Isaiah 49

The Servant of the Lord

1 Listen to me, *See ch. 11:11O coastlands,

and give attention, you peoples *ch. 33:13from afar.

*See ch. 44:2The Lord called me from the womb,

from the body of my mother he named my name.

2 *ch. 11:4;Hos. 6:5;[Heb. 4:12;Rev. 1:16] He made my mouth like a sharp sword;

*ch. 51:16in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me a polished arrow;

in his quiver he hid me away.

3 And he said to me, "You are my servant,

Israel, *ch. 44:23in whom I will be glorified."*49:3 Or I will display my beauty

4 *[ch. 65:23]; See ch. 50:6-8;53:10-12But I said, "I have labored in vain;

I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;

yet surely my right is with the Lord,

and my recompense with my God."

5 *[ch. 50:4] And now the Lord says,

he *[See ver. 1above] who formed me from the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him;

and that Israel might be gathered to him—

for *[ch. 52:13]I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,

and my God has become my strength—

6 he says:

"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

*Cited Acts 13:47I will make you *ch. 42:6as a light for the nations,

that *[Ps. 98:3]my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

7 Thus says the Lord,

*ch. 48:17the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,

*ver. 1;ch. 53:3;[ch. 50:6,7] to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,

the servant of rulers:

*ver. 23"Kings shall see and arise;

princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;

because of the Lord, who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

The Restoration of Israel

8 Thus says the Lord:

*Cited 2 Cor. 6:2"In a *Ps. 69:13time of favor I have answered you;

in a day of salvation I have helped you;

I will keep you *ch. 42:6and give you

as a covenant to the people,

to establish the land,

*ch. 61:4to apportion the desolate heritages,

9 *ch. 42:7saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’

*[ch. 41:18]They shall feed along the ways;

on all bare heights shall be their pasture;

10 *Cited Rev. 7:16they shall not hunger or thirst,

neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,

for he who has pity on them *Rev. 7:17;See ch. 40:11will lead them,

and by springs of water will guide them.

11 *[ch. 40:4]And I will make all my mountains a road,

and my highways shall be raised up.

12 *ch. 43:5,6Behold, these shall come from afar,

and behold, *[Ps. 107:3]these from the north and from the west,*49:12 Hebrew from the sea

and these from the land of Syene."*49:12 Dead Sea Scroll; Masoretic Text Sinim

13 *See ch. 44:23Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;

break forth, O mountains, into singing!

For the Lord*ch. 40:1has comforted his people

and will have compassion on his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, *[ch. 40:27;54:6;62:4]"The Lord has forsaken me;

my Lord has forgotten me."

15 *[ch. 43:1;Ps. 27:10]"Can a woman forget her nursing child,

that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

16 Behold, *Song 8:6;Rev. 13:16I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me.

17 Your builders make haste;*49:17 Dead Sea Scroll; Masoretic Text Your children make haste

*See Zech. 1:18-21your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.

18 *ch. 60:4Lift up your eyes around and see;

they all gather, they come to you.

*Num. 14:21;See Ezek. 5:11As I live, declares the Lord,

*[Jer. 43:12]you shall put them all on as an ornament;

you shall bind them on as a bride does.

19 "Surely your waste and your desolate places

and your devastated land—

*[Zech. 10:10]surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants,

and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

20 *ch. 54:1The children of your bereavement

will yet say in your ears:

*[See ver. 19above]‘The place is too narrow for me;

make room for me to dwell in.’

21 Then you will say in your heart:

‘Who has borne me these?

*[See ver. 20above]I was bereaved and barren,

exiled and put away,

but who has brought up these?

Behold, I was left alone;

from where have these come?’"

22 Thus says the Lord God:

"Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,

*ch. 11:12and raise my signal to the peoples;

*ch. 14:2and they shall bring your sons in their arms,*49:22 Hebrew in their bosom

and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

23 *ch. 60:3,16Kings shall be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

*ch. 60:14With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,

and *Ps. 72:9;[Mic. 7:17] lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the Lord;

*[ch. 40:31] those who wait for me *Ps. 25:3;Joel 2:27shall not be put to shame."

24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty,

or the captives of a tyrant*49:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Syriac, Vulgate (see also verse 25); Masoretic Text of a righteous man be rescued?

25 For thus says the Lord:

*[Matt. 12:29;Luke 11:21,22]"Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,

and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,

for I will contend with those who contend with you,

and I will save your children.

26 *[ch. 9:20;Zech. 11:9] I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,

and they shall be drunk *[Rev. 14:20;16:6] with their own blood as with wine.

Then all flesh shall know

that *ch. 43:3;See Ex. 20:2I am the Lord your Savior,

and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."