49 Listen to me, you islands.
Listen carefully, you people who live far away.
The Lord called me to serve him
before I was born.
Before my mother gave birth,
he used my name to speak to me.
2 The message that he gave me to speak
was like a sharp sword.
He kept me safe in his hand.
He made me like a sharp arrow
that he keeps safe and ready to use.
3 He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel.
Because of you, I will cause people to know that I am great.’
4 I said, ‘My work has been useless.
I have worked hard with no results.’
But the Lord will do what is right for me.
He will give me what I deserve for my work.
5 The Lord chose me to be his servant, even before I was born. He chose me to bring Jacob's descendants back to himself. He chose me to bring Israel's people together to serve him. As a result, the Lord will honour me. He is the one who makes me strong. The Lord , my God, says,
6 ‘As my servant, I have a greater job for you to do.
It will not only be to make Jacob's tribes strong again.
It will not only be to bring back Israel's people that I have kept safe.
It will also be your job
to bring light to the other nations.
You will show people all over the world
that I have the power to save them.’
7 The Lord is Israel's Redeemer, their Holy God. Nations refuse to accept his servant. Their people hate him and their rulers have made him their slave. The Lord says to his servant,
‘Kings will see you and they will rise up to respect you.
Princes will bend down low in front of you.
They will see that the Lord is faithful.
He is Israel's Holy God,
who has chosen you to serve him.’
8 This is what the Lord says:
‘I will answer your prayers
at the time that I have chosen to help you.
Yes, I will come to save you on that day.
I will keep you safe,
so that I can make a covenant with people through you.
You will make the land safe again.
People will return to live there,
in places that had become empty.
9 You will say to the prisoners,
“Come out!”
You will say to people who are in dark prisons,
“Come outside!”
Then they will be free to find food for themselves.
They will eat along the road and on the tops of the hills.
10 They will not be hungry or thirsty.
The strong heat of the sun will not hurt them.
The one who loves them will be their guide.
He will lead them to drink from springs of water.
11 I will make all my mountains become roads.
I will build good roads for my people to travel on.
12 Look! People will return to the land
from places that are far away.
Yes, some of them will come from the north and from the west.
And some will come from the land of Sinim.’ [ a ]
13 Shout with joy, everything in the sky!
Be happy, everything on the earth!
Sing loudly, you mountains!
Be happy, because the Lord comforts his people.
He will be kind to his people who have trouble and pain.
14 But Zion's people said,
‘The Lord has left us alone.
The Lord God has forgotten about us.’
15 The Lord replies,
‘Can a mother forget the baby
who drinks milk at her breast?
Can she refuse to be kind to the child
that she has given birth to?
Perhaps those mothers might forget their children.
But I would not ever forget you, Zion. [ b ]
16 Look! I have written your name on my own hand.
I always see the walls of your city in my mind.
17 Your children will hurry back to you,
to build you again.
The enemies who destroyed you will go away.
18 Look all round you!
See all your people as they return together.’
The Lord says, ‘I tell you clearly, as the God who lives,
you will be happy with your people.
They will make you beautiful again,
like a bride with her beautiful jewels.
19 Enemies have destroyed your land.
Its towns have become heaps of stones.
But soon your land will be too small for all your people to live in.
The enemies who destroyed you will be far away from you.
20 The children who were born in a foreign land
will return to you.
You will hear them say,
“This place is too small for us.
Find more room for us to live in.”
21 Then you will think, “Who gave me all these children?
Who is their father?
I was alone, with no husband.
They killed my children
or they took them away to a foreign land.
I could no longer give birth.
So where did all these children come from?” ’
22 The Almighty Lord says,
‘Look! I will lift up my hand,
to call the nations.
I will raise up a flag
as a sign to those people.
Then they will bring back your sons and your daughters.
They will carry them in their arms and on their shoulders.
23 The kings of those nations will take care of your children.
The kings' daughters will feed them.
The rulers will bend down low in front of you,
so that their faces touch the ground.
They will taste the dirt by your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord .
I will not disappoint people who wait for me to help them.
24 Can anyone rob a brave soldier?
Can anyone rescue prisoners from a cruel ruler?’
25 But the Lord says,
‘Yes! One day the brave soldier's prisoners will be free.
One day the cruel ruler will lose the valuable things that he has taken for himself.
I myself will fight against your enemies.
I will rescue your children.
26 I will cause your cruel enemies to destroy themselves.
There will be so much blood that it will seem like wine.
They will seem like people who have become drunk.
Then people everywhere will recognize that I am the Lord .
They will know that I am your Saviour and your Redeemer,
and I am the Mighty One of Jacob.’
49 Hear me, people by the sea.
Listen to me, you faraway nations.
The Lord called me before I was born.
He called my name while I was still in my mother’s womb.
2 He used me to speak for him.
He used me like a sharp sword,
but he also held me in his hand to protect me.
He used me like a sharp arrow,
but he also kept me safe in his arrow bag.
3 He told me, “Israel, you are my servant.
I will do wonderful things with you.”
4 I said, “I worked hard for nothing.
I wore myself out, but I did nothing useful.
I used all my power,
but I did not really do anything.
So the Lord must decide what to do with me.
He must decide my reward.”
5 The Lord is the one who made me in my mother’s womb,
so that I could be his servant.
He wanted me to lead Jacob and Israel back to him.
The Lord gives me honor.
I get my strength from my God.
6 And now he says, “You are a very important servant to me.
You must bring back to me the tribes of Jacob.
You must bring back the people of Israel who are still alive.
But I have something else for you to do that is even more important:
I will make you a light for the other nations.
You will show people all over the world the way to be saved.”
7 The Lord , the Holy Protector of Israel, speaks to his servant.
People hate that servant.
Nations despise him.
He is now a slave to rulers.
The Lord says to him,
“Kings will see you and stand to honor you.
Great leaders will bow down to you.”
This will happen for the Lord . The Holy One of Israel is the one who chose you, and he can be trusted.
8 This is what the Lord says:
“There will be a special time when I show my kindness.
Then I will answer your prayers.
There will be a special day when I will save you.
Then I will help you and protect you.
And you will be the proof of my agreement with the people.
The country is destroyed now,
but you will give the land back to the people who own it.
9 You will tell the prisoners,
‘Come out of your prison!’
You will tell those who are in darkness,
‘Come out of the dark!’
The people will eat along the road,
and they will have food even on empty hills.
10 They will not be hungry or thirsty.
The hot sun and wind will not hurt them.
Their Comforter will lead them.
He will lead them by springs of water.
11 I will make a road for my people.
The mountains will be made flat,
and the low roads will be raised.
12 “Look! People are coming to me from faraway places.
They are coming to me from the north and from the west.
They are coming to me from Aswan in Egypt.”
13 Heavens and earth, be happy!
Mountains, shout with joy!
The Lord comforts his people.
He is good to his poor people.
14 But now Zion says, “The Lord has left me;
the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 But the Lord says,
“Can a woman forget her baby?
Can she forget the child who came from her body?
Even if she can forget her children,
I cannot forget you.
16 I drew a picture of you on my hand.
You are always before my eyes. [ a ]
17 Your children will come back to you,
and those who destroyed you will leave.
18 Look up! Look all around you!
All of your children are gathering together and coming to you.”
The Lord says, “On my life, I promise you this:
Your children will be like jewels that you tie around your neck.
Your children will be like the necklace that a bride wears.
19 “You are destroyed and defeated now.
Your land is useless.
But after a short time, you will have many people in your land.
And those who destroyed you will be far, far away.
20 You were sad for the children you lost, but they will tell you,
‘This place is too small!
Give us a bigger place to live!’
21 Then you will say to yourself,
‘Who gave me all these children?
I was sad and lonely.
My children were taken away.
They were gone.
So who gave me these children?
Look, I was the only one left.
Where did all these children come from?’”
22 This is what the Lord God says:
“Look, I will wave my hand to the nations.
I will raise my flag for everyone to see.
Then they will bring your children to you.
They will carry your children on their shoulders,
and they will hold them in their arms.
23 Kings will be their teachers.
The daughters of kings will care for them.
The kings and their daughters will bow down to you.
They will kiss the dirt at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord ,
and anyone who trusts in me will not be disappointed.”
24 If a strong soldier takes a prisoner,
can you set him free?
If a powerful soldier guards someone,
can the prisoner escape?
25 Here is the Lord ’s answer:
“The prisoners will escape.
Those captured by the strong soldier will be set free.
That’s because I will fight your battles,
and I will save your children.
26 Those people hurt you,
but I will force them to eat their own bodies.
Their own blood will be the wine that makes them drunk.
Then everyone will know that the Lord saved you.
Everyone will know that the Powerful One of Jacob saved you.”
49 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord , and my work with my God.
5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord , and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the Lord , the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the Lord , In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord , thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22 Thus saith the Lord God , Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
25 But thus saith the Lord , Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
49 Listen to Me, you ( A ) islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
( B ) The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [ a ] body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My ( C ) mouth like a sharp sword,
In the ( D ) shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened ( E ) arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “ ( F ) You are My Servant, Israel,
( G ) In whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have ( H ) labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord ,
And My ( I ) reward is with My God.”
5 And now says ( J ) the Lord , who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that ( K ) Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am ( L ) honored in the sight of the Lord ,
And My God is My ( M ) strength),
6 He says, “It is too [ b ] small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ( N ) protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a ( O ) light [ c ] of the nations
So that My salvation may [ d ] reach to the ( P ) end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord , the ( Q ) Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [ e ] ( R ) despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
“ ( S ) Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also ( T ) bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At a ( U ) favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will ( V ) watch over You and ( W ) make You a covenant of the people,
To [ f ] ( X ) restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are ( Y ) bound, ‘ [ g ] Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all ( Z ) bare heights.
10 They will ( AA ) not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching ( AB ) heat or sun strike them down;
For ( AC ) He who has compassion on them will ( AD ) lead them,
And He will guide them to ( AE ) springs of water.
11 I will make all ( AF ) My mountains a road,
And My ( AG ) highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come ( AH ) from afar;
And behold, these will come from the ( AI ) north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 ( AJ ) Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the ( AK ) Lord has comforted His people
And will ( AL ) have compassion on His afflicted.
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but ( AM ) I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have ( AN ) inscribed you on the palms of My hands ;
Your ( AO ) walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [ h ] builders hurry;
Your ( AP ) destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 ( AQ ) Raise your eyes and look around;
( AR ) All of them gather together, ( AS ) they come to you.
( AT ) As I live,” declares the Lord ,
“You will certainly ( AU ) put them all on as [ i ] jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For ( AV ) your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be ( AW ) too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who ( AX ) swallowed you will be far away.
20 The ( AY ) children [ j ] you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here .’
21 Then you will ( AZ ) say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And ( BA ) cannot conceive, and I am an ( BB ) exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was ( BC ) left alone;
[ k ] ( BD ) Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [ l ] God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My ( BE ) flag to the peoples;
And they will ( BF ) bring your sons [ m ] in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 ( BG ) Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will ( BH ) bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And ( BI ) lick the dust from your feet;
And you will ( BJ ) know that I am the Lord ;
Those who hopefully ( BK ) wait for Me will ( BL ) not be put to shame.
25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
“Even the ( BN ) captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will ( BO ) save your sons.
26 I will feed your ( BP ) oppressors with their ( BQ ) own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [ o ] ( BR ) humanity will know that I, the Lord , am your ( BS ) Savior
And your ( BT ) Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
49 Listen ( A ) to me, you islands; ( B )
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born ( C ) the Lord called ( D ) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. ( E )
2 He made my mouth ( F ) like a sharpened sword, ( G )
in the shadow of his hand ( H ) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow ( I )
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, ( J )
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. ( K ) ”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; ( L )
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord ’s hand, ( M )
and my reward ( N ) is with my God.” ( O )
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb ( P ) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel ( Q ) to himself,
for I am [ a ] honored ( R ) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength ( S ) —
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant ( T )
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept. ( U )
I will also make you a light ( V ) for the Gentiles, ( W )
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” ( X )
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel ( Y ) —
to him who was despised ( Z ) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings ( AA ) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down, ( AB )
because of the Lord , who is faithful, ( AC )
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen ( AD ) you.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor ( AE ) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you; ( AF )
I will keep ( AG ) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people, ( AH )
to restore the land ( AI )
and to reassign its desolate inheritances, ( AJ )
9 to say to the captives, ( AK ) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ( AL ) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill. ( AM )
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, ( AN )
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. ( AO )
He who has compassion ( AP ) on them will guide ( AQ ) them
and lead them beside springs ( AR ) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways ( AS ) will be raised up. ( AT )
12 See, they will come from afar ( AU ) —
some from the north, some from the west, ( AV )
some from the region of Aswan. [ b ] ”
13 Shout for joy, ( AW ) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth; ( AX )
burst into song, you mountains! ( AY )
For the Lord comforts ( AZ ) his people
and will have compassion ( BA ) on his afflicted ones. ( BB )
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child ( BE ) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you! ( BF )
16 See, I have engraved ( BG ) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls ( BH ) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste ( BI ) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather ( BJ ) and come to you.
As surely as I live, ( BK ) ” declares the Lord ,
“you will wear ( BL ) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate ( BM )
and your land laid waste, ( BN )
now you will be too small for your people, ( BO )
and those who devoured ( BP ) you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;
give us more space to live in.’ ( BQ )
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these? ( BR )
I was bereaved ( BS ) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected. ( BT )
Who brought these ( BU ) up?
I was left ( BV ) all alone, ( BW )
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord ( BX ) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner ( BY ) to the peoples;
they will bring ( BZ ) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips. ( CA )
23 Kings ( CB ) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers. ( CC )
They will bow down ( CD ) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust ( CE ) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord ; ( CF )
those who hope ( CG ) in me will not be disappointed. ( CH ) ”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives ( CJ ) will be taken from warriors, ( CK )
and plunder retrieved from the fierce; ( CL )
I will contend with those who contend with you, ( CM )
and your children I will save. ( CN )
26 I will make your oppressors ( CO ) eat ( CP ) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood, ( CQ ) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know ( CR )
that I, the Lord , am your Savior, ( CS )
your Redeemer, ( CT ) the Mighty One of Jacob. ( CU ) ”
