I love you.
| מאשר יקרת בעיני נכבדת ואני אהבתיך ואתן אדם תחתיך ולאמים תחת נפשך׃ |
5 Do not be afraid, because I am with you. [Some day] I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.
| אל תירא כי אתך אני ממזרח אביא זרעך וממערב אקבצך׃ |
6 I will command the [rulers of the nations to] the north and to the south, ‘Allow all the people of Israel to return [to their country], from the most distant places on the earth.
| אמר לצפון תני ולתימן אל תכלאי הביאי בני מרחוק ובנותי מקצה הארץ׃ |
7 Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return, because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me; I am the one who has done that [DOU].’
| כל הנקרא בשמי ולכבודי בראתיו יצרתיו אף עשיתיו׃ |
8 Summon the people who have eyes but [it is as though] they are blind; summon those who have ears but [because they do not listen to me, it is as though] they are deaf.
| הוציא עם עור ועינים יש וחרשים ואזנים למו׃ |
9 Gather people of all nations together, ones from all people-groups, [and ask them this]: ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now? And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’ Then bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things, and what they predicted was what happened,’ [but they will be lying].”
| כל הגוים נקבצו יחדו ויאספו לאמים מי בהם יגיד זאת וראשנות ישמיענו יתנו עדיהם ויצדקו וישמעו ויאמרו אמת׃ |
10 But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel (are my witnesses/know what I have done), and you are the ones who serve me. I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me, and understand that I am the only one who is [truly] God. There is no other [true] God. There was no other [true] God previously, and there will never be another [true] God.
| אתם עדי נאם יהוה ועבדי אשר בחרתי למען תדעו ותאמינו לי ותבינו כי אני הוא לפני לא נוצר אל ואחרי לא יהיה׃ |
11 I, [only] I, am Yahweh, and there is no other one who can save you.
| אנכי אנכי יהוה ואין מבלעדי מושיע׃ |
12 I said that I would rescue [your ancestors], and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed [that I had done it]. No foreign god among you did that! And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.
| אנכי הגדתי והושעתי והשמעתי ואין בכם זר ואתם עדי נאם יהוה ואני אל׃ |
13 I am God, the one who has existed forever and who will exist forever; no one can snatch people from my hand, and no one can alter/change what I have done.”
| גם מיום אני הוא ואין מידי מציל אפעל ומי ישיבנה׃ |
14 Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says: “For your sake, I will send [an army] to [attack] Babylon. They will force the people of that city to flee in ships which they have been proud of.
| כה אמר יהוה גאלכם קדוש ישראל למענכם שלחתי בבלה והורדתי בריחים כלם וכשדים באניות רנתם׃ |
15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.
| אני יהוה קדושכם בורא ישראל מלככם׃ |
16 I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water, making a road through the [Red] Sea.
| כה אמר יהוה הנותן בים דרך ובמים עזים נתיבה׃ |
17 Then I summoned the great army [of Egypt] to come with all their chariots and horses. [But when they tried to pursue my people], I caused the waves to flow over them [and they drowned]; their lives ended [like the light of a candle ends when someone] [MET] snuffs out the wick.
| המוציא רכב וסוס חיל ועזוז יחדו ישכבו בל יקומו דעכו כפשתה כבו׃ |
18 But do not think [only] about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].
| אל תזכרו ראשנות וקדמניות אל תתבננו׃ |
19 Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do. I have already started to do it; can you see it? I am going to make a road through the desert. And I will cause there to be streams in the wasteland/desert.
| הנני עשה חדשה עתה תצמח הלוא תדעוה אף אשים במדבר דרך בישמון נהרות׃ |
20 The jackals/wolves and owls and other wild creatures will thank me for giving them water in the desert. I will cause streams to appear in the dry desert in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;
| תכבדני חית השדה תנים ובנות יענה כי נתתי במדבר מים נהרות בישימן להשקות עמי בחירי׃ |
21 I will do that for the people whom I have created [and chosen] to belong to me, and [some day] they will cause many others to praise me.
| עם זו יצרתי לי תהלתי יספרו׃ |
22 But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to request my help. It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of worshiping me.
| ולא אתי קראת יעקב כי יגעת בי ישראל׃ |
23 You have not brought to me sheep or goats for offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar]; you have not honored me by [bringing to me any] sacrifices, even though the offerings of grain and incense [that I asked you] to bring to me were not a burden to you.
| לא הביאת לי שה עלתיך וזבחיך לא כבדתני לא העבדתיך במנחה ולא הוגעתיך בלבונה׃ |
24 You have bought for me fragrant reeds, and you have brought me the fat from your sacrifices. But these have not pleased me, because you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed, and made me weary because of all (your iniquities/the wrong things that you have done).
| לא קנית לי בכסף קנה וחלב זבחיך לא הרויתני אך העבדתני בחטאותיך הוגעתני בעונתיך׃ |
25 I am the one who is able to forgive you for all your sins; I am the only one who can do that, with the result that I will never think about them again.
| אנכי אנכי הוא מחה פשעיך למעני וחטאתיך לא אזכר׃ |
26 Tell me what I have done that you do not like. Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you (are innocent/have done nothing wrong) [IRO]?
| הזכירני נשפטה יחד ספר אתה למען תצדק׃ |
27 No, [what has happened is that] the first ancestor of you Israelis sinned [against me], and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.
| אביך הראשון חטא ומליציך פשעו בי׃ |
28 That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced; and I have allowed others to destroy you people of Israel and caused you to be despised.”
| ואחלל שרי קדש ואתנה לחרם יעקב וישראל לגדופים׃ |
