Ἠσαΐας 43

1 καὶ νῦν οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας σε Ιακωβ ὁ πλάσας σε Ισραηλ μὴ φοβοῦ ὅτι ἐλυτρωσάμην σε ἐκάλεσά σε τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐμὸς εἶ σύ

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.

2 καὶ ἐὰν διαβαίνῃς δῑ ὕδατος μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι καὶ ποταμοὶ οὐ συγκλύσουσίν σε καὶ ἐὰν διέλθῃς διὰ πυρός οὐ μὴ κατακαυθῇς φλὸξ οὐ κατακαύσει σε

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,

3 ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός σου ὁ ἅγιος Ισραηλ ὁ σῴζων σε ἐποίησά σου ἄλλαγμα Αἴγυπτον καὶ Αἰθιοπίαν καὶ Σοήνην ὑπὲρ σοῦ

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.

4 ἀφ’ οὗ ἔντιμος ἐγένου ἐναντίον μου ἐδοξάσθης κἀγώ σε ἠγάπησα καὶ δώσω ἀνθρώπους πολλοὺς ὑπὲρ σοῦ καὶ ἄρχοντας ὑπὲρ τῆς κεφαλῆς σου

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.

5 μὴ φοβοῦ ὅτι μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἄξω τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν συνάξω σε

Do not be afraid, because I am with you. [Some day] I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.

6 ἐρῶ τῷ βορρᾷ ἄγε καὶ τῷ λιβί μὴ κώλυε ἄγε τοὺς υἱούς μου ἀπὸ γῆς πόρρωθεν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας μου ἀπ’ ἄκρων τῆς γῆς

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.

7 πάντας ὅσοι ἐπικέκληνται τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐν γὰρ τῇ δόξῃ μου κατεσκεύασα αὐτὸν καὶ ἔπλασα καὶ ἐποίησα αὐτόν

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].’

8 καὶ ἐξήγαγον λαὸν τυφλόν καὶ ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν ὡσαύτως τυφλοί καὶ κωφοὶ τὰ ὦτα ἔχοντες

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.

9 πάντα τὰ ἔθνη συνήχθησαν ἅμα καὶ συναχθήσονται ἄρχοντες ἐξ αὐτῶν τίς ἀναγγελεῖ ταῦτα ἢ τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τίς ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν ἀγαγέτωσαν τοὺς μάρτυρας αὐτῶν καὶ δικαιωθήτωσαν καὶ εἰπάτωσαν ἀληθῆ

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].”

10 γένεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες κἀγὼ μάρτυς λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός καὶ ὁ παῖς ὃν ἐξελεξάμην ἵνα γνῶτε καὶ πιστεύσητε καὶ συνῆτε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ἔμπροσθέν μου οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄλλος θεὸς καὶ μετ’ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται

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.

11 ἐγὼ ὁ θεός καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν πάρεξ ἐμοῦ σῴζων

I, [only] I, am Yahweh, and there is no other one who can save you.

12 ἀνήγγειλα καὶ ἔσωσα ὠνείδισα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀλλότριος ὑμεῖς ἐμοὶ μάρτυρες κἀγὼ μάρτυς λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός

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.

13 ἔτι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐξαιρούμενος ποιήσω καὶ τίς ἀποστρέψει αὐτό

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.”

14 οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ λυτρούμενος ὑμᾶς ὁ ἅγιος Ισραηλ ἕνεκεν ὑμῶν ἀποστελῶ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα καὶ ἐπεγερῶ πάντας φεύγοντας καὶ Χαλδαῖοι ἐν πλοίοις δεθήσονται

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.

15 ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος ὑμῶν ὁ καταδείξας Ισραηλ βασιλέα ὑμῶν

I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.

16 οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ διδοὺς ὁδὸν ἐν θαλάσσῃ καὶ ἐν ὕδατι ἰσχυρῷ τρίβον

I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water, making a road through the [Red] Sea.

17 ὁ ἐξαγαγὼν ἅρματα καὶ ἵππον καὶ ὄχλον ἰσχυρόν ἀλλὰ ἐκοιμήθησαν καὶ οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἐσβέσθησαν ὡς λίνον ἐσβεσμένον

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.

18 μὴ μνημονεύετε τὰ πρῶτα καὶ τὰ ἀρχαῖα μὴ συλλογίζεσθε

But do not think [only] about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].

19 ἰδοὺ ποιῶ καινὰ ἃ νῦν ἀνατελεῖ καὶ γνώσεσθε αὐτά καὶ ποιήσω ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὁδὸν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀνύδρῳ ποταμούς

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.

20 εὐλογήσει με τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ σειρῆνες καὶ θυγατέρες στρουθῶν ὅτι ἔδωκα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ καὶ ποταμοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀνύδρῳ ποτίσαι τὸ γένος μου τὸ ἐκλεκτόν

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;

21 λαόν μου ὃν περιεποιησάμην τὰς ἀρετάς μου διηγεῖσθαι

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.

22 οὐ νῦν ἐκάλεσά σε Ιακωβ οὐδὲ κοπιᾶσαί σε ἐποίησα Ισραηλ

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.

23 οὐκ ἐμοὶ πρόβατα τῆς ὁλοκαρπώσεώς σου οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις σου ἐδόξασάς με οὐδὲ ἔγκοπον ἐποίησά σε ἐν λιβάνῳ

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.

24 οὐδὲ ἐκτήσω μοι ἀργυρίου θυμίαμα οὐδὲ τὸ στέαρ τῶν θυσιῶν σου ἐπεθύμησα ἀλλὰ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις σου καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις σου προέστην σου

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).

25 ἐγώ εἰμι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἀνομίας σου καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθήσομαι

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.

26 σὺ δὲ μνήσθητι καὶ κριθῶμεν λέγε σὺ τὰς ἀνομίας σου πρῶτος ἵνα δικαιωθῇς

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]?

27 οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν ἠνόμησαν εἰς ἐμέ

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.

28 καὶ ἐμίαναν οἱ ἄρχοντες τὰ ἅγιά μου καὶ ἔδωκα ἀπολέσαι Ιακωβ καὶ Ισραηλ εἰς ὀνειδισμόν

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.”