Israel the LORD's Servant

491 Hearken, O isles, unto me, And attend, O peoples, from afar, Jehovah from the womb hath called me, From the bowels of my mother He hath made mention of my name. 2 And he maketh my mouth as a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He hath hid me, And He maketh me for a clear arrow, In His quiver He hath hid me. 3 And He saith to me, 'My servant Thou art, O Israel, In whom I beautify Myself.' 4 And I said, 'For a vain thing I laboured, For emptiness and vanity my power I consumed, But my judgment 'is' with Jehovah, And my wage with my God. 5 And now, said Jehovah, who is forming me from the belly for a servant to Him, To bring back Jacob unto Him, (Though Israel is not gathered, Yet I am honoured in the eyes of Jehovah, And my God hath been my strength.) 6 And He saith, 'It hath been a light thing That thou art to Me for a servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And the preserved of Israel to bring back, And I have given thee for a light of nations, To be My salvation unto the end of the earth.'

7 Thus said Jehovah, Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, To the despised in soul, To the abominated of a nation, To the servant of rulers: 'Kings see, and have risen, princes, and worship, For the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful, The Holy of Israel, and He chooseth thee.'

The Restoration of Zion Promised

8 Thus said Jehovah: 'In a time of good pleasure I answered thee, And in a day of salvation I helped thee, And I keep thee, and give thee, For a covenant of the people, To establish the earth, To cause to inherit desolate inheritances. 9 To say to the bound, Go out, To those in darkness, Be uncovered. On the ways they feed, And in all high places is their pasture. 10 They do not hunger, nor thirst, Nor smite them doth mirage and sun, For He who is pitying them doth lead them, And by fountains of waters doth tend them. 11 And I have made all My mountains for a way, And My highways are lifted up. 12 Lo, these from afar come in, And lo, these from the north, and from the sea, And these from the land of Sinim.

13 Sing, O heavens, and joy, O earth, And break forth, O mountains, with singing, For comforted hath Jehovah His people, And His afflicted ones He doth pity. 14 And Zion saith, 'Jehovah hath forsaken me, And my Lord hath forgotten me.' 15 Forget doth a woman her suckling, The loved one—the son of her womb? Yea, these forget—but I—I forget not thee. 16 Lo, on the palms of the hand I have graven thee, Thy walls 'are' before Me continually. 17 Hastened have those building thee, Those destroying thee, and laying thee waste, go out from thee.

18 Lift up round about thine eyes and see, All of them have been gathered, They have come to thee. I live, an affirmation of Jehovah! Surely all of them as an ornament thou puttest on, And thou bindest them on like a bride. 19 Because thy wastes, and thy desolate places, And the land of thy ruins, Surely now are straitened because of inhabitants, And far off have been those consuming thee. 20 Again do the sons of thy bereavement say in thine ears: 'The place is too strait for me, Come nigh to me—and I dwell.' 21 And thou hast said in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten for me—these? And I bereaved and gloomy, A captive, and turned aside, And these—who hath nourished? Lo, I—I was left by myself, these—whence 'are' they? 22 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: 'Lo, I lift up unto nations My hand, And unto peoples I raise up Mine ensign, And they have brought thy sons in the bosom, And thy daughters on the shoulder are carried. 23 And kings have been thy nursing fathers, And their princesses thy nursing mothers; Face to the earth—they bow down to thee, And the dust of thy feet they lick up, And thou hast known that I 'am' Jehovah, That those expecting Me are not ashamed.

24 Is prey taken from the mighty? And the captive of the righteous delivered? 25 For thus said Jehovah: Even the captive of the mighty is taken, And the prey of the terrible is delivered, And with thy striver I strive, and thy sons I save. 26 And I have caused thine oppressors to eat their own flesh, And as new wine they drink their own blood, And known have all flesh that I, Jehovah, Thy saviour, and thy redeemer, 'Am' the Mighty One of Jacob!'

The LORD Helps Those Who Trust in Him

501 Thus said Jehovah: 'Where 'is' this—the bill of your mother's divorce, Whom I sent away? Or to which of My creditors have I sold you? Lo, for your iniquities ye have been sold, And for your transgressions Hath your mother been sent away. 2 Wherefore have I come, and there is no one? I called, and there is none answering, Hath My hand been at all short of redemption? And is there not in me power to deliver? Lo, by My rebuke I dry up a sea, I make rivers a wilderness, Their fish stinketh, for there is no water, And dieth with thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens 'with' blackness, And sackcloth I make their covering.

4 The Lord Jehovah hath given to me The tongue of taught ones, To know to aid the weary 'by' a word, He waketh morning by morning, He waketh for me an ear to hear as taught ones. 5 The Lord Jehovah opened for me the ear, And I rebelled not—backward I moved not. 6 My back I have given to those smiting, And my cheeks to those plucking out, My face I hid not from shame and spitting. 7 And the Lord Jehovah giveth help to me, Therefore I have not been ashamed, Therefore I have set my face as a flint, And I know that I am not ashamed. 8 Near 'is' He who is justifying me, Who doth contend with me? We stand together, who 'is' mine opponent? Let him come nigh unto me. 9 Lo, the Lord Jehovah giveth help to me, Who 'is' he that declareth me wicked? Lo, all of them as a garment wear out, A moth doth eat them.

10 Who 'is' among you, fearing Jehovah, Hearkening to the voice of His servant, That hath walked in dark places, And there is no brightness for him? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah, And lean upon his God. 11 Lo, all ye kindling a fire, girding on sparks, Walk ye in the light of your fire, And in the sparks ye have caused to burn, From my hand hath this been to you, In grief ye lie down!

Words of Comfort to Zion

511 Hearken unto Me, ye pursuing righteousness, Seeking Jehovah, Look attentively unto the rock—ye have been hewn, And unto the hole of the pit—ye have been digged. 2 Look attentively unto Abraham your father, And unto Sarah—she bringeth you forth, For—one—I have called him, And I bless him, and multiply him. 3 For Jehovah hath comforted Zion, He hath comforted all her wastes, And He setteth her wilderness as Eden, And her desert as a garden of Jehovah, Joy, yea, gladness is found in her, Confession, and the voice of song.

4 Attend unto Me, O My people, And, O My nation, unto Me give ear. For a law from Me goeth out, And My judgment to the light, Peoples I do cause to rest. 5 Near 'is' My righteousness, Gone out hath My salvation and Mine arms, Peoples they judge, on Me isles do wait, Yea, on Mine arm they do wait with hope. 6 Lift ye up to the heavens your eyes, And look attentively unto the earth beneath, For the heavens as smoke have vanished, And the earth as a garment weareth out, And its inhabitants as gnats do die, And My salvation is to the age, And My righteousness is not broken. 7 Hearken unto Me, ye who know righteousness, A people, in whose heart 'is' My law, Fear ye not the reproach of men, And for their reviling be not affrighted, 8 For as a garment eat them doth a moth, And as wool eat them doth a worm, And My righteousness is to the age, And My salvation to all generations.

9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Jehovah, Awake, as 'in' days of old, generations of the ages, Art not Thou it that is hewing down Rahab, Piercing a dragon! 10 Art not Thou it that is drying up a sea, Waters of a great deep? That hath made deep places of a sea A way for the passing of the redeemed? 11 And the ransomed of Jehovah turn back, And they have come to Zion with singing, And joy age-during 'is' on their head, Gladness and joy they attain, Fled away have sorrow and sighing, 12 I—I 'am' He—your comforter, Who 'art' thou—and thou art afraid of man? he dieth! And of the son of man—grass he is made! 13 And thou dost forget Jehovah thy maker, Who is stretching out the heavens, and founding earth, And thou dost fear continually all the day, Because of the fury of the oppressor, As he hath prepared to destroy. And where 'is' the fury of the oppressor? 14 Hastened hath a wanderer to be loosed, And he doth not die at the pit, And his bread is not lacking. 15 And I 'am' Jehovah thy God, Quieting the sea, when its billows roar, Jehovah of Hosts 'is' His name. 16 And I put My words in thy mouth, And with the shadow of My hand have covered thee, To plant the heavens, and to found earth, And to say to Zion, 'My people 'art' thou.'

17 Stir thyself, stir thyself, rise, Jerusalem, Who hast drunk from the hand of Jehovah The cup of His fury, The goblet, the cup of trembling, thou hast drunk, Thou hast wrung out. 18 There is not a leader to her Out of all the sons she hath borne, And there is none laying hold on her hand Out of all the sons she hath nourished. 19 These two are meeting thee, who is moved for thee? Spoiling and destruction—Famine and sword, who—I comfort thee? 20 Thy sons have been wrapt up, they have lain down, At the head of all out places, as a wild ox 'in' a net, They are full of the fury of Jehovah, The rebuke of Thy God. 21 Therefore, hear, I pray thee, this, O afflicted and drunken one, and not with wine, 22 Thus said thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God, He pleadeth 'for' his people: 'Lo, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling, The goblet, the cup of My fury, Thou dost not add to drink it any more. 23 And I have put it into the hand of those afflicting thee, Who have said to thy soul, Bow down, and we pass over, And thou makest as the earth thy body, And as the street to those passing by!'

God Will Deliver Zion from Captivity

521 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, Put on the garments of thy beauty, Jerusalem—the Holy City; For enter no more into thee again, Do the uncircumcised and unclean. 2 Shake thyself from dust, arise, sit, O Jerusalem, Bands of thy neck have loosed themselves, O captive, daughter of Zion. 3 For thus said Jehovah: 'For nought ye have been sold, And not by money are ye redeemed.' 4 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: 'To Egypt My people went down at first to sojourn there, And Asshur—for nought he hath oppressed it. 5 And now, what—to Me here, An affirmation of Jehovah, That taken is My people for nought? Its rulers cause howling,—an affirmation of Jehovah, And continually all the day My name is despised. 6 Therefore doth My people know My name, Therefore, in that day, Surely I 'am' He who is speaking, behold Me.'

7 How comely on the mountains, Have been the feet of one proclaiming tidings, Sounding peace, proclaiming good tidings, Sounding salvation, Saying to Zion, 'Reigned hath thy God.' 8 The voice of thy watchmen! They have lifted up the voice, together they cry aloud, Because eye to eye they see, in Jehovah's turning back 'to' Zion. 9 Break forth, sing together, O wastes of Jerusalem, For Jehovah hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 Jehovah hath made bare His holy arm Before the eyes of all the nations, And seen have all the ends of the earth, The salvation of our God. 11 Turn aside, turn aside, go out thence, The unclean touch not, go out from her midst, Be ye pure, who are bearing the weapons of Jehovah. 12 For not in haste do ye go out, Yea, with flight ye go not on, For going before you 'is' Jehovah, And gathering you 'is' the God of Israel!

The Suffering of the LORD's Servant

13 Lo, My servant doth act wisely, He is high, and hath been lifted up, And hath been very high. 14 As astonished at thee have been many, (So marred by man his appearance, And his form by sons of men.) 15 So doth he sprinkle many nations. Concerning him kings shut their mouth, For that which was not recounted to them they have seen, And that which they had not heard they have understood!

531 Who hath given credence to that which we heard? And the arm of Jehovah, On whom hath it been revealed? 2 Yea, he cometh up as a tender plant before Him, And as a root out of a dry land, He hath no form, nor honour, when we observe him, Nor appearance, when we desire him. 3 He is despised, and left of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with sickness, And as one hiding the face from us, He is despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains—he hath carried them, And we—we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace 'is' on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us. 6 All of us like sheep have wandered, Each to his own way we have turned, And Jehovah hath caused to meet on him, The punishment of us all. 7 It hath been exacted, and he hath answered, And he openeth not his mouth, As a lamb to the slaughter he is brought, And as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, And he openeth not his mouth. 8 By restraint and by judgment he hath been taken, And of his generation who doth meditate, That he hath been cut off from the land of the living? By the transgression of My people he is plagued, 9 And it appointeth with the wicked his grave, And with the rich 'are' his high places, Because he hath done no violence, Nor 'is' deceit in his mouth.

10 And Jehovah hath delighted to bruise him, He hath made him sick, If his soul doth make an offering for guilt, He seeth seed—he prolongeth days, And the pleasure of Jehovah in his hand doth prosper. 11 Of the labour of his soul he seeth—he is satisfied, Through his knowledge give righteousness Doth the righteous one, My servant, to many, And their iniquities he doth bear. 12 Therefore I give a portion to him among the many, And with the mighty he apportioneth spoil, Because that he exposed to death his soul, And with transgressors he was numbered, And he the sin of many hath borne, And for transgressors he intercedeth.