Isaiah 49

Modern

Literal

The Servant and Light to the Gentiles

¹Listen to Me, O islands;^a

pay attention, O distant peoples:

The LORD called Me from the womb;

from the body of My mother He named Me.

¹Listen, O islands, to me, and pay attention, O peoples from afar! YHWH has called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother He has brought to mind my name.

²He made My mouth like a sharp sword;

He hid Me in the shadow of His hand.

He made Me like a polished arrow;

He hid Me in His quiver.

²And He set my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me; and He set me as a polished arrow; in His quiver He has concealed me.

³He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,

in whom I will display My glory.”

³And He said to me: “You are My servant, O Israel; in whom I will be glorified.”

⁴But I said, “I have labored in vain,

I have spent My strength in futility and vanity;

yet My vindication is with the LORD,

and My reward is with My God.”

⁴And I said: “In vain I have labored; I have spent My strength in futility and in emptiness. Yet surely My vindication is with YHWH, and My reward with my God.”

⁵And now says the LORD,

who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

to bring Jacob back to Him,

that Israel might be gathered to Him—

for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,

and My God is My strength—

⁵And now, has said YHWH, the One forming Me from the womb to be a servant for Him, to bring back Jacob to Him, so that Israel to Him might be gathered—and I am honored in the eyes of YHWH, and My God is My strength—

⁶He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant,

to raise up the tribes of Jacob,

and to restore the protected ones of Israel.

I will also make You a light for the nations,

to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”^a

⁶and He said: “It is a light thing that You should be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; and I will give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

⁷Thus says the LORD,

the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel,

to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,

to the Servant of rulers:

“Kings will see You and rise,

and princes will bow down,

because of the LORD, who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”

⁷Thus says YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to the one despised of soul, abhorred by the nation, to a servant of those ruling: “Kings will see it and rise, and princes will bow low for the sake of YHWH who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and He has chosen you.”

⁸This is what the LORD says:

“In the time of favor I will answer You,

and in the day of salvation I will help You;^a

I will keep You and appoint You

to be a covenant for the people,

to restore the land,

to apportion its desolate inheritances,

⁸Thus says YHWH: “In a time of favor I have answered You, and on a day of salvation I have helped you; and I will watch over you and give you as a covenant for the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate inheritance;

⁹to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

They will feed along the pathways,

and find pasture on every barren hill.

⁹to say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth!’ To those in the darkness, ‘Be uncovered!’ Along the pathways they will graze, and on all the bare slopes will be their pastures.

¹⁰They will not hunger or thirst,

nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them.^a

For He who has compassion on them will guide them

and lead them beside springs of water.

¹⁰They will not hunger and they will not thirst; the sun and the scorching heat will not strike them; for the One having compassion on them will lead them, and beside the springs of water He will guide them.

¹¹I will turn all My mountains into roads,

and My highways will be raised up.

¹¹And I will make all My mountains as a road, and My highways will be raised up.

¹²Behold, they will come from far away,

from the north and from the west,^a

and from the land of Aswan.”^b

¹²Behold, these will come from afar; and behold, these from the north and the west, and these from the land of Aswan.

¹³Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth;

break forth in song, O mountains!

For the LORD has comforted His people,

and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

¹³Sing out, O heavens; and rejoice, O earth; and break out, O mountains, into singing! For YHWH has comforted His people, and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

¹⁴But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;

the Lord has forgotten me!”

¹⁴And Zion said: “YHWH has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

or lack compassion for the son of her womb?

Even if she could forget,

I will not forget you!

¹⁵“Can a woman forget her infant, having no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these she may forget, and I will not forget you.

¹⁶Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are ever before Me.

¹⁶Behold, on the palms I have inscribed you; your walls are before Me continually.

¹⁷Your builders^a hasten back;

your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.

¹⁷Your builders are hurrying; those overthrowing you and those destroying you will go out from you.

¹⁸Lift up your eyes and look around.

They all gather together; they come to you.

As surely as I live,” declares the LORD,

“you will wear them all as jewelry

and put them on like a bride.

¹⁸Lift up your eyes round about, and see: All of them have gathered together, and come to you! By the life of Me,” says YHWH, “Surely, you will wear all of them as an ornament, and bind them on like a bride.

¹⁹For your ruined and desolate places

and your ravaged land

will now indeed be too small for your people,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

¹⁹For your ruins and desolate places, and the land of your devastation, surely now will be narrow for its dweller, and those who devoured you will be far away.

²⁰Yet the children of your bereavement

will say in your hearing,

‘This place is too small for us;

make room for us to live here.’

²⁰Again the sons of your childlessness will say in your ears: ‘The place is narrow for me! Make room for me that I may dwell!’

²¹Then you will say in your heart,

‘Who has begotten these for me?

I was bereaved and barren;

I was exiled and rejected.

So who has reared them?

Look, I was left all alone,

so where did they come from?’”

²¹And you will say in your heart, ‘Who has borne these for me, and I am childless and barren, exiled and rejected? And who has raised these? Behold, I was left alone by myself; these—where are they from?

²²This is what the Lord GOD says:

“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations,

and raise My banner to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms^a

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

²²Thus says the Lord YHWH: “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and to the peoples I will raise up My banner; and they will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on the shoulders.

²³Kings will be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

They will bow to you facedown

and lick the dust at your feet.

Then you will know that I am the LORD;

those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”

²³And kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; facedown to the earth they will bow low to you, and they will lick up the dust of your feet. And you will know that I am YHWH; those waiting for Me will not be ashamed.”

²⁴Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty,

or the captives of a tyrant^a be delivered?

²⁴Can the prey be taken from the mighty one, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?

²⁵Indeed, this is what the LORD says:

“Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away,

and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved;

I will contend with those who contend with you,

and I will save your children.

²⁵For thus says YHWH: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the prey of a tyrant will be given escape; and your contender I will contend with, and your sons I will save.

²⁶I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;

they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine.

Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD,

am your Savior and your Redeemer,

the Mighty One of Jacob.”

²⁶And your oppressors I will make eat their own flesh; like the sweet wine, they will get drunk on their own blood! And all flesh will know that I am YHWH, your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”