1 Listen, islands, to me.

Listen, you peoples, from afar:

Yahweh has called me from the womb;

from the inside of my mother, he has mentioned my name.

2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword.

He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.

He has made me a polished shaft.

He has kept me close in his quiver.

3 He said to me, "You are my servant,

Israel, in whom I will be glorified."

4 But I said, "I have labored in vain.

I have spent my strength in vain for nothing;

yet surely the justice due to me is with Yahweh,

and my reward with my God."

5 Now Yahweh, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,

says to bring Jacob again to him,

and to gather Israel to him,

for I am honorable in Yahweh’s eyes,

and my God has become my strength.

6 Indeed, he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,

and to restore the preserved of Israel.

I will also give you as a light to the nations,

that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth."

7 Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One,

says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers:

"Kings shall see and rise up,

princes, and they shall worship,

because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

8 Yahweh says, "I have answered you in an acceptable time.

I have helped you in a day of salvation.

I will preserve you and give you for a covenant of the people,

to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage,

9 saying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’;

to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’

"They shall feed along the paths,

and their pasture shall be on all treeless heights.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst;

neither shall the heat nor sun strike them,

for he who has mercy on them will lead them.

He will guide them by springs of water.

11 I will make all my mountains a road,

and my highways shall be exalted.

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 Sing, heavens, and be joyful, earth!

Break out into singing, mountains!

For Yahweh has comforted his people,

and will have compassion on his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, "Yahweh has forsaken me,

and the Lord has forgotten me."

15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child,

that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Yes, these may forget,

yet I will not forget you!

16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

Your walls are continually before me.

17 Your children hurry.

Your destroyers and those who devastated you will leave you.

18 Lift up your eyes all around, and see:

all these gather themselves together, and come to you.

As I live," says Yahweh, "you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament,

and dress yourself with them, like a bride.

19 "For, as for your waste and your desolate places,

and your land that has been destroyed,

surely now that land will be too small for the inhabitants,

and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

20 The children of your bereavement will say in your ears,

‘This place is too small for me.

Give me a place to live in.’

21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children

and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth?

Who has brought these up?

Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’"

22 The Lord Yahweh says, "Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,

and lift up my banner to the peoples.

They shall bring your sons in their bosom,

and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

23 Kings shall be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth,

and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am Yahweh;

and those who wait for me won’t be disappointed."

24 Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty,

or the lawful captives be delivered?

25 But Yahweh says, "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,

and the plunder retrieved from the fierce,

for I will contend with him who contends with you

and I will save your children.

26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh;

and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine.

Then all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior

and your 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 k 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 k 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 k 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.