< Isaiah 49 >
1 All you people who live on islands [in the ocean] and in other distant areas, pay attention [DOU] to what I will say! Yahweh called/chose me before I was born; he chose/appointed me when I was still in my mother’s womb.
众海岛啊,当听我言! 远方的众民哪,留心而听! 自我出胎,耶和华就选召我; 自出母腹,他就提我的名。
2 [When I grew up], he caused my messages to be like [SIM] a sharp sword. He has protected me with his hand [SYN]. [He protects me] [MET] like someone protects sharp arrows in a quiver.
他使我的口如快刀, 将我藏在他手荫之下; 又使我成为磨亮的箭, 将我藏在他箭袋之中;
3 He said to me, “You will serve my Israeli [people], and you will cause people to honor me.”
对我说:你是我的仆人以色列; 我必因你得荣耀。
4 I replied, “My work has been useless; I have used my strength, but I have accomplished nothing worthwhile; everything that I have done has been (in vain/useless). However, Yahweh can honor me as he pleases; my God is the one who will reward me [as I deserve].”
我却说:我劳碌是徒然; 我尽力是虚无虚空。 然而,我当得的理必在耶和华那里; 我的赏赐必在我 神那里。
5 Yahweh formed me when I was in [my mother’s] womb in order that I would serve him; he appointed me to bring [the people of] Israel back to himself [DOU]. Yahweh has honored me, and he is the one who has caused me to be strong.
耶和华从我出胎,造就我作他的仆人, 要使雅各归向他, 使以色列到他那里聚集。 原来耶和华看我为尊贵; 我的 神也成为我的力量。
6 He says to me, “It is not enough for you to serve me by bringing the descendants of Jacob back to worship me again [DOU]; I also want you to be like [MET] a light for the non-Jews; I want you to take my [my message] about how to be saved to [people] all over the world.”
现在他说:你作我的仆人, 使雅各众支派复兴, 使以色列中得保全的归回尚为小事, 我还要使你作外邦人的光, 叫你施行我的救恩,直到地极。
7 Yahweh, the one who saves us, the Holy God of us Israeli [people], says to the one who was despised and rejected by the [people of many] nations, the one who is the slave of rulers, “[Some day] kings will stand up to respect you when they see you, and princes will bow down before you because [you serve] me, Yahweh, the one who faithfully [does what I promise]. I am the Holy God to whom you Israelis belong, the one who has chosen you.”
救赎主—以色列的圣者耶和华 对那被人所藐视、本国所憎恶、 官长所虐待的如此说: 君王要看见就站起, 首领也要下拜; 都因信实的耶和华, 就是拣选你—以色列的圣者。
8 This is also what Yahweh says: “At a time when it pleases me, I will answer your prayers. On the day when you will be rescued [from your oppressors], I will help you. I will protect you and enable you to establish an agreement with other nations. And by what you do, I will re-establish your nation of Israel and allow you to live/settle again in your land that was abandoned.
耶和华如此说: 在悦纳的时候,我应允了你; 在拯救的日子,我济助了你。 我要保护你, 使你作众民的中保; 复兴遍地, 使人承受荒凉之地为业。
9 I will say to those who were captured [and (exiled/taken to Babylonia)], ‘Leave [Babylonia] and return to your own country!’ And I will say to those who are in dark prisons, ‘Come out into the light!’ When that happens, they will again be like [MET] sheep that eat grass in green pastures, on hills where [previously] there was no grass.
对那被捆绑的人说:出来吧! 对那在黑暗的人说:显露吧! 他们在路上必得饮食, 在一切净光的高处必有食物。
10 They will not be hungry or thirsty [any more]; the hot sun will not beat upon them again [DOU]. I, Yahweh, will act mercifully toward them and lead them; I will lead them to where there are springs of cool water.
不饥不渴, 炎热和烈日必不伤害他们; 因为怜恤他们的必引导他们, 领他们到水泉旁边。
11 And I will cause the mountains to become [as though they were] level roads, and I will prepare good highways [for my people to travel on, to return to Jerusalem].
我必使我的众山成为大道; 我的大路也被修高。
12 My people will return from far away; some will come from the north, some from the west, some from southern Egypt.”
看哪,这些从远方来; 这些从北方、从西方来; 这些从秦国来。
13 [Because of what Yahweh has promised to do], everything should shout joyfully— the sky and the earth and the mountains should sing, because Yahweh comforts his people, and he will pity those who are suffering.
诸天哪,应当欢呼! 大地啊,应当快乐! 众山哪,应当发声歌唱! 因为耶和华已经安慰他的百姓, 也要怜恤他困苦之民。
14 [The people of] Jerusalem say, “Yahweh has abandoned us; he has forgotten about us.”
锡安说:耶和华离弃了我; 主忘记了我。
15 But [Yahweh replies], “That is not true! (Can a woman forget the infant that she is nursing?/A woman certainly cannot forget the infant that she is nursing!) [RHQ] (Can she stop being kind to the child to whom she has given birth?/She certainly cannot stop being kind to the child to whom she has given birth!) [RHQ] But even if a woman would do that, I will not forget you!
妇人焉能忘记她吃奶的婴孩, 不怜恤她所生的儿子? 即或有忘记的, 我却不忘记你。
16 Note that I have written your [names] on the palms of my hands; in my mind I can always see the walls of your city.
看哪,我将你铭刻在我掌上; 你的墙垣常在我眼前。
17 Soon your children will be returning there (OR, Those who rebuild your city will work more quickly than those who destroyed it), and all those who destroyed your city will leave.
你的儿女必急速归回; 毁坏你的,使你荒废的,必都离你出去,
18 You will look around and see all of your children coming back to you. As surely as I live, they will be around you [for you to show to people] like [SIM] a bride shows her wedding ornaments!
你举目向四方观看; 他们都聚集来到你这里。 耶和华说:我指着我的永生起誓: 你必要以他们为妆饰佩戴, 以他们为华带束腰,像新妇一样。
19 Your land has been ruined and caused to become desolate/abandoned [DOU], but [some day] it will be filled with people, and those who conquered you will be far away.
至于你荒废凄凉之处, 并你被毁坏之地, 现今众民居住必显为太窄; 吞灭你的必离你遥远。
20 The children who were born while you were (exiled/in Babylonia) [MET] will return [to Jerusalem] and say, ‘This city is too small for us; We need more space to live in!’
你必听见丧子之后所生的儿女说: 这地方我居住太窄, 求你给我地方居住。
21 Then you will think to yourselves [MTY], ‘It is amazing that we have [RHQ] all these children! Most of our children were dead, and the rest were exiled. We were left here alone; so we do not know [RHQ] where all these children have come from! Who raised them?'”
那时你心里必说:我既丧子独居, 是被掳的,漂流在外。 谁给我生这些? 谁将这些养大呢? 撇下我一人独居的时候, 这些在哪里呢?
22 This is what Yahweh our God says: “Watch! [It is as though] I will lift up my hand to signal to those who are not Israelis. And they will carry your little sons and daughters on their shoulders and bring them back to you.
主耶和华如此说: 我必向列国举手, 向万民竖立大旗; 他们必将你的众子怀中抱来, 将你的众女肩上扛来。
23 Kings will serve you and will tutor/teach your children, and their queens will take care of your young children. They will prostrate themselves in front of you and [humble themselves by] licking the dust off your feet. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do]; and those who trust in me will never be disappointed.”
列王必作你的养父; 王后必作你的乳母。 他们必将脸伏地,向你下拜, 并舔你脚上的尘土。 你便知道我是耶和华; 等候我的必不致羞愧。
24 There is no one [RHQ] who can snatch valuable things from a soldier who has captured those things [in a war]; there is no one [RHQ] who can force a (tyrant/cruel man) to free the people whom he has captured.
勇士抢去的岂能夺回? 该掳掠的岂能解救吗?
25 But Yahweh says this: “[Some day], those who have been captured will be freed, and the valuable things that (tyrants/cruel men) have snatched from others will be returned, because I will fight against those who fight against you, and I will rescue your children.
但耶和华如此说: 就是勇士所掳掠的,也可以夺回; 强暴人所抢的,也可以解救。 与你相争的,我必与他相争; 我要拯救你的儿女。
26 And I will cause your enemies to destroy themselves [MET] instead of murdering others. When that happens, everyone [in the world] will know that I, Yahweh, am the one who saves you, the one who rescues you from your enemies; everyone will know that I am the mighty God to whom [you descendants of] [MTY] Jacob belong.”
并且我必使那欺压你的吃自己的肉, 也要以自己的血喝醉,好像喝甜酒一样。 凡有血气的必都知道我—耶和华是你的救主, 是你的救赎主,是雅各的大能者。