ʻIsaia 43

1 Ka ko eni, ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova ʻaia naʻa ne ngaohi koe, ʻE Sēkope, pea ko ia naʻe fakafuofua koe, ʻE ʻIsileli, “ʻOua ʻe manavahē: he kuo u huhuʻi koe, kuo u ui koe ʻaki ho hingoa; ʻoku ʻaʻaku koe.

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 ‌ʻOka ke ka ʻalu ʻi he vai, te u ʻiate koe; pea ʻi he ngaahi vaitafe, ʻe ʻikai te ke melemo ai: ʻoka ke ka ʻalu ʻi he afi, ʻe ʻikai te ke vela; pea ʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake ʻiate koe ʻae ulo afi.

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 He ko au ko Sihova ko ho ʻOtua, ko e tokotaha māʻoniʻoni ʻo ʻIsileli, ko ho Fakamoʻui: naʻaku foaki ʻa ʻIsipite ko ho huhuʻi, ʻa ʻItiopea mo Sipa maʻau.

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 Ko e meʻa ʻi hoʻo mahuʻinga ʻi hoku ʻao, ko ia naʻa ke ongoongolelei ai, pea kuo u ʻofa kiate koe: ko ia te u foaki ʻae kau tangata koeʻuhi ko koe, pea mo e kakai koeʻuhi ko hoʻo moʻui.

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 ‌ʻOua ʻe manavahē: he ʻoku ou ʻiate koe: te u ʻomi ho hako mei hahake, pea tānaki ko e mei he lulunga;

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

6 Te u pehē ki he tokelau, ‘Tukuange,’ pea ki he potu tonga, ‘ʻOua ʻe taʻofi:’ ʻomi hoku ngaahi foha mei he mamaʻo, mo hoku ngaahi ʻofefine mei he ngaahi ngataʻanga ʻo māmani;

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 ‌ʻIo, ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ʻoku ui ʻaki hoku huafa: he kuo fakatupu ia ke u ongoongolelei ai: naʻaku fakafuofua ia, ʻio, naʻaku ngaohi ia.”

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 Omi ʻae kakai kui ʻoku mata, pea mo e tuli ʻoku telinga.

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 Ke tānaki fakataha ʻae ngaahi puleʻanga kotoa pē, pea ke fakataha ʻae kakai: ko hai ʻiate kinautolu te ne fakahā ʻae meʻa ni, pea fakahā kiate kitautolu ʻae ngaahi meʻa muʻa? Tuku ke nau ʻomi ʻa ʻenau kau fakamoʻoni, koeʻuhi ke nau tonuhia: pe tuku ke nau fanongo, pea pehē, “Ko e moʻoni ia.”

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 ‌ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova, “Ko ʻeku kau fakamoʻoni ʻakimoutolu, pea ko ʻeku tamaioʻeiki ʻaia kuo u fili: koeʻuhi ke mou ʻilo pea tui kiate au, pea ʻilo pau ko au ia: naʻe ʻikai ha ʻOtua kuo fakatupu ʻi muʻa ʻiate au, pea ʻe ʻikai ha taha kimui.

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 Ko au, ʻio ko au, ko Sihova; pea ʻoku ʻikai mo ha fakamoʻui ka ko au pe.

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

12 Kuo u fakahā, pea kuo u fakamoʻui, pea kuo u fakahinohino, ʻi he ʻikai ha ʻotua kehe ʻiate kimoutolu: ko ia ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova, “ko ʻeku kau fakamoʻoni ʻakimoutolu, Ko au pe ko e ʻOtua.”

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 ‌ʻIo, ʻi he teʻeki ai ʻae ʻaho ko au ia, pea ʻoku ʻikai ha taha te ne faʻa fakamoʻui mei hoku nima: te u ngāue, pea ko hai te ne taʻofi au?

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 ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova, ko homou huhuʻi, ko e tokotaha māʻoniʻoni ʻo ʻIsileli; Ko e meʻa ʻiate kimoutolu kuo u fekau ki Papilone, pea kuo ʻomi ki lalo honau houʻeiki, pea mo e kakai Kalitia, ʻaia ʻoku ʻi he ngaahi vaka ʻenau tangi.

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 Ko au ko Sihova, ko homou tokotaha māʻoniʻoni, ko e Tupuʻanga ʻo ʻIsileli, ko homou Tuʻi.

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

16 ‌ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova, ʻaia ʻoku ngaohi ʻae ʻaluʻanga ʻi he moana, pea mo e hala ʻi he ngaahi vai lahi;

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

17 ‌ʻAia ʻoku ʻomi ʻae saliote mo e hoosi, ʻae kongakau mo e mālohi: te nau tokoto fakataha, ʻe ʻikai te nau tuʻu ki ʻolunga: kuo nau ʻauha, kuo fuʻifuʻi ʻakinautolu ʻo hangē ko e filo ʻoe maama.

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 “ʻOua naʻa mou manatu ki he ngaahi meʻa muʻa, pe tokanga ki he ngaahi meʻa motuʻa.

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

19 Vakai, te u fai ha meʻa foʻou; ʻe tupu hake ni ia; pea ʻikai te mou ʻilo ia? ʻIo, te u ngaohi ha hala ʻi he potu lala, mo e ngaahi vaitafe ʻi he toafa.

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 ‌ʻE fakaʻapaʻapa kiate au ʻae fanga manu ʻoe vao, ʻae talākoni mo e ngaahi lulu: koeʻuhi ʻoku ou foaki ʻae vai ʻi he potu lala, mo e vaitafe ʻi he toafa, ke ʻatu ʻae inu ki hoku kakai kuo u fili.

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 Kuo u ngaohi ʻae kakai ni maʻaku; te nau fakahā hoku ongoongolelei.

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 Ka naʻe ʻikai te ke ui kiate au, ʻE Sēkope; ka kuo ke fiu ʻiate au, ʻE ʻIsileli.

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 ‌ʻOku teʻeki te ke ʻomi ʻae fanga lami ʻo hoʻo ngaahi feilaulau tutu; pea teʻeki ai te ke fakaʻapaʻapa ʻaki hoʻo ngaahi feilaulau. Naʻe ʻikai te u fekau ke ke tauhi au ʻaki ha meʻa foaki, pe fakaongosia koe ʻi he ʻomi ʻae meʻa namu kakala.

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 ‌ʻOku teʻeki te ke fakatau maʻaku ʻae ʻakau namu kakala ʻaki ha paʻanga, pea ʻoku teʻeki te ke fakamākona au ʻaki ʻae ngako ʻo hoʻo ngaahi feilaulau; ka kuo ke taʻomia au ʻaki hoʻo ngaahi hia, kuo ke fakafiuʻi au ʻi hoʻo ngaahi fai kovi.

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 Ko au, ʻio ko au ia, ʻaia ʻoku tāmateʻi hoʻo ngaahi hia koeʻuhi ko au, pea ʻe ʻikai te u manatu hoʻo ngaahi angahala.

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 Fakamanatuʻi au: ke tau fefakamaauʻaki: fai hoʻo fakamatala, koeʻuhi ke ke tonuhia.

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 Kuo fai hala hoʻo ʻuluaki tamai, pea kuo talangataʻa kiate au hoʻo kau akonaki.

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 Pea kuo fakalieliaʻi ʻe ho ngaahi houʻeiki hoku fale tapu, ko ia te u tuku ʻa Sēkope ki he malaʻia, pea ko ʻIsileli ki he valoki.”

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.”