51 ‘Listen to me,
you people who want to do what is right.
You people who want to serve the Lord ,
listen to me!
Think about the rock that you are a part of. [ a ]
Think about the ground that they dug you out from.
2 You all started from your ancestor Abraham,
and his wife Sarah.
When I first spoke to Abraham,
he had no children.
But I blessed him,
so that he had many descendants.’
3 Surely, the Lord will comfort Zion's people.
He will take care of the buildings
that enemies have destroyed.
Zion's land that is now a wilderness
will become like the beautiful Garden of Eden.
It will be the Lord 's own garden!
People will be happy again in Zion.
They will sing with joy to thank God.
4 ‘Listen to me, my people.
Listen carefully, my nation.
I will tell all people about my laws.
I will cause my justice to be like a light to all nations.
5 I am ready to do what is right for them.
I am ready to save them.
I will judge all the nations fairly.
Lands that are far away will wait for me to help them.
They wait for me to come and rule them all with power.
6 Look up at the sky!
Look down at the earth below!
One day, the sky will disappear
like smoke that blows away.
The earth will become useless,
like old clothes.
The people who live on it will die.
They will fall like flies.
But I will keep my people safe for ever.
I will always rule with righteousness.
7 Listen to me,
you people who know what is right.
You people who think carefully about my law,
listen to me.
When people speak against you,
do not be afraid.
Do not be upset,
when they insult you.
8 Those people will soon disappear,
like clothes that moths have eaten,
like wool that worms have eaten.
But I will always rule with righteousness.
I will keep my people safe for ever.’
9 Wake up, Lord !
Get ready to show your strength!
Do great things, as you did in past days,
when our ancestors were alive.
Remember how you cut the monster, Rahab, into pieces. [ b ]
10 You made the sea become dry,
so that there was a path through the deep water.
The slaves that you rescued
could then cross over. [ c ]
11 The people that the Lord has rescued
will return from exile.
They will sing with joy
while they go into Zion city.
Their joy will be like a crown
that they wear on their heads for ever.
They will continue to be very happy.
They will never be sad or weep again.
12 ‘I am the Lord who comforts you.
You do not need to be afraid of people who are only human.
Remember that they will all die one day,
like grass that only lives for a short time.
13 Do not forget about the Lord who made you!
I hung up the sky like a curtain.
I made the foundation of the earth.
So why are you always shaking with fear?
Do not be afraid when your enemy is angry,
and he is ready to attack you.
Your enemy's anger is useless!
14 The people who have trouble and pain
will soon become free.
They will not stay in the prison of death.
They will have all the food that they need.
15 Remember that I am the Lord your God.
I shake the sea so that its waves roar!
My name is the Lord Almighty.
16 I have given you my message
to speak on my behalf.
I have kept you safe in my hand.
I hung up the sky like a curtain,
and I made the foundation of the earth.
I say to Zion, “You are my people.” ’
17 Wake up, people in Jerusalem! Get ready!
The Lord has been angry with you,
and he has punished you.
You had to receive all of his anger,
like you were drinking strong wine from a cup.
Now that you have drunk it all,
you cannot stand up straight!
18 Among all of Jerusalem's people,
there was nobody left to be your leader.
There was nobody who could take care of you.
19 War and famine have destroyed you.
Both those terrible things have happened to you.
Who feels sorry for you?
Who is there to comfort you?
20 Your children have become weak,
and they lie on the ground at the side of every street.
They are like deer that a trap has caught.
The anger of the Lord your God has made them helpless.
He has warned them loudly.
21 So listen to this, you people who are in trouble.
You walk like drunk people,
but wine has not done that to you.
22 The Lord God who is your Lord stands beside his people. He says,
‘Look! Now I have taken the cup of my punishment out of your hand.
You will no longer have to drink the strong wine of my anger
that makes you drunk.
23 Instead, I will give it to your cruel enemies
to punish them.
They said to you, “Lie down on the ground,
so that we can walk over you.”
You made your backs become like the ground.
You became like a street for your enemies to walk on.’
51 “Some of you people try hard to live good lives. You go to the Lord for help. Listen to me. You should look at Abraham your father. He is the rock you were cut from. 2 Abraham is your father, so look at him. Look at Sarah, who gave birth to you. Abraham was alone when I called him. Then I blessed him, and he began a great family with many descendants.”
3 In the same way, the Lord will bless Zion. He will feel sorry for her and her people, and he will do something great for her. He will turn the desert into a garden. It will be like the Garden of Eden. The land was empty, but it will become like the Lord ’s garden. People there will be very happy. They will sing victory songs to thank God for what he did.
4 “My people, listen to me!
My decisions will be like lights showing people how to live.
5 I will soon save you and show that I am fair.
I will use my power and judge all nations.
All the faraway places are waiting for me.
They wait for my power to help them.
6 Look up to the heavens!
Look around you at the earth below!
The skies will disappear like clouds of smoke.
The earth will become like worthless old clothes.
The people on earth will die,
but my salvation will continue forever.
My goodness will never end.
7 You people who understand goodness should listen to me.
You people who follow my teachings should hear the things I say.
Don’t be afraid of evil people.
Don’t let their insults upset you.
8 They will be like old clothes eaten by moths.
They will be like wool eaten by worms.
But my goodness will last forever.
My salvation will continue forever and ever.”
9 Wake up! Wake up!
Arm of the Lord , clothe yourself with strength.
Show your power the way you did long ago,
as you have from ancient times.
You are the one who destroyed Rahab.
You defeated the Dragon. [ a ]
10 You dried up the water that was in the deep sea.
You made a road through the deepest parts of the sea.
Your people crossed over and were saved.
11 The Lord will save his people.
They will return to Zion with joy.
They will be very happy.
Their happiness will be like a crown on their heads forever.
They will be singing with joy.
All sadness will be gone far away.
12 The Lord says, “I am the one who comforts you.
So why should you be afraid of people?
They are only humans who live and die like the grass.
13 “I, the Lord , am the one who made you.
With my power I made the earth
and spread the sky over the earth.
But you have forgotten me,
so you are always afraid that angry men will hurt you.
Those men planned to destroy you,
but where are they now?
14 “People in prison will soon be made free.
They will not die and rot in prison.
They will have plenty of food.
15 “I am the Lord your God,
the one who stirs up the sea and makes the waves roar.”
The Lord All-Powerful is his name.
16 “My servant, I gave you the words I want you to say, and I covered you with my hands to protect you. I did this to make a new heaven and earth and so that you would say to Israel, ‘You are my people.’”
17 Wake up! Wake up!
Jerusalem, get up!
The Lord was very angry with you.
So you were punished.
It was like a cup of poison you had to drink,
and you drank it all.
18 Jerusalem had many people, but none of them became leaders for her. None of the children she raised became guides to lead her. 19 Troubles came to you, Jerusalem, in pairs: Your land was destroyed and lies in ruins, and your people suffered from famine and war.
But no one felt sorry for you or showed you mercy. 20 Your people became weak. They fell on the ground and lay there. They were lying on every street corner, like animals caught in a net. They were punished by the Lord ’s anger until they could not accept any more punishment. When God said he would give them more punishment, they became very weak.
21 Listen to me, poor Jerusalem. You are weak like a drunk, but you are not drunk from wine. You are weak from that “cup of poison.”
22 Your God is the one who fights for his people. He is your Lord God , and he says to you, “Look, I am taking this ‘cup of poison’ away from you. It is full of my anger, and I am taking it out of your hand. You will not be punished by my anger again. 23 I will now use my anger to punish the people who hurt you. They tried to kill you. They told you, ‘Bow down before us, and we will walk on you.’ They forced you to bow down before them, and then they walked on your back like dirt. You were like a road for them to walk on.”
51 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord : look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord ; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord ; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
15 But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.
18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.
19 These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord , the rebuke of thy God.
21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:
22 Thus saith thy Lord the Lord , and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
51 “ ( A ) Listen to Me, you who ( B ) pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord :
Look to the ( C ) rock from which you were cut,
And to the [ a ] quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to ( D ) Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he ( E ) was only one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, ( F ) the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her ( G ) ruins.
And He will make her ( H ) wilderness like ( I ) Eden,
And her desert like the ( J ) garden of the Lord .
( K ) Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the sound of a melody.
4 “ ( L ) Pay attention to Me, My people,
And listen to Me, My [ b ] nation;
For a ( M ) law will go out from Me,
And I will bring My ( N ) justice as a ( O ) light of the peoples.
5 My ( P ) righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My ( Q ) arms will judge the peoples;
The ( R ) coastlands will wait for Me,
And they will wait expectantly for My ( S ) arm.
6 ( T ) Raise your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the ( U ) sky will vanish like smoke,
And the ( V ) earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die [ c ] in the same way.
But My ( W ) salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not fail.
7 ( X ) Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose ( Y ) heart is My Law;
Do not fear the ( Z ) taunting of [ d ] people,
Nor be terrified of their abuses.
8 For the ( AA ) moth will eat them like a garment;
Yes, the ( AB ) moth will eat them like wool.
But My ( AC ) righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 ( AD ) Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord ;
Awake as in the ( AE ) days of old, the generations of long ago.
( AF ) Was it not You who cut [ e ] Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the ( AG ) dragon?
10 Was it not You who ( AH ) dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the ( AI ) redeemed to cross over?
11 And the ( AJ ) redeemed of the Lord will return
And come to Zion with joyful shouting,
And ( AK ) everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And ( AL ) sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, I Myself, am He who ( AM ) comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of [ f ] ( AN ) mortal man,
And of a son of man who is made like ( AO ) grass,
13 That you have ( AP ) forgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who ( AQ ) stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you ( AR ) fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,
As he makes ready to destroy?
And where is the rage of the ( AS ) oppressor?
14 The [ g ] ( AT ) exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the [ h ] dungeon, ( AU ) nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God, who ( AV ) stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). 16 And I have ( AW ) put My words in your mouth and have ( AX ) covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [ i ] ( AY ) establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 ( AZ ) Pull yourself up! Pull yourself up! Arise, Jerusalem!
You who have ( BA ) drunk from the Lord ’ s hand the cup of His anger;
The [ j ] chalice of staggering you have drunk to the dregs.
18 There is ( BB ) no one to guide her among all the sons to whom she has given birth,
Nor is there anyone to take her by the hand among all the sons she has raised.
19 These two things have happened to you;
Who will mourn for you?
The ( BC ) devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They ( BD ) lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an ( BE ) antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord ,
The ( BF ) rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, listen to this, you ( BG ) afflicted,
Who are ( BH ) drunk, but not with wine:
22 This is what your Lord, the Lord , your God
Who ( BI ) contends for His people says:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand the ( BJ ) cup of staggering,
The [ k ] chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will ( BK ) put it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to [ l ] you, ‘ ( BL ) Lie down so that we may walk over you .’
You have also made your back like the ground,
And like the street for those who walk over it .”
51 “Listen ( A ) to me, you who pursue righteousness ( B )
and who seek ( C ) the Lord :
Look to the rock ( D ) from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham, ( E ) your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
and I blessed him and made him many. ( F )
3 The Lord will surely comfort ( G ) Zion ( H )
and will look with compassion on all her ruins; ( I )
he will make her deserts like Eden, ( J )
her wastelands ( K ) like the garden of the Lord .
Joy and gladness ( L ) will be found in her,
thanksgiving ( M ) and the sound of singing.
4 “Listen to me, my people; ( N )
hear me, ( O ) my nation:
Instruction ( P ) will go out from me;
my justice ( Q ) will become a light to the nations. ( R )
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation ( S ) is on the way, ( T )
and my arm ( U ) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands ( V ) will look to me
and wait in hope ( W ) for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke, ( X )
the earth will wear out like a garment ( Y )
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation ( Z ) will last forever, ( AA )
my righteousness will never fail. ( AB )
7 “Hear me, you who know what is right, ( AC )
you people who have taken my instruction to heart: ( AD )
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
or be terrified by their insults. ( AE )
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment; ( AF )
the worm ( AG ) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever, ( AH )
my salvation through all generations.”
9 Awake, awake, ( AI ) arm ( AJ ) of the Lord ,
clothe yourself with strength! ( AK )
Awake, as in days gone by,
as in generations of old. ( AL )
Was it not you who cut Rahab ( AM ) to pieces,
who pierced that monster ( AN ) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, ( AO )
the waters of the great deep, ( AP )
who made a road in the depths of the sea ( AQ )
so that the redeemed ( AR ) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued ( AS ) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing; ( AT )
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy ( AU ) will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away. ( AV )
12 “I, even I, am he who comforts ( AW ) you.
Who are you that you fear ( AX ) mere mortals, ( AY )
human beings who are but grass, ( AZ )
13 that you forget ( BA ) the Lord your Maker, ( BB )
who stretches out the heavens ( BC )
and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror ( BD ) every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor? ( BE )
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; ( BF )
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread. ( BG )
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea ( BH ) so that its waves roar ( BI ) —
the Lord Almighty ( BJ ) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth ( BK )
and covered you with the shadow of my hand ( BL ) —
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth, ( BM )
and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people. ( BN ) ’”
17 Awake, awake! ( BO )
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup ( BP ) of his wrath, ( BQ )
you who have drained to its dregs ( BR )
the goblet that makes people stagger. ( BS )
18 Among all the children ( BT ) she bore
there was none to guide her; ( BU )
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand. ( BV )
19 These double calamities ( BW ) have come upon you—
who can comfort you? ( BX ) —
ruin and destruction, ( BY ) famine ( BZ ) and sword ( CA ) —
who can [ a ] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner, ( CB )
like antelope caught in a net. ( CC )
They are filled with the wrath ( CD ) of the Lord ,
with the rebuke ( CE ) of your God.
21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted ( CF ) one,
made drunk, ( CG ) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends ( CH ) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup ( CI ) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, ( CJ )
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate ( CK ) that we may walk ( CL ) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.” ( CM )
