rsv Isaiah:53-55 SEEK
Seeker Overlay ON
*
Who has believed what we have heard ?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed ?
*
For he grew up before him like a young plant ,
and like a root out of dry ground ;
he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him ,
and no beauty that we should desire him .
*
He was despised and rejected by men ;
a man of sorrows ,
and acquainted with grief ;
and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised ,
and we esteemed him not .
*
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ;
yet we esteemed him stricken ,
smitten by God ,
and afflicted .
*
But he was wounded for our transgressions ,
he was bruised for our iniquities ;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole ,
and with his stripes we are healed .
*
All we like sheep have gone astray ;
we have turned every one to his own way ;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all .
*
He was oppressed ,
and he was afflicted ,
yet he opened not his mouth ;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter ,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb ,
so he opened not his mouth .
*
By oppression and judgment he was taken away ;
and as for his generation ,
who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living ,
stricken for the transgression of my people ?
*
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death ,
although he had done no violence ,
and there was no deceit in his mouth .
*
Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him ;
he has put him to grief ;
when he makes himself an offering for sin ,
he shall see his offspring ,
he shall prolong his days ;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand ;
*
he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one ,
my servant ,
make many to be accounted righteous ;
and he shall bear their iniquities .
*
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great ,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong ;
because he poured out his soul to death ,
and was numbered with the transgressors ;
yet he bore the sin of many ,
and made intercession for the transgressors .
* "
Sing ,
O barren one ,
who did not bear ;
break forth into singing and cry aloud ,
you who have not been in travail !
For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married ,
says the LORD .
*
Enlarge the place of your tent ,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out ;
hold not back ,
lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes .
*
For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left ,
and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities .
* "
Fear not ,
for you will not be ashamed ;
be not confounded ,
for you will not be put to shame ;
for you will forget the shame of your youth ,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more .
*
For your Maker is your husband ,
the LORD of hosts is his name ;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer ,
the God of the whole earth he is called .
*
For the LORD has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit ,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off ,
says your God .
*
For a brief moment I forsook you ,
but with great compassion I will gather you .
*
In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you ,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you ,
says the LORD ,
your Redeemer .
* "
For this is like the days of Noah to me :
as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth ,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you .
*
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed ,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you ,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed ,
says the LORD ,
who has compassion on you .
* "
O afflicted one ,
storm-tossed ,
and not comforted ,
behold ,
I will set your stones in antimony ,
and lay your foundations with sapphires .
*
I will make your pinnacles of agate ,
your gates of carbuncles ,
and all your wall of precious stones .
*
All your sons shall be taught by the LORD ,
and great shall be the prosperity of your sons .
*
In righteousness you shall be established ;
you shall be far from oppression ,
for you shall not fear ;
and from terror ,
for it shall not come near you .
*
If any one stirs up strife ,
it is not from me ;
whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you .
*
Behold ,
I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals ,
and produces a weapon for its purpose .
I have also created the ravager to destroy ;
*
no weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper ,
and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment .
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me ,
says the LORD ."
* "
Ho ,
every one who thirsts ,
come to the waters ;
and he who has no money ,
come ,
buy and eat !
Come ,
buy wine and milk without money and without price .
*
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread ,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy ?
Hearken diligently to me ,
and eat what is good ,
and delight yourselves in fatness .
*
Incline your ear ,
and come to me ;
hear ,
that your soul may live ;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant ,
my steadfast ,
sure love for David .
*
Behold ,
I made him a witness to the peoples ,
a leader and commander for the peoples .
*
Behold ,
you shall call nations that you know not ,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you ,
because of the LORD your God ,
and of the Holy One of Israel ,
for he has glorified you .
* "
Seek the LORD while he may be found ,
call upon him while he is near ;
*
let the wicked forsake his way ,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts ;
let him return to the LORD ,
that he may have mercy on him ,
and to our God ,
for he will abundantly pardon .
*
For my thoughts are not your thoughts ,
neither are your ways my ways ,
says the LORD .
*
For as the heavens are higher than the earth ,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts .
* "
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven ,
and return not thither but water the earth ,
making it bring forth and sprout ,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater ,
*
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth ;
it shall not return to me empty ,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose ,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it .
* "
For you shall go out in joy ,
and be led forth in peace ;
the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing ,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands .
*
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress ;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle ;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial ,
for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off ."
*
Thus says the LORD : "
Keep justice ,
and do righteousness ,
for soon my salvation will come ,
and my deliverance be revealed .