1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye peoples from afar. Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hath concealed me under the shadow of his hand, and he hath made me a polished shaft: in his quiver hath he hidden me.3 And he said unto me, Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will glorify myself.4 -And I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and in vain; nevertheless my judgment is with Jehovah, and my work with my God.5 And now, saith Jehovah, that formed me from the womb to be his servant, that I should bring Jacob again to him; (though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorified in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God shall be my strength;)6 -and he saith, It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I have even given thee for a light of the nations, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.7 Thus saith Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes, and they shall worship, because of Jehovah who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee.8 Thus saith Jehovah: In a time of acceptance have I answered thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the land, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;9 saying to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pasture shall be on all bare hills.10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them will lead them, and by the springs of water will he guide them.11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be raised up.12 Behold, these shall come from afar; and behold, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.13 Shout, ye heavens; and be joyful, thou earth; and break forth into singing, ye mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted ones.14 But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me.15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Even these forget, but I will not forget thee.16 Lo, I have graven thee upon the palms of {my} hands; thy walls are continually before me.17 Thy sons shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that laid thee waste shall go forth from thee.18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt indeed clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and bind them on as a bride doth.19 For {in} thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy destroyed land, thou shalt even now be too straitened by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.20 The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too narrow for me: make room for me, that I may dwell.21 And thou shalt say in thy heart, Who hath borne me these, seeing I had lost my children and was desolate, an exile, and driven about? and who hath brought up these? behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?22 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my banner to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in {their} bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon the shoulder.23 And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their princesses thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with the face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I {am} Jehovah; for they shall not be ashamed who wait on me.24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty? and shall he that is rightfully captive be delivered?25 For thus saith Jehovah: Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; and I will strive with him that striveth with thee, and I will save thy children.26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with new wine. And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, {am} thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
1 Hoor na My, eilande, en luister, volke wat ver is! Die HERE het My geroep van die moederskoot af, van my geboorte af het Hy my naam genoem.2 En Hy het my mond gemaak soos 'n skerp swaard, in die skaduwee van sy hand het Hy My verberg; en Hy het My 'n skerp pyl gemaak, in sy pylkoker My weggesteek;3 en Hy het vir My gesê: Jy is my kneg, Israel, in wie Ek My verheerlik.4 Maar Âk het gesê: Tevergeefs het Ek My vermoei, my krag vir niks en vrugteloos verteer! Nogtans is my reg by die HERE, en my loon is by my God.5 En nou sê die HERE wat My van die moederskoot af geformeer het om sy Kneg te wees, om Jakob na Hom terug te bring en dat Israel by Hom versamel mag word -- en Ek word geëer in die oë van die HERE, en my God is my sterkte --6 Hy het gesê: Dit is te gering dat U my Kneg sou wees om op te rig die stamme van Jakob en terug te bring die gespaardes in Israel: Ek het U gemaak tot 'n lig van die nasies, om my heil te wees tot aan die einde van die aarde.7 So sê die HERE, die Verlosser van Israel, sy Heilige, aan die diep veragte, aan Hom wat 'n afsku is by die volk, 'n Kneg van die heersers: Konings sal dit sien en opstaan, vorste, en hulle sal hul neerbuig ter wille van die HERE wat getrou is, van die Heilige van Israel wat U uitverkies het.8 So sê die HERE: In die tyd van die welbehae het Ek U verhoor, en in die dag van heil het Ek U gehelp; en Ek behoed U en gee U as 'n verbond van die volk, om die land weer op te rig, om verwoeste erfenisse te laat beërwe;9 om te sê aan die gevangenes: Gaan uit! aan hulle wat in duisternis is: Kom te voorskyn! By die paaie sal hulle wei, en op al die kaal heuwels sal hulle weiveld wees.10 Hulle sal geen honger en geen dors hê nie, en die woestyngloed en die son sal hulle nie steek nie; want hulle Ontfermer sal hulle lei en hulle saggies aanbring na die fonteine van water.11 En Ek sal al my berge tot 'n weg maak, en my grootpaaie sal opgevul wees.12 Kyk, hulle hi,r kom van ver, en kyk, hulle d r kom van die noorde en van die weste, en hulle d r kom uit die land van die Siniete.13 Jubel, o hemele, en juig, aarde; en berge breek uit in gejubel! Want die HERE het sy volk getroos en ontferm Hom oor sy ellendiges.14 Maar Sion sê: Die HERE het my verlaat, en die Here het my vergeet!15 Kan 'n vrou haar suigling vergeet, dat sy haar nie ontferm oor die seun van haar skoot nie? Ofskoon hulle sou vergeet, nogtans sal Âk jou nie vergeet nie!16 Kyk, Ek het jou in die handpalms gegraveer; jou mure is gedurig voor My.17 Jou seuns kom gou, maar jou verwoesters en jou vernielers sal van jou af wegtrek.18 Slaan jou oë rondom op en kyk: hulle almal kom bymekaar, hulle kom na jou toe! So waar as Ek leef, spreek die HERE, sekerlik sal jy hulle almal aansit soos 'n versiersel, hulle ombind soos 'n bruid.19 Want jou puinhope en jou verwoeste plekke en jou verwoeste land -- sekerlik, nou sal jy te nou wees vir die inwoners, en die wat jou verslind het, is ver weg!20 Nog sal die kinders waarvan jy beroof is, voor jou ore sê: Die plek is te nou vir my; maak vir my plek, dat ek kan woon!21 Dan sal jy in jou hart sê: Wie het vir my hierdie kinders gebaar, aangesien ek kinderloos en onvrugbaar was, verban en verstote? En wie het hulle grootgemaak? Kyk, ek het toe alleen oorgebly; hierdie kinders -- waar was hulle?22 So sê die Here HERE: Kyk, Ek sal my hand ophef na die nasies en my banier opsteek na die volke; dan sal hulle jou seuns aan die boesem bring, en jou dogters sal op die skouer gedra word;23 en konings sal jou oppassers wees, hulle vorstinne jou pleegmoeders; hulle sal voor jou neerbuig met die aangesig na die aarde toe en die stof van jou voete lek; en jy sal weet dat Ek die HERE is, dat hulle nie beskaamd staan wat My verwag nie.24 Sal van 'n held die buit afgeneem word? Of sal die gevangenes van 'n regverdige ontvlug?25 Waarlik, so sê die HERE: Ja, die gevangenes van die held sal afgeneem word, en die buit van die tiran sal ontvlug; en jou bestryder sal Âk bestry en jou kinders sal Ek verlos.26 En Ek sal jou verdrukkers hulle eie vlees laat eet, en van hulle eie bloed sal hulle dronk word soos van mos. Dan sal alle vlees gewaar word dat Ek, die HERE, jou Heiland is, en jou Verlosser die Magtige van Jakob.