Amplified Bible (AMP)

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help

1 And when King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.

2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the [royal] household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

3 They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and disgrace; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.

4 ~‘It may be that the Lordyour God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh [the commander], whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to tauntanddefy the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lordyour God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant [of His people] that is left.’”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 Isaiah said to them, “You shall say the following to your master: ‘This is what the Lordsays, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

7 Listen carefully, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

8 So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah [a fortified city of Judah], for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.

9 And Sennacherib king of Assyria, heardthemsay concerning Tirhakah king of Cush (Ethiopia), “He has come out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

10 “You shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

11 ~‘Listen carefully, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, utterly destroying them. So will you be rescued?

12 ~‘Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed rescue them–Gozan, Haran [of Mesopotamia], Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?

13 ~‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad [of northern Syria], the king of the city of Sepharvaim, [the king of] Hena, or [the king of] Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer in the Temple

14 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lordand spread it out before the Lord.

15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lordsaying,

16 “O Lordof hosts, God of Israel, who is enthronedabovethe cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

17 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib that he has sent to tauntanddefy the living God.

18 It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their lands,

19 and have cast the gods [of those peoples] into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.

20 Now, O Lordour God, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may knowandfully realize that You alone, Lord, areGod.”

God Answers through Isaiah

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sentwordto Hezekiah, saying, “For the Lord, the God of Israel says this, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria,

22 this is the word that the Lordhas spoken against him:

“She has shown contempt for you and mocked you,

The Virgin Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem);

She has shaken her head behind you,

The Daughter of Jerusalem!

23 “Whom have you taunted and blasphemed?

And against whom have you raised your voice

And haughtily lifted up your eyes?

Against the Holy One of Israel!

24 “Through your servants you have tauntedanddefied the Lord,

And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,

To the remotest parts of Lebanon.

I cut down its tallest cedars and its choicest cypress trees;

And I will go to its remotest height, its most luxuriantandthickest forest.

25 ‘I dugwellsand drank [foreign] waters,

And with the sole of my feet I dried up

All the canals [of the Nile] of Egypt.’

26 “Have you not heard [says the God of Israel]

That I did it long ago,

That I planned it in ancient times?

Now I have brought it to pass,

That you [king of Assyria] would [be My instrument to] turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

27 “Therefore their inhabitants had little power,

They were terrorized and shamed;

They were like the grass of the field and the green vegetation,

Like grass on the housetopsandlike a field [of grain] scorched before it is grown.

28 “But I know your sitting down

And your going out and your coming in [every detail of your life],

And your raging against Me.

29 “Because your raging against Me

And your arrogance has come up to My ears,

I will put My hook in your nose

And My bridle in yourmouth,

And I will turn you back by the way you came.

30 “This shall be the sign [of these things] to you [Hezekiah]: you are to eat this yearwhat grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from the same, and in the third year you are to sow and harvest, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

31 The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.

32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lordof hosts will do this.”’

33 “Therefore, the Lordsays this concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with shield, or raise an assault ramp against it.

34 ~‘By the way that he came, by the same way he will return, and he will not come into this city,’ declares the Lord.

35 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”

Assyrians Destroyed

36 And theangel of the Lordwent out andstruck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the [surviving] men got up early the next morning,they sawall the dead.

37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned and lived at Nineveh.

38 It came to pass as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat [in Armenia]. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Hezekiah Healed

1 In those days Hezekiah [king of Judah] became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, “For the Lordsays this, ‘Set your house in orderandprepare a will, for you shall die; you will not live.’”

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,

3 and said, “Please, O Lord, just remember how I have walked before You in faithfulnessandtruth, and with a whole heart [absolutely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept greatly.

4 Then the word of the Lordcame to Isaiah, saying,

5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘For the Lord, the God of David your father says this, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; listen carefully, I will add fifteen years to your life.

6 I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city [Jerusalem].”’

7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lordwill do this thing that He has spoken:

8 Listen carefully, I will turn the shadow on the stairway [denoting the time of day] ten steps backward,the shadowon the stairway (sundial) of Ahaz.” And the sunlight went ten steps backward on the stairway where it had [previously] gone down.

9 This is thewriting of Hezekiah king of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:

10 I said, “In mid-life

I am to go through the gates of Sheol (the place of the dead),

I am to be summoned,deprived ofthe remainder of my years.”

11 I said, “I will not see the Lord

The Lordin the land of the living;

I will no longer see man among the inhabitants of the world.

12 “My dwelling (body) is pulled up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent;

I have rolled up my life as a weaver [rolls up the finished web].

He cuts me free from the warp [of the loom];

From day to night You bring me to an end.

13 “I lay down until morning.

Like a lion, so He breaks all my bones;

From day until night You bring me to an end.

14 “Like a swallow, like a crane, so I chirp;

I coo like a dove.

My eyes look wistfully upward;

O Lord, I am oppressed, take my sideandbe my security.

15 “What shall I say?

For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;

I will wander aimlessly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

16 “O Lord, bythesethings men live,

And in all these is the life of my spirit;

Restore me to health and let me live!

17 “Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such bitterness;

But You have loved back my life from the pit of nothingness (destruction),

For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

18 “For Sheol cannot praiseorthank You,

Death cannot praise Youandrejoice in You;

Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

19 “It is the living who give praiseandthanks to You, as I do today;

A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

20 “The Lordis ready to save me;

Therefore we will play my songs on stringed instruments

All the days of our lives at the house of the Lord.”

21 Now Isaiah had said, “Have them take a cake of figs and rub it [as an ointment] on the inflamed spot, that he may recover.”

22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?”

Hezekiah Shows His Treasures

1 At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent [messengers with] letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered.

2 Hezekiah was pleased and showed them his treasure house–the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his entire armory and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his area of dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did these men say? From where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, fromBabylon.”

4 Then Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lordof hosts,

6 ‘Listen carefully, the days are coming when everything that is in your house and everything that your predecessors have stored up until this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.

7 ‘Andsome of your own sons (descendants) who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The word of the Lordwhich you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and faithfulness [to God’s promises to us] in my days.”

The Greatness of God

1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

2 “Speaktenderly to Jerusalem,

And call out to her, that her time of compulsory service in warfare is finished,

That her wickedness has been taken away [since her punishment is sufficient],

That she has received from the Lord’shand

Double [punishment] for all her sins.”

3 A voice of one is calling out,

“Clear the way for the Lordin the wilderness [remove the obstacles];

Make straightandsmooth in the desert a highway for our God.

4 “Every valley shall be raised,

And every mountain and hill be made low;

And let the rough ground become a plain,

And the rugged places a broad valley.

5 “And the gloryandmajestyandsplendor of the Lordwill be revealed,

And all humanity shall see it together;

For the mouth of the Lordhas spoken it.”

6 A voice says, “Call out [prophesy].”

Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”

[The voice answered:] All humanity is [as frail as] grass, and all that makes it attractive [its charm, its loveliness] is [momentary] like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades,

When the breath of the Lordblows upon it;

Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.

9 O Zion, herald of good news,

Get up on a high mountain.

O Jerusalem, herald of good news,

Lift up your voice with strength,

Lift it up, do not fear;

Say to the cities of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

10 Listen carefully, the Lord Godwill come with might,

And His arm will rule for Him.

Most certainly His reward is with Him,

And His restitution accompanies Him.

11 He will protect His flock like a shepherd,

He will gather the lambs in His arm,

He will carry them in His bosom;

He will gentlyandcarefully lead those nursing their young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,

And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand],

And calculated the dust of the earth with ameasure,

And weighed the mountains in a balance

And the hills in a pair of scales?

13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,

Or has taught Him as His counselor?

14 With whom did He consult andwhoenlightened Him?

Whotaught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge

And informed Him of the way of understanding?

15 In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;

Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

16 And [the forests of] Lebanon cannot supply sufficientfuelto start a fire,

Nor are its wild beasts enough for a burnt offering [worthy of the Lord].

17 All the nations are as nothing before Him,

They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

18 To whom then will you liken God?

Or with what likeness will you compare Him?

19 As forthe cast image (idol), a metalworker casts it,

A goldsmith overlays it with gold

And a silversmithcasts itssilver chains.

20 He who is too impoverished forsuchan offering [to give to his god]

Chooses a tree that will not rot;

He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman

To [carve and] set up an idol that will not totter.

21 Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard?

Has it not been told to you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]?

22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

[It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

23 It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing,

Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).

24 Scarcely have they been planted,

Scarcely have they been sown,

Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,

But He merely blows on them, and they wither,

And a strong wind carries them away like stubble.

25 “To whom then will you compare Me

That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high

And see who has created theseheavenly bodies,

The One who brings out their host by number,

He calls them all by name;

Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,

Not one is missing.

27 Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord,

And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth

Does not become tired or grow weary;

There is no searching of His understanding.

29 He gives strength to the weary,

And to him who has no might He increases power.

30 Even youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

31 But those who wait for the Lord[who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strengthandrenew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired.

Israel Encouraged

1 “Listen to Me in silence, you islandsandcoastlands,

And let the nations gain their strength;

Let them come near, then let them speak;

Let us come together for judgment [and decide the issue between us concerning the enemy from the east].

2 “Who has stirred upandput into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great]

Whom He calls in righteousness to His serviceandwhom victory meets at every step?

The Lordturns nations over to him

And subdues kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.

3 “He (Cyrus) pursues them and passes along safely,

By a way his feet had not traveled before.

4 “Who has performed and done this,

Calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning?

‘I, the Lord–the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]–I am He.’”

5 The islandsandcoastlands have seen and they fear;

The ends of the earth tremble;

They have drawn near and have come.

6 They each help his neighbor

And say to his brother [as he fashions his idols], “Be of good courage!”

7 So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith,

And he who smoothsmetalwith the smith’s hammerencourageshim who beats the anvil,

Saying of the soldering (welding), “That is good”;

And he fastens the idol with nails,

So that it will not totternorbe moved.

8 “But you, Israel, My servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

The offspring of Abraham My friend,

9 You whom I [the Lord] havetaken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its remotest parts

And said to you, ‘You are My servant,

I have chosen you and have not rejected you [even though you are exiled].

10 ‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you;

Do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;

I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’

11 “Indeed, all those who are angry with you will be put to shame and humiliated;

Those who strive against you will be as nothing and will perish.

12 “You shall search for those who quarrel with you, but will not find them;

They who war against you will be as nothing, as nothing at all.

13 “For I the Lordyour God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord],

Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;

I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 “In fact, I have made of you a new, sharpthreshing implement with sharp edges;

You will thresh the mountains and crush them,

And make the hills like chaff.

16 “You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,

And a high wind will scatter them;

But you will rejoice in the Lord,

You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 “The poor and needy are seeking water, but there is none;

Their tongues are parched with thirst.

I, the Lord, will answer them Myself;

I, the God of Israel, will not neglect them.

18 “I will open rivers on the barren heights

And springs in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a reed-pool of water

And the dry land springs of water.

19 “I will put the cedar in the wilderness,

The acacia, the myrtle and the olive tree;

I will place the juniper in the desert

Together with the box tree and the cypress,

20 So that they may see and know,

And consider and understand together,

That the hand of the Lordhas done this,

That the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21 “Present your case [for idols made by men’s hands],” says the Lord.

“Produce your evidence [of divinity],”

Says the king of Jacob.

22 Let them bring forward [their evidence] and tell us what is going to happen.

Regarding the former events, tell what they were,

That we may consider them and know their outcome;

Or announce to us the things that are going to come.

23 Tell us the things that are to come afterward,

That we may know that you are gods;

Indeed, you should dosomethinggood or do evil,that we may be afraid and fear [you] together [as we observe the miracle].

24 Hear this! You [idols] are less than nothing,

And your work is worthless;

The worshiper who chooses you [as a god] is repulsive.

25 “I have stirred upandput into actionone from the north [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great], and he has come;

From the rising of the sun he will call on My Name [in prayer].

And he will trample on [the Babylonian] officials as on mortar,

Even as a potter treads clay.”

26 Who [among the idols] has declared this from the beginning, so that we could know?

Or from earlier times, so that we could say,“He is[unquestionably] right!”?

In fact, there was no one who declared it,

Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it;

There was no one at all who heard you speak [for you pagan gods are speechless].

27 “I was first to say to Zion, ‘Listen carefully, here they are [the Jews who will be restored to their own land].’

And to Jerusalem, ‘I will provide a messenger (Isaiah) to bring the good news [that Cyrus will be stirred upandput into action to save them].’

28 “But when I look [on the pagan prophets and priests], there is no one [who could predict these events],

And there is no counseloramong them,

Who, if I ask, can give an answer.

29 “In fact, all of these [pagan prophets and priests] are false;

Their works are worthless,

Their cast images are [merely] wind and emptiness.

God’s Promise concerning His Servant

1 “Behold, MyServant, whom Iuphold;

My Chosen Onein whomMy soul delights.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 “He will not call out or shout aloud,

Nor make His voice heard in the street.

3 “A broken reed He will not break [off]

And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish [He will not harm those who are weak and suffering];

He will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed [in spirit];

[He will persevere] until He has established justice on the earth;

And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

5 This is what God the Lordsays,

He who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who spread out the earth and its produce,

Who gives breath to the people on it

And spirit to those who walk on it,

6 “I am the Lord, I have called You (the Messiah) in righteousness [for a righteous purpose],

I will also take You by the hand and keep watch over You,

And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people [Israel],

As a light to the nations (Gentiles),

7 To open the eyes of the blind,

To bring out prisoners from the dungeon

And those who sit in darkness from the prison.

8 “I am the Lord, that is My Name;

My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved idols.

9 “Indeed, the former things have come to pass,

Now I declare new things;

Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

10 Sing to the Lorda new song,

SingHis praise from the end of the earth!

You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

You islandsandcoastlands, and those who inhabit them [sing His praise]!

11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift uptheir voices,

The villages where Kedar lives.

Let the inhabitants ofSela shout for joy,

Let them shout joyfully from the tops of the mountains.

12 Let them give glory to the Lord

And declare His praise in the islandsandcoastlands.

13 The Lordwill go forth like a warrior,

He will stir upHiszeal like a man of war;

He will shout out, yes, He will raise a war cry.

He will prevail [mightily] against His enemies.

The Blindness of the People

14 “I [the Lord] have been silent for a long time,

I have been still and restrained Myself.

NowI will moan like a woman in labor,

I will both gasp and pant.

15 “I will lay waste the mountains and hills

And wither all their vegetation;

I will turn the rivers into coastlands

And dry up the ponds.

16 “I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;

I will guide them in paths that they do not know.

I will make darkness into light before them

And rugged places into plains.

These things I will do [for them],

And I will not leave them abandonedorundone.”

17 Those who trust in carved idols will be turned back,

And utterly put to shame,

Who say to cast images,

“You are our gods.”

18 Hear, you deaf!

And look, you blind, that you may see.

19 Who is blind but My servant [Israel],

Or deaf like My messenger whom I send?

Who is blind like the one who is at peacewith Me[in a covenant relationship],

Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;

Yourears are open, but no one hears.

21 The Lordwas pleased for His righteousness’ sake

To make the law great and prove to be glorious.

22 But this is a people despoiled and plundered;

All of them are trapped in holes,

Or are hidden away in prisons.

They have become a prey with no one to rescue them,

And a spoil, with no one to say, “Give them back!”

23 Who among you will listen to this?

Who will listen and pay attention in the time to come?

24 Who gave up Jacob [the kingdom of Judah] for spoil, and [the kingdom of] Israel to the plunderers?

Was it not the Lord, He against whom we [of Judah] have sinned,

And in whose ways they [of Israel] were unwilling to walk,

And whose lawandteaching they did not obey?

25 Therefore He poured out on Israel the heat of His anger

And the fierceness of battle;

And engulfed him in fire,

Yet he did not recognize [the lesson of repentance which the Assyrian conquest was intended to teach];

It burned him, but he did not take it to heart.

Israel Redeemed

1 But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.

3 “For I am the Lordyour God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom,

Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you.

4 “Because you are precious in My sight,

You are honored and I love you,

I will giveothermen in return for you andotherpeoples in exchange for your life.

5 “Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are scattered],

And gather you from the west.

6 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring My sons from far way

And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

7 Everyone who is called by My Name,

Whom I have created for My glory,

Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Israel Is God’s Witness

8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,

And the deaf, even though they have ears.

9 All the nations have gathered together

So that the peoples may be assembled.

Who among them (the idolaters) canpredict this [that Judah would return from captivity]

And proclaim to us the former events?

Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified,

Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], “It is the truth.”

10 “You are My witnesses,” declares 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,

And there will be none after Me.

11 “I, [only] I, am the Lord,

And there is no Savior besides Me.

12 “I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God],

And there was no strange (alien)godamong you;

Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans],” declares the Lord,

“That I am God.

13 “Even from eternity I am He,

And there is no one who can rescue from My hand;

I act, and who can revokeorreverse it?”

Babylon to Be Destroyed

14 This is what the Lordyour Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,

“For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon,

And I will bring down all of them as fugitives,

Even the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon], into the shipsover which they rejoiced.

15 “I am the Lord, your Holy One,

The Creator of Israel, your King.”

16 This is what the Lordsays,

He who makes a way through the sea

And a path through the mighty waters,

17 He who brings out the chariot and the horse,

The army and the mightywarrior,

(They will lie down together, they will not rise again;

They have been extinguished, they have been put out like alamp’swick):

18 “Do not remember the former things,

Or ponder the things of the past.

19 “Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even put a road in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

20 “The beasts of the field will honor Me,

Jackals and ostriches,

Because I have given waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My people, My chosen.

21 “The people whom I formed for Myself

Will make known My praise.

The Shortcomings of Israel

22 “Yet you have not called on Me [in prayer and worship], O Jacob;

But you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.

23 “You have not brought Me your sheeporgoats for your burnt offerings,

Nor honored Me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you with offerings,

Nor wearied you with [demands for offerings of] incense.

24 “You have not bought Me 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 wickedness.

25 “I,onlyI, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,

And I will not remember your sins.

26 “Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us pleadandargue our case together;

State yourposition,that you may be proved right.

27 “Your first father [Jacob] sinned,

And your spokesmen [the priests and the prophets–your mediators] have transgressed against Me.

28 “So I willprofane the officials of the sanctuary,

And I will consign Jacob to destruction and [I will subject] Israel to defamationandabuse.

The Blessings of Israel

1 “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,

And Israel, whom I have chosen:

2 This is what the Lordwho made you

And formed you from the womb, who will help you says,

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;

And Jeshurun (Israel, the upright one) whom I have chosen.

3 ‘For I will pour out water on him who is thirsty,

And streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring

And My blessing on your descendants;

4 And they will spring up among the grass

Like willows by the streams of water.’

5 “One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;

And another will name himself after Jacob;

And another will write on his hand, ‘I am the Lord’s,’

And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel.

6 “For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lordof hosts says this,

‘I am the First and I am the Last;

And there is no God besides Me.

7 ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim it and declare it;

Yes, let him confront Me,

Since I established the people of antiquity.

And let them [those supposed gods] tell those people [who foolishly follow them] the things to come

And the events that are going to take place.

8 ‘Do not tremble nor be afraid [of the violent upheavals to come];

Have I not long ago proclaimed it to you and declared it?

And you are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

There is nootherRock;

I know of none.’”

The Folly of Idolatry

9 All who make carved idols are nothing. Their precious objects are worthless [to them], and their own witnesses (worshipers) fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame.

10 Who has made a god or cast an idol which is profitable for nothing?

11 In fact, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble, let them stand up, let them be terrified, let them together be put to shame.

12 The ironsmith shapes ironanduses a chisel and works it over the coals. He forms the [idol’s] core with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He also becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and grows tired.

13 The carpenter stretches out a measuring line, he marks out the shape [of the idol] with red chalk; he works it with planes and outlines it with the compass; and he makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, that it may sit in a house.

14 He cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain nourishes it.

15 Then it becomesfuelfor a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god [from the same wood] and worships it. He makes it into a carved idol [with his own hands] and falls down and worships it!

16 He burns half of the wood in the fire; over this half he [cooks and] eats meat, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

17 But from what is left of the wood he makes a god, his carved idol. He falls down before it, he worships it and prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”

18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for God has muddied their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts (minds)as wellso that they cannot understand.

19 No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!”

20 That kind of man (the idolater) feeds on ashes [and is satisfied with ashes]! A deceived mind has led him astray, so that he cannot save himself, or ask, “Is this thing [that I am holding] in my right hand not a lie?”

God Forgives and Redeems

21 “Remember [the foolishness of] these things, O Jacob

And Israel, for you are My servant!

I formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

22 “I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud

And your sins like a heavy mist.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

23 Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lordhas done it!

Shout in triumph, you depths of the earth;

Break forth into jubilant rejoicing, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!

For the Lordhas redeemed Jacob,

And He shows His glory in Israel.

24 For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says this,

“I am the Lord, Maker of all things,

Who alone stretches out the heavens,

Who spreads out the earthby Myself,

25 Frustrating the signsandconfounding the omens of boasters (false prophets),

Making fools out offortune-tellers,

Counteracting the wise

And making their knowledge ridiculous,

26 Confirming the word of His servant

And carrying out the plan of His messengers.

It is Iwho says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be inhabited!’

And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall [again] be built.’

And I will raise upandrestore her ruins.

27 “It is Iwho says to the deep, ‘Be dried up!’

And I will make your rivers dry.

28 “It is Iwho says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler),

And he will carry out all that I desire–’

Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,’

And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.’”

God Uses Cyrus

1 This is what the Lordsays to His anointed, to Cyrus [king of Persia],

Whose right hand I have held

To subdue nations before him,

And I will ungird the loins of kings [disarming them];

To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

2 “I will go before you and level the mountains;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures]

And the hidden riches of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

4 “For the sake of Jacob My servant,

And of Israel My chosen,

I have also called you by your name;

I have given you an honorable name

Though you have not known Me.

5 “I am the Lord, and there is no one else;

There is no God except Me.

I will embraceandarm you, though you have not known Me,

6 That people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun [the world over]

That there is no one except Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other,

7 The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing peace and creating disaster;

I am the Lordwho does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

8 “Rain down, O heavens, from above,

Let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God];

Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit,

And righteousness spring up with it;

I, the Lord, have created it.

9 “Woe (judgment is coming) to him who quarrels with his Maker–

A [worthless] piece of broken pottery among other broken pieces [equally worthless]!

Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’

Or does the thing say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 “Woe (judgment is coming) to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’

Or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

11 For the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker says this,

“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,

And give Me orders concerning the work of My hands.

12 “I made the earth and created man upon it.

My hands, stretched out the heavens,

And I commanded all their host.

13 “I have stirred up Cyrusandput him into action in righteousness [to accomplish My purpose]

And I will make all his ways smooth;

He will build My city and let My exiles go,

Without any payment or reward,” says the Lordof hosts.

14 For this is what the Lordsays,

“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush (ancient Ethiopia)

And the Sabeans, men of stature,

Will come over to you and they will be yours;

They will walk behind you, in chains [of subjection to you] they will come over,

And they will bow down before you;

They will make supplication to you, [humbly and earnestly]saying,

‘Most certainly God is with you, and there is no other,

No other God [besides Him].’”

15 Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,

O God of Israel, Savior!

16 They will be put to shame and also humiliated, all of them;

They who make idols will go away together in humiliation.

17 Israel has been saved by the Lord

With an everlasting salvation;

You will not be put to shame or humiliated

for all eternity.

18 For the Lord, who created the heavens(He is God, who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited) says this,

“I am the Lord, and there is no one else.

19 “I have not spoken in secret,

In a corner of a land of darkness;

I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,

‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’

I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth–trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words],

Declaring things that are upright.

20 “Assemble yourselves and come;

Come together, you survivors of the nations!

They are ignorant,

Who carry around their wooden idols [in religious processions or into battle]

And keep on praying to a god that cannot save them.

21 “Declare and presentyour defense of idols;

Indeed, let them consult together.

Who announced this [rise of Cyrus and his conquests] long beforeit happened?

Who declared it long ago?

Was it not I, the Lord?

And there is no other God besides Me,

A [consistently and uncompromisingly] justandrighteous God and a Savior;

There is none except Me.

22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;

For I am God, and there is no other.

23 “I have sworn [an oath] by Myself,

The word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness

And shall not return,

That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance].

24 “It shall be said of Me, ‘Only in the Lordare righteousness and strength.’

To Him people will come,

And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.

25 “In the Lordall the offspring of Israel

Will be justified (declared free of guilt) and will glory [in God].”

Babylon’s Idols and the True God

1 Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;

Their idols are on the beasts [of burden] and on the cattle.

Your burdens [of idols] are loaded [on them],

Burdens on the wearyanimals.

2 They stooped over, they have bowed down together;

They could not rescue the burden [of their own idols],

But have themselves gone into captivity.

3 “Listen to Me,” [says the Lord], “O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

You who have been carriedby Mefrom your birth

And have been carried [in My arms] from the womb,

4 Even toyourold age I am He,

And even toyouradvanced old age I will carry you!

I have madeyou,and I will carryyou;

Be assured I will carryyouand I will saveyou.

5 “To whom would you liken Me

And make Me equal and compare Me,

That we may be alike?

6 “Those who lavish gold from the bag

And weigh out silver on the scales

Hire a goldsmith, and he makes itintoa god;

They bow down, indeed they worship it.

7 “They lift it on their shoulders [in religious processions or into battle] and carry it;

They set it in its place andthereit remains standing.

It cannot move from its place.

Even if one cries to it [for help], the idol cannot answer;

It cannot save him from his distress.

8 “Remember this, and take courage;

Take it to heart, you rebelliousanddisloyal people.

9 “Remember [carefully] the former things [which I did] from ages past;

For I am God, and there is no one else;

I amGod, and there is no one like Me,

10 Declaring the endandthe result from the beginning,

And from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done,

Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,

And I will do all that pleases Meandfulfills My purpose,’

11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,

From a far country, the man (Cyrus) of My purpose.

Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it,be assuredI will do it.

12 “Listen to Me, you stiff-neckedpeople,

You who are far from righteousness (right standing with God).

13 “I bring near My righteousness [in the salvation of Israel], it is not far away;

And My salvation will not delay.

And I will grant salvation in Zion,

And My glory for Israel.