Isaiah 43

The Lord Will Rescue His People

1 Now, this is what the Lord says,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
and formed you, O Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, for I will protectt you.
I call you by name, you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you passt through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harmt you.

3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,s your deliverer.
I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,
Ethiopia and Sebas in place of you.

4 Since you are precious and special in my sight,t
and I love you,
I will hand over people in place of you,
nations in place of your life.

5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
From the east I will bring your descendants;
from the west I will gather you.

6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’
and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’
Bring my sons from distant lands,
and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,

7 everyone who belongs to me,t
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed – yes, whom I made!

The Lord Declares His Sovereignty

8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
those who are deaf, even though they have ears!

9 All nations gather together,
the peoples assemble.
Who among them announced this?
Who predicted earlier events for us?t
Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;
let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may considert and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me.t

11 I, I am the Lord,
and there is no deliverer besides me.

12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,
and there was no other god among you.
You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.

13 From this day forward I am he;
no one can deliver from my power;t
I will act, and who can prevent it?”

The Lord Will Do Something New

14 This is what the Lord says,
your protector,t the Holy One of Israel:s
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives,t
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.t

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,s
the one who created Israel, your king.”

16 This is what the Lord says,
the one who made a road through the sea,
a pathway through the surging waters,

17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction,t
together with a mighty army.
They fell down,t never to rise again;
they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:

18 “Don’t remember these earlier events;t
don’t recall these former events.

19 “Look, I am about to do something new.
Now it begins to happen!t Do you not recognizet it?
Yes, I will make a road in the desert
and pathst in the wilderness.

20 The wild animals of the desert honor me,
the jackals and ostriches,
because I put water in the desert
and streams in the wilderness,
to quench the thirst of my chosen people,

21 the people whom I formed for myself,
so they might praise me.”t

The Lord Rebukes His People

22 “But you did not call for me, O Jacob;
you did not longt for me, O Israel.

23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you with offerings;
I did not make you weary by demandingt incense.

24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds;t
you did not present to met the fat of your sacrifices.
Yet you burdened me with your sins;
you made me weary with your evil deeds.s

25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;
your sins I do not remember.

26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate!
You, prove to me that you are right!t

27 The father of your nationt sinned;
your spokesment rebelled against me.

28 So I defiled your holy princes,
and handed Jacob over to destruction,
and subjectedt Israel to humiliating abuse.”

ISAIAH 43

The [Lord] Has Rescued //His People

1 Descendants of Jacob,
I, the [Lord], created you
and formed your nation.
Israel, don't be afraid.
I have rescued you.
I have called you by name;
now you belong to me.

2 When you cross deep rivers,
I will be with you,
and you won't drown.
When you walk through fire,
you won't be burned
or scorched by the flames.

3 I am the [Lord], your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
the God who saves you.
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia, t
and the region of Sebat
in exchange for you.

4 To me, you are very dear,
and I love you.
That's why I gave up nations
and people to rescue you.

5 Don't be afraid! I am with you.
From both east and west
I will bring you together.

6 I will say to the north
and to the south,
“Free my sons and daughters!
Let them return
from distant lands.

7 They are my people—
I created each of them
to bring honor to me.”

The [Lord] Alone Is God

The [Lord] said:

8 Bring my people together.
They have eyes and ears,
but they can't see or hear.

9 Tell everyone of every nation
to gather around.
None of them can honestly say,
“We told you so!”
If someone heard them say this,
then tell us about it now.

10 My people, you are my witnesses
and my chosen servant.
I want you to know me,
to trust me, and understand
that I alone am God.
I have always been God;
there can be no others.

11 I alone am the [Lord];
only I can rescue you.

12 I promised to save you,
and I kept my promise.
You are my witnesses
that no other god did this.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

13 I am God now and forever.
No one can snatch you from me
or stand in my way.

The [Lord] //Will Prepare the Way

14 I, the [Lord], will rescue you!
I am Israel's holy God,
and this is my promise:
For your sake, I will send
an army against Babylon
to drag its people away,
crying as they go.t

15 I am the [Lord], your holy God,
Israel's Creator and King.

16 I am the one who cut a path
through the mighty ocean.

17 I sent an army to chase you
with chariots and horses;
now they lie dead,
unable to move.
They are like an oil lamp
with the flame snuffed out.

Forget the Past

The [Lord] said:

18 Forget what happened long ago!
Don't think about the past.

19 I am creating something new.
There it is! Do you see it?
I have put roads in deserts,
streamst in thirsty lands.

20 Every wild animal honors me,
even jackalst and owls.
I provide water in deserts—
streams in thirsty lands
for my chosen people.

21 I made them my own nation,
so they would praise me.

22 I, the [Lord], said to Israel:
You have become weary of me,
but not from worshiping me.

23 You have not honored me
by sacrificing sheep
or other animals.
And I have not burdened you
with demands for sacrifices
or sweet-smelling incense.

24 You have not brought
delicious spices for me
or given me the best part
of your sacrificed animals.
Instead, you burden me down
with your terrible sins.

25 But I wipe away your sins
because of who I am.
And so, I will forget
the wrongs you have done.

26 Meet me in court!
State your case and prove
that you are right.

27 Your earliest ancestort
and all your leaderst
rebelled against me.

28 That's why I don't allow
your priests to serve me;
I let Israel be destroyed
and your people disgraced.