Ἠσαΐας 49
1 ἀκούσατέ μου νῆσοι καὶ προσέχετε ἔθνη διὰ χρόνου πολλοῦ στήσεται λέγει κύριος ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομά μου
Listen to me, you people of the islands! Pay attention, you who live far away! The Lord called me before I was born; he gave me my name while I was still in my mother's womb.
2 καὶ ἔθηκεν τὸ στόμα μου ὡσεὶ μάχαιραν ὀξεῖαν καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν σκέπην τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ἔκρυψέν με ἔθηκέν με ὡς βέλος ἐκλεκτὸν καὶ ἐν τῇ φαρέτρᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐσκέπασέν με
The words he gave me to speak are like a sharp sword. He has protected me by covering me with his hand. He put me in his quiver like a sharp arrow, keeping me safe there.
3 καὶ εἶπέν μοι δοῦλός μου εἶ σύ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐν σοὶ δοξασθήσομαι
He told me, “You are my servant, Israel, and I will reveal my glory through you.”
4 καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα κενῶς ἐκοπίασα καὶ εἰς μάταιον καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ἔδωκα τὴν ἰσχύν μου διὰ τοῦτο ἡ κρίσις μου παρὰ κυρίῳ καὶ ὁ πόνος μου ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ μου
But I replied, “I've worked for nothing! I've exhausted myself, and for what? Even so, I leave it with the Lord to do what's right, and my reward is with my God.”
5 καὶ νῦν οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ πλάσας με ἐκ κοιλίας δοῦλον ἑαυτῷ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν τὸν Ιακωβ καὶ Ισραηλ πρὸς αὐτόν συναχθήσομαι καὶ δοξασθήσομαι ἐναντίον κυρίου καὶ ὁ θεός μου ἔσται μου ἰσχύς
Now my Lord is going to speak, the one who formed me in the womb as his servant to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to himself. I am honored in the Lord's sight, and my God has given me strength.
6 καὶ εἶπέν μοι μέγα σοί ἐστιν τοῦ κληθῆναί σε παῖδά μου τοῦ στῆσαι τὰς φυλὰς Ιακωβ καὶ τὴν διασπορὰν τοῦ Ισραηλ ἐπιστρέψαι ἰδοὺ τέθεικά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
He says, “It's nothing much for you to be my servant to bring back the tribes of Jacob, those people of Israel that I've preserved. I'm also going to make you a light for the foreigners so that my salvation may reach everybody.”
7 οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ἁγιάσατε τὸν φαυλίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τὸν βδελυσσόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν δούλων τῶν ἀρχόντων βασιλεῖς ὄψονται αὐτὸν καὶ ἀναστήσονται ἄρχοντες καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕνεκεν κυρίου ὅτι πιστός ἐστιν ὁ ἅγιος Ισραηλ καὶ ἐξελεξάμην σε
This is what the Lord says, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to the one who was despised and detested by the nation, to the one who is the servant of rulers: Kings will see you and stand up, and princes will bow down to you, because the Lord, who is trustworthy, the Holy One of Israel, has chosen you.
8 οὕτως λέγει κύριος καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην ἐθνῶν τοῦ καταστῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ κληρονομῆσαι κληρονομίαν ἐρήμου
This is what the Lord says: I will answer you at the proper time; I will help you on the day of salvation. I will take care of you, and I will give you to the people as my agreement with them, to restore the land and to reassign the parts that have been abandoned.
9 λέγοντα τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς ἐξέλθατε καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει ἀνακαλυφθῆναι καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν βοσκηθήσονται καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς τρίβοις ἡ νομὴ αὐτῶν
Tell the prisoners, “Come out!” Tell those living in darkness, “Come into the light!” Like sheep they will feed along the roads and in the pastures on hills that once were barren.
10 οὐ πεινάσουσιν οὐδὲ διψήσουσιν οὐδὲ πατάξει αὐτοὺς καύσων οὐδὲ ὁ ἥλιος ἀλλὰ ὁ ἐλεῶν αὐτοὺς παρακαλέσει καὶ διὰ πηγῶν ὑδάτων ἄξει αὐτούς
They won't be hungry or thirsty, and they won't get hot in the sun, for the one who loves them will lead them to springs, and guide them to water.
11 καὶ θήσω πᾶν ὄρος εἰς ὁδὸν καὶ πᾶσαν τρίβον εἰς βόσκημα αὐτοῖς
I will turn all my mountains into a road; my highways will be really high!
12 ἰδοὺ οὗτοι πόρρωθεν ἔρχονται οὗτοι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ καὶ οὗτοι ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἄλλοι δὲ ἐκ γῆς Περσῶν
Look at these people coming from far away! Look at these people coming from the north, and from the west, and from Upper Egypt.
13 εὐφραίνεσθε οὐρανοί καὶ ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ ῥηξάτωσαν τὰ ὄρη εὐφροσύνην καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ δικαιοσύνην ὅτι ἠλέησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ παρεκάλεσεν
Heavens, shout for joy! Earth, celebrate! Mountains, sing out in happiness! The Lord has come to care for his people, and he will treat his suffering people kindly.
14 εἶπεν δὲ Σιων ἐγκατέλιπέν με κύριος καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐπελάθετό μου
But Zion said, “The Lord has given up on me; the Lord has forgotten about me.”
15 μὴ ἐπιλήσεται γυνὴ τοῦ παιδίου αὐτῆς τοῦ μὴ ἐλεῆσαι τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας αὐτῆς εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπιλάθοιτο ταῦτα γυνή ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαί σου εἶπεν κύριος
Really? Can a mother forget her nursing baby? Can she forget to be kind to the child she carried in her womb? Even if she could forget, I will never forget you!
16 ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐζωγράφησά σου τὰ τείχη καὶ ἐνώπιόν μου εἶ διὰ παντός
Look at your names I've written on the palms of my hands! I'm always thinking about your walls.
17 καὶ ταχὺ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ ὑφ’ ὧν καθῃρέθης καὶ οἱ ἐρημώσαντές σε ἐκ σοῦ ἐξελεύσονται
Soon your children will come running back. Your destroyers, those that devastated your land, will be gone.
18 ἆρον κύκλῳ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἰδὲ πάντας ἰδοὺ συνήχθησαν καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς σέ ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος ὅτι πάντας αὐτοὺς ἐνδύσῃ καὶ περιθήσῃ αὐτοὺς ὡς κόσμον νύμφης
Take a look around. See all your children gathering and coming back to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as jewelry, proudly putting them on like a bride.
19 ὅτι τὰ ἔρημά σου καὶ τὰ διεφθαρμένα καὶ τὰ πεπτωκότα νῦν στενοχωρήσει ἀπὸ τῶν κατοικούντων καὶ μακρυνθήσονται ἀπὸ σοῦ οἱ καταπίνοντές σε
Your ruined towns and abandoned places and devastated lands will be crowded with people, while those who took over your country will be long gone.
20 ἐροῦσιν γὰρ εἰς τὰ ὦτά σου οἱ υἱοί σου οὓς ἀπολώλεκας στενός μοι ὁ τόπος ποίησόν μοι τόπον ἵνα κατοικήσω
The children born during your time of mourning in exile will say, “This place is too crowded for me! Make room so I have a place to live!”
21 καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τίς ἐγέννησέν μοι τούτους ἐγὼ δὲ ἄτεκνος καὶ χήρα τούτους δὲ τίς ἐξέθρεψέν μοι ἐγὼ δὲ κατελείφθην μόνη οὗτοι δέ μοι ποῦ ἦσαν
Then you will say to yourself, “Who gave birth to all these children for me? My children were killed and I was unable to have more; I was exiled and thrown aside—so who brought these children up? Look, I was abandoned, so where did they come from?”
22 οὕτως λέγει κύριος ἰδοὺ αἴρω εἰς τὰ ἔθνη τὴν χεῖρά μου καὶ εἰς τὰς νήσους ἀρῶ σύσσημόν μου καὶ ἄξουσιν τοὺς υἱούς σου ἐν κόλπῳ τὰς δὲ θυγατέρας σου ἐπ’ ὤμων ἀροῦσιν
This is what the Lord God says, Watch as I give the signal to the nations, as I raise my flag to let everyone know. They will bring them back, carrying your sons in their arms, and lifting your daughters onto their shoulders.
23 καὶ ἔσονται βασιλεῖς τιθηνοί σου αἱ δὲ ἄρχουσαι τροφοί σου ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς προσκυνήσουσίν σοι καὶ τὸν χοῦν τῶν ποδῶν σου λείξουσιν καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος καὶ οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσῃ
Kings will be your child-minders; queens will be your nurses. They will bow low before you, and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, and that those who put their trust in me will never be ashamed.
24 μὴ λήμψεταί τις παρὰ γίγαντος σκῦλα καὶ ἐὰν αἰχμαλωτεύσῃ τις ἀδίκως σωθήσεται
Can loot be taken from a warrior? Can prisoners be rescued from a dictator?
25 οὕτως λέγει κύριος ἐάν τις αἰχμαλωτεύσῃ γίγαντα λήμψεται σκῦλα λαμβάνων δὲ παρὰ ἰσχύοντος σωθήσεται ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν κρίσιν σου κρινῶ καὶ ἐγὼ τοὺς υἱούς σου ῥύσομαι
But this is what the Lord says: Even the prisoners of warriors will be won back; even loot will be recovered from a dictator. I will fight with your enemies, and I will rescue your children.
26 καὶ φάγονται οἱ θλίψαντές σε τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν καὶ πίονται ὡς οἶνον νέον τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν καὶ μεθυσθήσονται καὶ αἰσθανθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε καὶ ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἰσχύος Ιακωβ
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh and drink their own blood like wine. Then everyone will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.
