Isaiah:40-48.
Seeker Overlay ON
* "
Comfort ,
yes ,
comfort My people !"
Says your God .
* "
Speak comfort to Jerusalem ,
and cry out to her ,
That her warfare is ended ,
That her iniquity is pardoned ;
For she has received from the LORD '
s hand Double for all her sins ."
*
The voice of one crying in the wilderness : "
Prepare the way of the LORD ;
Make straight in the desert A highway for our God .
*
Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low ;
The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth ;
*
The glory of the LORD shall be revealed ,
And all flesh shall see it together ;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken ."
*
The voice said , "
Cry out !"
And he said , "
What shall I cry ?" "
All flesh is grass ,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field .
*
The grass withers ,
the flower fades ,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it ;
Surely the people are grass .
*
The grass withers ,
the flower fades ,
But the word of our God stands forever ."
*
O Zion ,
You who bring good tidings ,
Get up into the high mountain ;
O Jerusalem ,
You who bring good tidings ,
Lift up your voice with strength ,
Lift it up ,
be not afraid ;
Say to the cities of Judah , "
Behold your God !"
*
Behold ,
the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand ,
And His arm shall rule for Him ;
Behold ,
His reward is with Him ,
And His work before Him .
*
He will feed His flock like a shepherd ;
He will gather the lambs with His arm ,
And carry them in His bosom ,
And gently lead those who are with young .
*
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand ,
Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure ?
Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance ?
*
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD ,
Or as His counselor has taught Him ?
*
With whom did He take counsel ,
and who instructed Him ,
And taught Him in the path of justice ?
Who taught Him knowledge ,
And showed Him the way of understanding ?
*
Behold ,
the nations are as a drop in a bucket ,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales ;
Look ,
He lifts up the isles as a very little thing .
*
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn ,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering .
*
All nations before Him are as nothing ,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless .
*
To whom then will you liken God ?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him ?
*
The workman molds an image ,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold ,
And the silversmith casts silver chains .
*
Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot ;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter .
*
Have you not known ?
Have you not heard ?
Has it not been told you from the beginning ?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth ?
*
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth ,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers ,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain ,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in .
*
He brings the princes to nothing ;
He makes the judges of the earth useless .
*
Scarcely shall they be planted ,
Scarcely shall they be sown ,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth ,
When He will also blow on them ,
And they will wither ,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble .
* "
To whom then will you liken Me ,
Or to whom shall I be equal ?"
says the Holy One .
*
Lift up your eyes on high ,
And see who has created these things ,
Who brings out their host by number ;
He calls them all by name ,
By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power ;
Not one is missing .
*
Why do you say ,
O Jacob ,
And speak ,
O Israel : "
My way is hidden from the LORD ,
And my just claim is passed over by my God "?
*
Have you not known ?
Have you not heard ?
The everlasting God ,
the LORD ,
The Creator of the ends of the earth ,
Neither faints nor is weary .
His understanding is unsearchable .
*
He gives power to the weak ,
And to those who have no might He increases strength .
*
Even the youths shall faint and be weary ,
And the young men shall utterly fall ,
*
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength ;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles ,
They shall run and not be weary ,
They shall walk and not faint .
* "
Keep silence before Me ,
O coastlands ,
And let the people renew their strength !
Let them come near ,
then let them speak ;
Let us come near together for judgment .
* "
Who raised up one from the east ?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet ?
Who gave the nations before him ,
And made him rule over kings ?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword ,
As driven stubble to his bow ?
*
Who pursued them ,
and passed safely By the way that he had not gone with his feet ?
*
Who has performed and done it ,
Calling the generations from the beginning ? "
I ,
the LORD ,
am the first ;
And with the last I am He ."'
*
The coastlands saw it and feared ,
The ends of the earth were afraid ;
They drew near and came .
*
Everyone helped his neighbor ,
And said to his brother , "
Be of good courage !"
*
So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith ;
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil ,
Saying , "
It is ready for the soldering ";
Then he fastened it with pegs ,
That it might not totter .
* "
But you ,
Israel ,
are My servant ,
Jacob whom I have chosen ,
The descendants of Abraham My friend .
*
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth ,
And called from its farthest regions ,
And said to you , "
You are My servant ,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away :
*
Fear not ,
for I am with you ;
Be not dismayed ,
for I am your God .
I will strengthen you ,
Yes ,
I will help you ,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand .'
* "
Behold ,
all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced ;
They shall be as nothing ,
And those who strive with you shall perish .
*
You shall seek them and not find them --
Those who contended with you .
Those who war against you Shall be as nothing ,
As a nonexistent thing .
*
For I ,
the LORD your God ,
will hold your right hand ,
Saying to you , "
Fear not ,
I will help you .'
* "
Fear not ,
you worm Jacob ,
You men of Israel !
I will help you ,"
says the LORD And your Redeemer ,
the Holy One of Israel .
* "
Behold ,
I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth ;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small ,
And make the hills like chaff .
*
You shall winnow them ,
the wind shall carry them away ,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them ;
You shall rejoice in the LORD ,
And glory in the Holy One of Israel .
* "
The poor and needy seek water ,
but there is none ,
Their tongues fail for thirst .
I ,
the LORD ,
will hear them ;
I ,
the God of Israel ,
will not forsake them .
*
I will open rivers in desolate heights ,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys ;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water ,
And the dry land springs of water .
*
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree ,
The myrtle and the oil tree ;
I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together ,
*
That they may see and know ,
And consider and understand together ,
That the hand of the LORD has done this ,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it .
* "
Present your case ,"
says the LORD . "
Bring forth your strong reasons ,"
says the King of Jacob .
* "
Let them bring forth and show us what will happen ;
Let them show the former things ,
what they were ,
That we may consider them ,
And know the latter end of them ;
Or declare to us things to come .
*
Show the things that are to come hereafter ,
That we may know that you are gods ;
Yes ,
do good or do evil ,
That we may be dismayed and see it together .
*
Indeed you are nothing ,
And your work is nothing ;
He who chooses you is an abomination .
* "
I have raised up one from the north ,
And he shall come ;
From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name ;
And he shall come against princes as though mortar ,
As the potter treads clay .
*
Who has declared from the beginning ,
that we may know ?
And former times ,
that we may say , "
He is righteous '?
Surely there is no one who shows ,
Surely there is no one who declares ,
Surely there is no one who hears your words .
*
The first time I said to Zion , "
Look ,
there they are !'
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings .
*
For I looked ,
and there was no man ;
I looked among them ,
but there was no counselor ,
Who ,
when I asked of them ,
could answer a word .
*
Indeed they are all worthless ;
Their works are nothing ;
Their molded images are wind and confusion .
* "
Behold !
My Servant whom I uphold ,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights !
I have put My Spirit upon Him ;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles .
*
He will not cry out ,
nor raise His voice ,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street .
*
A bruised reed He will not break ,
And smoking flax He will not quench ;
He will bring forth justice for truth .
*
He will not fail nor be discouraged ,
Till He has established justice in the earth ;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law ."
*
Thus says God the LORD ,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out ,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it ,
Who gives breath to the people on it ,
And spirit to those who walk on it :
* "
I ,
the LORD ,
have called You in righteousness ,
And will hold Your hand ;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people ,
As a light to the Gentiles ,
*
To open blind eyes ,
To bring out prisoners from the prison ,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house .
*
I am the LORD ,
that is My name ;
And My glory I will not give to another ,
Nor My praise to carved images .
*
Behold ,
the former things have come to pass ,
And new things I declare ;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them ."
*
Sing to the LORD a new song ,
And His praise from the ends of the earth ,
You who go down to the sea ,
and all that is in it ,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them !
*
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice ,
The villages that Kedar inhabits .
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing ,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains .
*
Let them give glory to the LORD ,
And declare His praise in the coastlands .
*
The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man ;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war .
He shall cry out ,
yes ,
shout aloud ;
He shall prevail against His enemies .
* "
I have held My peace a long time ,
I have been still and restrained Myself .
Now I will cry like a woman in labor ,
I will pant and gasp at once .
*
I will lay waste the mountains and hills ,
And dry up all their vegetation ;
I will make the rivers coastlands ,
And I will dry up the pools .
*
I will bring the blind by a way they did not know ;
I will lead them in paths they have not known .
I will make darkness light before them ,
And crooked places straight .
These things I will do for them ,
And not forsake them .
*
They shall be turned back ,
They shall be greatly ashamed ,
Who trust in carved images ,
Who say to the molded images , "
You are our gods .'
* "
Hear ,
you deaf ;
And look ,
you blind ,
that you may see .
*
Who is blind but My servant ,
Or deaf as My messenger whom I send ?
Who is blind as he who is perfect ,
And blind as the LORD '
s servant ?
*
Seeing many things ,
but you do not observe ;
Opening the ears ,
but he does not hear ."
*
The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness '
sake ;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable .
*
But this is a people robbed and plundered ;
All of them are snared in holes ,
And they are hidden in prison houses ;
They are for prey ,
and no one delivers ;
For plunder ,
and no one says , "
Restore !"
*
Who among you will give ear to this ?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come ?
*
Who gave Jacob for plunder ,
and Israel to the robbers ?
Was it not the LORD ,
He against whom we have sinned ?
For they would not walk in His ways ,
Nor were they obedient to His law .
*
Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle ;
It has set him on fire all around ,
Yet he did not know ;
And it burned him ,
Yet he did not take it to heart .
*
But now ,
thus says the LORD ,
who created you ,
O Jacob ,
And He who formed you ,
O Israel : "
Fear not ,
for I have redeemed you ;
I have called you by your name ;
You are Mine .
*
When you pass through the waters ,
I will be with you ;
And through the rivers ,
they shall not overflow you .
When you walk through the fire ,
you shall not be burned ,
Nor shall the flame scorch you .
*
For I am the LORD your God ,
The Holy One of Israel ,
your Savior ;
I gave Egypt for your ransom ,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place .
*
Since you were precious in My sight ,
You have been honored ,
And I have loved you ;
Therefore I will give men for you ,
And people for your life .
*
Fear not ,
for I am with you ;
I will bring your descendants from the east ,
And gather you from the west ;
*
I will say to the north , "
Give them up !'
And to the south , "
Do not keep them back !'
Bring My sons from afar ,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth --
*
Everyone who is called by My name ,
Whom I have created for My glory ;
I have formed him ,
yes ,
I have made him ."
*
Bring out the blind people who have eyes ,
And the deaf who have ears .
*
Let all the nations be gathered together ,
And let the people be assembled .
Who among them can declare this ,
And show us former things ?
Let them bring out their witnesses ,
that they may be justified ;
Or let them hear and say , "
It is truth ."
* "
You are My witnesses ,"
says the LORD , "
And My servant whom I have chosen ,
That you may know and believe Me ,
And understand that I am He .
Before Me there was no God formed ,
Nor shall there be after Me .
*
I ,
even I ,
am the LORD ,
And besides Me there is no savior .
*
I have declared and saved ,
I have proclaimed ,
And there was no foreign god among you ;
Therefore you are My witnesses ,"
Says the LORD , "
that I am God .
*
Indeed before the day was ,
I am He ;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand ;
I work ,
and who will reverse it ?"
*
Thus says the LORD ,
your Redeemer ,
The Holy One of Israel : "
For your sake I will send to Babylon ,
And bring them all down as fugitives --
The Chaldeans ,
who rejoice in their ships .
*
I am the LORD ,
your Holy One ,
The Creator of Israel ,
your King ."
*
Thus says the LORD ,
who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters ,
*
Who brings forth the chariot and horse ,
The army and the power (
They shall lie down together ,
they shall not rise ;
They are extinguished ,
they are quenched like a wick ):
* "
Do not remember the former things ,
Nor consider the things of old .
*
Behold ,
I will do a new thing ,
Now it shall spring forth ;
Shall you not know it ?
I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert .
*
The beast of the field will honor Me ,
The jackals and the ostriches ,
Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert ,
To give drink to My people ,
My chosen .
*
This people I have formed for Myself ;
They shall declare My praise .
* "
But you have not called upon Me ,
O Jacob ;
And you have been weary of Me ,
O Israel .
*
You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings ,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices .
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings ,
Nor wearied you with incense .
*
You have bought Me no sweet cane with money ,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices ;
But you have burdened Me with your sins ,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities .
* "
I ,
even I ,
am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake ;
And I will not remember your sins .
*
Put Me in remembrance ;
Let us contend together ;
State your case ,
that you may be acquitted .
*
Your first father sinned ,
And your mediators have transgressed against Me .
*
Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary ;
I will give Jacob to the curse ,
And Israel to reproaches .
* "
Yet hear me now ,
O Jacob My servant ,
And Israel whom I have chosen .
*
Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb ,
who will help you : "
Fear not ,
O Jacob My servant ;
And you ,
Jeshurun ,
whom I have chosen .
*
For I will pour water on him who is thirsty ,
And floods on the dry ground ;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants ,
And My blessing on your offspring ;
*
They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses .'
*
One will say , "
I am the LORD '
s ';
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob ;
Another will write with his hand , "
The LORD '
s ,'
And name himself by the name of Israel .
* "
Thus says the LORD ,
the King of Israel ,
And his Redeemer ,
the LORD of hosts : "
I am the First and I am the Last ;
Besides Me there is no God .
*
And who can proclaim as I do ?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me ,
Since I appointed the ancient people .
And the things that are coming and shall come ,
Let them show these to them .
*
Do not fear ,
nor be afraid ;
Have I not told you from that time ,
and declared it ?
You are My witnesses .
Is there a God besides Me ?
Indeed there is no other Rock ;
I know not one ."'
*
Those who make an image ,
all of them are useless ,
And their precious things shall not profit ;
They are their own witnesses ;
They neither see nor know ,
that they may be ashamed .
*
Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing ?
*
Surely all his companions would be ashamed ;
And the workmen ,
they are mere men .
Let them all be gathered together ,
Let them stand up ;
Yet they shall fear ,
They shall be ashamed together .
*
The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals ,
Fashions it with hammers ,
And works it with the strength of his arms .
Even so ,
he is hungry ,
and his strength fails ;
He drinks no water and is faint .
*
The craftsman stretches out his rule ,
He marks one out with chalk ;
He fashions it with a plane ,
He marks it out with the compass ,
And makes it like the figure of a man ,
According to the beauty of a man ,
that it may remain in the house .
*
He cuts down cedars for himself ,
And takes the cypress and the oak ;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest .
He plants a pine ,
and the rain nourishes it .
*
Then it shall be for a man to burn ,
For he will take some of it and warm himself ;
Yes ,
he kindles it and bakes bread ;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it ;
He makes it a carved image ,
and falls down to it .
*
He burns half of it in the fire ;
With this half he eats meat ;
He roasts a roast ,
and is satisfied .
He even warms himself and says , "
Ah !
I am warm ,
I have seen the fire ."
*
And the rest of it he makes into a god ,
His carved image .
He falls down before it and worships it ,
Prays to it and says , "
Deliver me ,
for you are my god !"
*
They do not know nor understand ;
For He has shut their eyes ,
so that they cannot see ,
And their hearts ,
so that they cannot understand .
*
And no one considers in his heart ,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say , "
I have burned half of it in the fire ,
Yes ,
I have also baked bread on its coals ;
I have roasted meat and eaten it ;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination ?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood ?"
*
He feeds on ashes ;
A deceived heart has turned him aside ;
And he cannot deliver his soul ,
Nor say , "
Is there not a lie in my right hand ?"
* "
Remember these ,
O Jacob ,
And Israel ,
for you are My servant ;
I have formed you ,
you are My servant ;
O Israel ,
you will not be forgotten by Me !
*
I have blotted out ,
like a thick cloud ,
your transgressions ,
And like a cloud ,
your sins .
Return to Me ,
for I have redeemed you ."
*
Sing ,
O heavens ,
for the LORD has done it !
Shout ,
you lower parts of the earth ;
Break forth into singing ,
you mountains ,
O forest ,
and every tree in it !
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob ,
And glorified Himself in Israel .
*
Thus says the LORD ,
your Redeemer ,
And He who formed you from the womb : "
I am the LORD ,
who makes all things ,
Who stretches out the heavens all alone ,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself ;
*
Who frustrates the signs of the babblers ,
And drives diviners mad ;
Who turns wise men backward ,
And makes their knowledge foolishness ;
*
Who confirms the word of His servant ,
And performs the counsel of His messengers ;
Who says to Jerusalem , "
You shall be inhabited ,'
To the cities of Judah , "
You shall be built ,'
And I will raise up her waste places ;
*
Who says to the deep , "
Be dry !
And I will dry up your rivers ';
*
Who says of Cyrus , "
He is My shepherd ,
And he shall perform all My pleasure ,
Saying to Jerusalem , "
You shall be built ,"
And to the temple , "
Your foundation shall be laid ."'
* "
Thus says the LORD to His anointed ,
To Cyrus ,
whose right hand I have held --
To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings ,
To open before him the double doors ,
So that the gates will not be shut :
* "
I will go before you And make the crooked places straight ;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron .
*
I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places ,
That you may know that I ,
the LORD ,
Who call you by your name ,
Am the God of Israel .
*
For Jacob My servant '
s sake ,
And Israel My elect ,
I have even called you by your name ;
I have named you ,
though you have not known Me .
*
I am the LORD ,
and there is no other ;
There is no God besides Me .
I will gird you ,
though you have not known Me ,
*
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me .
I am the LORD ,
and there is no other ;
*
I form the light and create darkness ,
I make peace and create calamity ;
I ,
the LORD ,
do all these things .'
* "
Rain down ,
you heavens ,
from above ,
And let the skies pour down righteousness ;
Let the earth open ,
let them bring forth salvation ,
And let righteousness spring up together .
I ,
the LORD ,
have created it .
* "
Woe to him who strives with his Maker !
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth !
Shall the clay say to him who forms it , "
What are you making ?'
Or shall your handiwork say , "
He has no hands '?
*
Woe to him who says to his father , "
What are you begetting ?'
Or to the woman , "
What have you brought forth ?"'
*
Thus says the LORD ,
The Holy One of Israel ,
and his Maker : "
Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons ;
And concerning the work of My hands ,
you command Me .
*
I have made the earth ,
And created man on it .
I--My hands--stretched out the heavens ,
And all their host I have commanded .
*
I have raised him up in righteousness ,
And I will direct all his ways ;
He shall build My city And let My exiles go free ,
Not for price nor reward ,"
Says the LORD of hosts .
*
Thus says the LORD : "
The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans ,
men of stature ,
Shall come over to you ,
and they shall be yours ;
They shall walk behind you ,
They shall come over in chains ;
And they shall bow down to you .
They will make supplication to you ,
saying , "
Surely God is in you ,
And there is no other ;
There is no other God ."'
*
Truly You are God ,
who hide Yourself ,
O God of Israel ,
the Savior !
*
They shall be ashamed And also disgraced ,
all of them ;
They shall go in confusion together ,
Who are makers of idols .
*
But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation ;
You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever .
*
For thus says the LORD ,
Who created the heavens ,
Who is God ,
Who formed the earth and made it ,
Who has established it ,
Who did not create it in vain ,
Who formed it to be inhabited : "
I am the LORD ,
and there is no other .
*
I have not spoken in secret ,
In a dark place of the earth ;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob , "
Seek Me in vain ';
I ,
the LORD ,
speak righteousness ,
I declare things that are right .
* "
Assemble yourselves and come ;
Draw near together ,
You who have escaped from the nations .
They have no knowledge ,
Who carry the wood of their carved image ,
And pray to a god that cannot save .
*
Tell and bring forth your case ;
Yes ,
let them take counsel together .
Who has declared this from ancient time ?
Who has told it from that time ?
Have not I ,
the LORD ?
And there is no other God besides Me ,
A just God and a Savior ;
There is none besides Me .
* "
Look to Me ,
and be saved ,
All you ends of the earth !
For I am God ,
and there is no other .
*
I have sworn by Myself ;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness ,
And shall not return ,
That to Me every knee shall bow ,
Every tongue shall take an oath .
*
He shall say , "
Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength .
To Him men shall come ,
And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him .
*
In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified ,
and shall glory ."'
*
Bel bows down ,
Nebo stoops ;
Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle .
Your carriages were heavily loaded ,
A burden to the weary beast .
*
They stoop ,
they bow down together ;
They could not deliver the burden ,
But have themselves gone into captivity .
* "
Listen to Me ,
O house of Jacob ,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel ,
Who have been upheld by Me from birth ,
Who have been carried from the womb :
*
Even to your old age ,
I am He ,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you !
I have made ,
and I will bear ;
Even I will carry ,
and will deliver you .
* "
To whom will you liken Me ,
and make Me equal And compare Me ,
that we should be alike ?
*
They lavish gold out of the bag ,
And weigh silver on the scales ;
They hire a goldsmith ,
and he makes it a god ;
They prostrate themselves ,
yes ,
they worship .
*
They bear it on the shoulder ,
they carry it And set it in its place ,
and it stands ;
From its place it shall not move .
Though one cries out to it ,
yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble .
* "
Remember this ,
and show yourselves men ;
Recall to mind ,
O you transgressors .
*
Remember the former things of old ,
For I am God ,
and there is no other ;
I am God ,
and there is none like Me ,
*
Declaring the end from the beginning ,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done ,
Saying , "
My counsel shall stand ,
And I will do all My pleasure ,'
*
Calling a bird of prey from the east ,
The man who executes My counsel ,
from a far country .
Indeed I have spoken it ;
I will also bring it to pass .
I have purposed it ;
I will also do it .
* "
Listen to Me ,
you stubborn-hearted ,
Who are far from righteousness :
*
I bring My righteousness near ,
it shall not be far off ;
My salvation shall not linger .
And I will place salvation in Zion ,
For Israel My glory .
* "
Come down and sit in the dust ,
O virgin daughter of Babylon ;
Sit on the ground without a throne ,
O daughter of the Chaldeans !
For you shall no more be called Tender and delicate .
*
Take the millstones and grind meal .
Remove your veil ,
Take off the skirt ,
Uncover the thigh ,
Pass through the rivers .
*
Your nakedness shall be uncovered ,
Yes ,
your shame will be seen ;
I will take vengeance ,
And I will not arbitrate with a man ."
*
As for our Redeemer ,
the LORD of hosts is His name ,
The Holy One of Israel .
* "
Sit in silence ,
and go into darkness ,
O daughter of the Chaldeans ;
For you shall no longer be called The Lady of Kingdoms .
*
I was angry with My people ;
I have profaned My inheritance ,
And given them into your hand .
You showed them no mercy ;
On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily .
*
And you said , "
I shall be a lady forever ,'
So that you did not take these things to heart ,
Nor remember the latter end of them .
* "
Therefore hear this now ,
you who are given to pleasures ,
Who dwell securely ,
Who say in your heart , "
I am ,
and there is no one else besides me ;
I shall not sit as a widow ,
Nor shall I know the loss of children ';
*
But these two things shall come to you In a moment ,
in one day :
The loss of children ,
and widowhood .
They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries ,
For the great abundance of your enchantments .
* "
For you have trusted in your wickedness ;
You have said , "
No one sees me ';
Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you ;
And you have said in your heart , "
I am ,
and there is no one else besides me .'
*
Therefore evil shall come upon you ;
You shall not know from where it arises .
And trouble shall fall upon you ;
You will not be able to put it off .
And desolation shall come upon you suddenly ,
Which you shall not know .
* "
Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries ,
In which you have labored from your youth --
Perhaps you will be able to profit ,
Perhaps you will prevail .
*
You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels ;
Let now the astrologers ,
the stargazers ,
And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you .
*
Behold ,
they shall be as stubble ,
The fire shall burn them ;
They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame ;
It shall not be a coal to be warmed by ,
Nor a fire to sit before !
*
Thus shall they be to you With whom you have labored ,
Your merchants from your youth ;
They shall wander each one to his quarter .
No one shall save you .
* "
Hear this ,
O house of Jacob ,
Who are called by the name of Israel ,
And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah ;
Who swear by the name of the LORD ,
And make mention of the God of Israel ,
But not in truth or in righteousness ;
*
For they call themselves after the holy city ,
And lean on the God of Israel ;
The LORD of hosts is His name :
* "
I have declared the former things from the beginning ;
They went forth from My mouth ,
and I caused them to hear it .
Suddenly I did them ,
and they came to pass .
*
Because I knew that you were obstinate ,
And your neck was an iron sinew ,
And your brow bronze ,
*
Even from the beginning I have declared it to you ;
Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you ,
Lest you should say , "
My idol has done them ,
And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them .'
* "
You have heard ;
See all this .
And will you not declare it ?
I have made you hear new things from this time ,
Even hidden things ,
and you did not know them .
*
They are created now and not from the beginning ;
And before this day you have not heard them ,
Lest you should say , "
Of course I knew them .'
*
Surely you did not hear ,
Surely you did not know ;
Surely from long ago your ear was not opened .
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously ,
And were called a transgressor from the womb .
* "
For My name '
s sake I will defer My anger ,
And for My praise I will restrain it from you ,
So that I do not cut you off .
*
Behold ,
I have refined you ,
but not as silver ;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction .
*
For My own sake ,
for My own sake ,
I will do it ;
For how should My name be profaned ?
And I will not give My glory to another .
* "
Listen to Me ,
O Jacob ,
And Israel ,
My called :
I am He ,
I am the First ,
I am also the Last .
*
Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth ,
And My right hand has stretched out the heavens ;
When I call to them ,
They stand up together .
* "
All of you ,
assemble yourselves ,
and hear !
Who among them has declared these things ?
The LORD loves him ;
He shall do His pleasure on Babylon ,
And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans .
*
I ,
even I ,
have spoken ;
Yes ,
I have called him ,
I have brought him ,
and his way will prosper .
* "
Come near to Me ,
hear this :
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning ;
From the time that it was ,
I was there .
And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me ."
*
Thus says the LORD ,
your Redeemer ,
The Holy One of Israel : "
I am the LORD your God ,
Who teaches you to profit ,
Who leads you by the way you should go .
*
Oh ,
that you had heeded My commandments !
Then your peace would have been like a river ,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea .
*
Your descendants also would have been like the sand ,
And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand ;
His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me ."
*
Go forth from Babylon !
Flee from the Chaldeans !
With a voice of singing ,
Declare ,
proclaim this ,
Utter it to the end of the earth ;
Say , "
The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob !"
*
And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts ;
He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them ;
He also split the rock ,
and the waters gushed out .
* "
There is no peace ,"
says the LORD , "
for the wicked ."
* "
Listen ,
O coastlands ,
to Me ,
And take heed ,
you peoples from afar !
The LORD has called Me from the womb ;
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name .
![[pBiblx2]](/img/pbiblx2_logo3.png){kind=logo}