Isaiah 49

God Calls His Special Servant

1 All of you people in faraway places, listen to me. Listen, all you nations far away.
Before I was born, the Lord called me to serve him. The Lord named me while I was still in my mother’s womb.

2 He made my tongue like a sharp sword. He hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me like a sharp arrow. He hid me in the holder for his arrows.

3 He told me, “Israel, you are my servant. I will show my glory through you.”

4 But I said, “I have worked hard for nothing; I have used all my power, but I did nothing useful.
But the Lord will decide what my work is worth; God will decide my reward.”

5 The Lord made me in the body of my mother to be his servant,
to lead the people of Jacob back to him so that Israel might be gathered to him.
The Lord will honor me, and I will get my strength from my God.

6 Now he told me,
“You are an important servant to me to bring back the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the people of Israel who are left alive.
But, more importantly, I will make you a light for all nations to show people all over the world the way to be saved.”

7 The Lord who saves you is the Holy One of Israel.
He speaks to the one who is hated by the people, to the servant of rulers.
This is what he says: “Kings will see you and stand to honor you; great leaders will bow down before you,
because the Lord can be trusted. He is the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

The Day of Salvation

8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the right time I will hear your prayers. On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you, and you will be the sign of my agreement with the people.
You will bring back the people to the land and give the land that is now ruined back to its owners.

9 You will tell the prisoners, ‘Come out of your prison.’ You will tell those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
The people will eat beside the roads, and they will find food even on bare hills.

10 They will not be hungry or thirsty. Neither the hot sun nor the desert wind will hurt them.
The God who comforts them will lead them and guide them by springs of water.

11 I will make my mountains into roads, and the roads will be raised up.

12 Look, people are coming to me from far away, from the north and from the west, from Aswan in southern Egypt.”

13 Heavens and earth, be happy. Mountains, shout with joy,
because the Lord comforts his people and will have pity on those who suffer.

Jerusalem and Her Children

14 But Jerusalem said, “The Lord has left me; the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 The Lord answers, “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth?
Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you.

16 See, I have written your name on my hand. Jerusalem, I always think about your walls.

17 Your children will soon return to you, and the people who defeated you and destroyed you will leave.

18 Look up and look around you. All your children are gathering to return to you.”
The Lord says, “As surely as I live, your children will be like jewels that a bride wears proudly.

19 “You were destroyed and defeated, and your land was made useless.
But now you will have more people than the land can hold, and those people who destroyed you will be far away.

20 Children were born to you while you were sad, but they will say to you,
‘This place is too small for us. 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, defeated and separated from my people. So who reared these children?
I was left all alone. Where did all these children come from?’ ”

22 This is what the Lord God says:
“See, I will lift my hand to signal the nations; I will raise my banner for all the people to see.
Then they will bring your sons back to you in their arms, and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23 Kings will teach your children, and daughters of kings will take care of them.
They will bow down before you and kiss the dirt at your feet.
Then you will know I am the Lord. Anyone who trusts in me will not be disappointed.”

24 Can the wealth a soldier wins in war be taken away from him? Can a prisoner be freed from a powerful soldier?

25 This is what the Lord says:
“The prisoners will be taken from the strong soldiers. What the soldiers have taken will be saved.
I will fight your enemies, and I will save your children.

26 I will force those who trouble you to eat their own flesh. Their own blood will be the wine that makes them drunk.
Then everyone will know I, the Lord, am the One who saves you; I am the Powerful One of Jacob who saves you.”

Isaiah 49

Ideal Israel Delivers the Exiles

1 Listen to me, you coastlands!ts
Pay attention, you people who live far away!
The Lord summoned me from birth;t
he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world.t

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpenedt arrow,
he hid me in his quiver.s

3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.”s

4 But I thought,t “I have worked in vain;
I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.”t
But the Lord will vindicate me;
my God will reward me.t

5 So now the Lord says,
the one who formed me from birtht to be his servant –
he did thist to restore Jacob to himself,
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honoredt in the Lord’s sight,
for my God is my source of strengtht –

6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,
to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the remnantt of Israel?s
I will make you a light to the nations,t
so you can bringt my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

7 This is what the Lord,
the protectort of Israel, their Holy One,s says
to the one who is despiseds and rejectedt by nations,t
a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and rise in respect,t
princes will bow down,
because of the faithful Lord,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;
in the day of deliverance I will help you;
I will protect yout and make you a covenant mediator for people,t
to rebuildt the landt
and to reassign the desolate property.

9 You will sayt to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
and to those who are in dark dungeons,t ‘Emerge.’t
They will graze beside the roads;
on all the slopes they will find pasture.

10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;
the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them,t
for one who has compassion on them will guide them;
he will lead them to springs of water.

11 I will make all my mountains into a road;
I will construct my roadways.”

12 Look, they come from far away!
Look, some come from the north and west,
and others from the land of Sinim!ss

13 Shout for joy, O sky!t
Rejoice, O earth!
Let the mountains give a joyful shout!
For the Lord consoles his people
and shows compassion to thet oppressed.

The Lord Remembers Zion

14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the sovereign mastert has forgotten me.’

15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast?t
Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne?t
Even if motherst were to forget,
I could never forget you!s

16 Look, I have inscribed your namet on my palms;
your walls are constantly before me.

17 Your children hurry back,
while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.

18 Look all around you!t
All of them gather to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;
you will put them on as if you were a bride.

19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;
it is desolate and devastated.t
But now you will be too small to hold your residents,
and those who devoured you will be far away.

20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement
will say within your hearing,
‘This place is too cramped for us,t
make room for us so we can live here.’t

21 Then you will think to yourself,t
‘Who bore these children for me?
I was bereaved and barren,
dismissed and divorced.t
Who raised these children?
Look, I was left all alone;
where did these children come from?’”

22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23 Kings will be your children’st guardians;
their princesses will nurse your children.t
With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you
and they will lick the dirt ont your feet.
Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;
those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,
or captives be rescued from a conqueror?s

25 Indeed,” says the Lord,
“captives will be taken from a warrior;
spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.
I will oppose your adversary
and I will rescue your children.

26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine.s
Then all humankindt will recognize that
I am the Lord, your deliverer,
your protector,t the powerful ruler of Jacob.”t