Isaiah 49

1 Listen to me, you coastlands! Now give my your attention, you distant peoples. Yahweh has called me from birth by name, when my mother brought me into the world.

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 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; he hid me in the shadow of his hand; he has made me into a polished arrow; in his quiver he has hidden me.

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 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory.”

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

4 But I replied, “Though I thought I have labored in vain, I have spent my energy for nothing, yet my justice is with Yahweh, and my reward is 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 Yahweh has spoken—he who formed me from birth to be his servant, to restore Jacob again to himself, so that Israel would be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh, 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, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the survivors of Israel. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to the ends 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 This is what Yahweh says, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to the one whose life is despised, hated by the nations, and a slave of rulers, “Kings will see you and arise, and princes will see you and bow down, because of Yahweh 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 This is what Yahweh says, “At a time I decide to show my favor I will answer you, and in a day of salvation I will help you; I will protect you, and give you as a covenant for the people, to rebuild the land, to reassign the desolate inheritance.

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 You will say to the prisoners, 'Come out;' to those in dark dungeons, 'Show yourselves.' They will graze along the roads, and on all the bare slopes will 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 will not be hungry or thirsty; nor will the heat or sun beat on them, for he who has mercy on them will lead them; he will guide them to springs of water.

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 Then I will make all my mountains into a road, and make my highways level.”

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

12 Look, these will come from far away, some from the north and the west; and others from the land of Sinim.

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; break into singing, you mountains! For Yahweh comforts 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, “Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”

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

15 “Can a woman forget her baby, nursing at her breast, so she does not have compassion on the son she has borne? Yes, they may forget, but 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 your name on my palms; 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 children are hurrying back, while those who destroyed you are going away.

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

18 Look around and see, they are all gathering and coming to you. As surely as I live—this is Yahweh's declaration—you will surely wear them like jewelry, and you will put them on 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 Though you were a waste and desolate, a land that was in ruins, now you will be too small for the inhabitants, and those who devoured you will 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 born during the time of your bereavement will say in your hearing, 'The place is too cramped for us, make room for us, so we may live here.'

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 ask yourself, 'Who has borne these children for me? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and divorced. Who has raised these children? Look, I was left all alone; where did these come from?'”

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 This is what the Lord Yahweh says, “Look, I will raise my hand to the nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters 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 will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursemaids; they will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet; and you will know that I am Yahweh; those who wait for me will not be put to shame.”

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 Can the spoils be taken from the warrior, or captives be rescued from the fierce?

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

25 But this is what Yahweh says, “Yes, the captives will be taken away from the warrior, and spoils will be rescued; for I will oppose your adversary and 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 your oppressors with their own flesh; and they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. Then all mankind will know that I, Yahweh, 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!'