Isaiah 43

¹But now, says the Lord your Maker, O Jacob, and your life-giver, O Israel: have no fear, for I have taken up your cause; naming you by your name, I have made you mine.

²When you go through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not go over you: when you go through the fire, you will not be burned; and the flame will have no power over you.

³For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your saviour; I have given Egypt as a price for you, Ethiopia and Seba for you.

⁴Because of your value in my eyes, you have been honoured, and loved by me; so I will give men for you, and peoples for your life.

⁵Have no fear, for I am with you: I will take your seed from the east, and get you together from the west;

⁶I will say to the north, Give them up; and to the south, Do not keep them back; send back my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth;

⁷Every one who is named by my name, and whom I have made for my glory, who has been formed and designed by me.

⁸Send out the blind people who have eyes, and those who have ears, but they are shut.

⁹Let all the nations come together, and let the peoples be present: who among them is able to make this clear, and give us word of earlier things? let their witnesses come forward, so that they may be seen to be true, and that they may give ear, and say, It is true.

¹⁰You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have taken for myself: so that you may see and have faith in me, and that it may be clear to you that I am he; before me there was no God formed, and there will not be after me.

¹¹I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no saviour but me.

¹²I gave the word, and made it clear, and there was no strange god among you: for this reason you are my witnesses, says the Lord.

¹³From time long past I am God, and from this day I am he: there is no one who is able to take you out of my hand: when I undertake a thing, by whom will my purpose be changed?

¹⁴The Lord, who has taken up your cause, the Holy One of Israel, says, Because of you I have sent to Babylon, and made all their seers come south, and the Chaldaeans whose cry is in the ships.

¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Maker of Israel, your King.

¹⁶This is the word of the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, and a road through the deep waters;

¹⁷Who sends out the war-carriages and the horses, the army with all its force; they have come down, they will not get up again; like a feebly burning light they are put out.

¹⁸Give no thought to the things which are past; let the early times go out of your minds.

¹⁹See, I am doing a new thing; now it is starting; will you not take note of it? I will even make a way in the waste land, and rivers in the dry country.

²⁰The beasts of the field will give me honour, the jackals and the ostriches: because I send out waters in the waste land, and rivers in the dry country, to give drink to the people whom I have taken for myself:

²¹Even the people whom I made to be the witnesses of my praise.

²²But you have made no prayer to me, O Jacob: and you have given no thought to me, O Israel.

²³You have not made me burned offerings of sheep, or given me honour with your offerings of beasts; I did not make you servants to give me an offering, and I did not make you tired with requests for perfumes.

²⁴You have not got me sweet-smelling plants with your money, or given me pleasure with the fat of your offerings: but you have made me a servant to your sins, and you have made me tired with your evil doings.

²⁵I, even I, am he who takes away your sins; and I will no longer keep your evil doings in mind.

²⁶Put me in mind of this; let us take up the cause between us: put forward your cause, so that you may be seen to be in the right.

²⁷Your first father was a sinner, and your guides have gone against my word.

²⁸Your chiefs have made my holy place unclean, so I have made Jacob a curse, and Israel a thing of shame.

Isaiah 43

¹But now thus says the Lord who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.

³For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

⁴Since you have been precious and honored in my sight, and I have loved you; therefore I will give people in your place, and nations instead of your life.

⁵Do not be afraid; for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west.

⁶I will tell the north, 'Give them up!' and tell the south, 'Do not hold them back! Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth-

⁷everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.'"

⁸Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.

⁹Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, "That is true."

¹⁰"You are my witnesses," says the Lord, "With 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, neither will there be after me.

¹¹I myself am the Lord; and besides me there is no savior.

¹²I have declared, I have saved, and I have shown; and there was no strange god among you. Therefore you are my witnesses," says the Lord, "and I am God.

¹³Yes, since the day was I am he; and there is no one who can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who can hinder it?"

¹⁴Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake, I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring all of them down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing.

¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King."

¹⁶Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

¹⁷who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched like a wick):

¹⁸"Do not remember the former things, and do not consider the things of old.

¹⁹Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs forth now. Do you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

²⁰The animals of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen,

²¹the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise.

²²Yet you have not called on me, Jacob; but you have been weary of me, Israel.

²³You have not brought me of your sheep for burnt offerings; neither have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense.

²⁴You have bought me no sweet cane with money, nor have you filled me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your iniquities.

²⁵I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.

²⁶Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Set forth your case, that you may be justified.

²⁷Your first father sinned, and your teachers have transgressed against me.

²⁸Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel a reviling."