Isaías 49

Hør mig, I fjerne Strande, lyt til, I Folk i det fjerne! HERREN har fra Moders Liv kaldt mig, fra Moders Skød nævnet mit Navn;

til et skarpt Sværd gjorde han min Mund og skjulte mig i Skyggen af sin Hånd, til en sleben Pil har han gjort mig og gemt mig i sit Kogger,

Og nu siger HERREN, som danned mig fra Moders Liv til sin Tjener for at hjemføre Jakob til ham og samle Israel til ham og i HERRENs Øjne er jeg æret, min Gud er blevet min Styrke -

Så siger HERREN, Israels Genløser, dets Hellige, til den dybt foragtede, skyet af Folk, Herskernes Træl: Konger skal se det og rejse sig, Fyrster skal kaste sig ned for HERRENs Skyld, den trofaste, Israels Hellige, der udvælger dig.

Så siger HERREN: Jeg hører dig i Nådens Stund, jeg hjælper dig på Frelsens Dag, vogter dig og gør dig til Folkepagt for at rejse Landet igen, udskifte øde Lodder

de hungrer og tørster ikke, dem stikker ej Hede og Sol. Thi deres Forbarmer fører dem, leder dem til Kildevæld;

jeg gør alle Bjerge til Vej, og alle Stier skal højnes.

Se, nogle kommer langvejsfra, nogle fra Nord og Vest, nogle fra Sinims Land.

Jubler, I Himle, fryd dig, du Jord, I Bjerge, bryd ud i Jubel! Thi HERREN trøster sit Folk, forbarmer sig over sine arme.

Glemmer en Kvinde sit diende Barn, en Moder, hvad hun bar under Hjerte? Ja, selv om de kunde glemme, jeg glemmer ej dig.

Se, i mine Hænder har jeg tegnet dig, dine Mure har jeg altid for Øje.

Dine Børn kommer ilende; de, som nedbrød og lagde dig øde, går bort.

Løft Øjnene, se dig om, de samles, kommer alle til dig. Så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra HERREN: Du skal bære dem alle som Smykke, binde dem som Bruden sit Bælte.

Thi dine Tomter og Grusdynger, dit hærgede Land ja, nu er du Beboerne for trang; de, som åd dig, er borte;

Så siger den Herre HERREN: Se, jeg løfter min Hånd for Folkene, rejser mit Banner for Folkeslag, og de bringer dine Sønner i Favnen, dine Døtre bæres på Skulder.

Konger bliver Fosterfædre for dig, deres Dronninger skal være dine Ammer. De kaster sig på Ansigtet for dig, slikker dine Fødders Støv. Du skal kende, at jeg er HERREN; de, som bier på mig, bliver ikke til Skamme.

Kan Bytte fratages en Helt, kan den stærkes Fanger slippe bort?

Thi så siger HERREN: Om Fanger end fratages Helten, slipper Bytte end bort fra den stærke, jeg strider mod dem, der strider mod dig, og dine Børn vil jeg frelse.

Dem, der trænger dig, lader jeg æde deres eget Kød, deres Blod skal de drikke som Most; REN, er din Frelser, din Genløser Jakobs Vældige.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

And said unto me, Thou {art} my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: {yet} surely my judgment {is} with the LORD, and my work with my God. {my work: or, my reward}

And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb {to be} his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. {Though...: or, That Israel may be gathered to him, and I may, etc}

And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. {It is...: or, Art thou lighter than that thou shouldest, etc} {preserved: or, desolations}

Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, {and} his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, {and} the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. {whom man...: or, that is despised in soul}

Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; {establish: or, raise up}

That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that {are} in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures {shall be} in all high places.

They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. {that...: Heb. from having compassion}

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of {my} hands; thy walls {are} continually before me.

Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, {and} come to thee. {As} I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them {on thee}, as a bride {doeth}.

For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place {is} too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where {had} they {been}?

Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in {their} arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon {their} shoulders. {arms: Heb. bosom}

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with {their} face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I {am} the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. {nursing fathers: Heb. nourishers} {queens: Heb. princesses}

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? {lawful...: Heb. captivity of the just}

But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. {captives: Heb. captivity}

And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD {am} thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. {sweet: or, new}