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 Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken, ye peoples, from far, The LORD has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother he has remembered my name.

2 And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; with the shadow of his hand he has covered me, and made me a clean arrow; in his quiver he has kept me.

3 And he said unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O Israel; in thee I will glory.

4 But I said, I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing, and in vain; [yet] surely my judgment [is] before the LORD and my recompense with my God.

5 And now, saith the LORD, he that formed me from the womb [to be] his servant, so that Jacob might be converted unto him. But [if] Israel will not be gathered, even so, yet I shall be esteemed in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou should be my servant to wake up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the desolations of Israel; I have also given thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou may be my saving health unto the end of the earth.

7 Thus has the LORD said, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the Gentiles abhor, to the servant of the tyrants, Kings shall see and be raised up as princes and shall worship because of the LORD, for faithful is the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen thee.

8 Thus has the LORD said, In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of saving health I have helped thee; and I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of people, that thou might awaken the earth, that thou might inherit [the] desolate heritages;

9 that thou may say to the prisoners, Go forth; and unto those that [are] in darkness, Show yourselves. Upon the ways shall they be fed, and upon all the high places [shall be] their pastures.

10 They shall never hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that has mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water he shall feed them.

11 And I will turn all my mountains [into] a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

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

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

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

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Even though they may forget, I will not forget thee.

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

17 Thy builders shall come in haste; thy destroyers and those that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 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 thyself with them all, as with a garment of honour and shalt be girded by them as a bride.

19 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 those that destroyed thee shall be separated far away.

20 Even thy sons which were fatherless, shall say in thine ears, The place [is] too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who has begotten me these, seeing I had lost my children and [was] desolate, a stranger removed from my land? and who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where [had] they [been]?

22 Thus has the Lord GOD said, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles and raise up my banner [as an example] to the peoples: and they shall bring thy sons in [their] arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon [their] shoulders.

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers and their princesses 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 those that wait for me shall not be ashamed.

24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

25 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 contends with thee, and I will save thy sons.

26 And I will feed those 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.: