Isaiah

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.

1Listen to me, you lands across the sea. Pay attention, you peoples far away. The LORD called me before I was born. While I was still inside my mother, he spoke my name.

2And 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;

2He made my mouth like a sharp sword. He hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me like a smooth, polished arrow and kept me hidden in his arrow case.

3And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

3He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel. Through you I will show how great I am."

4Then 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.

4Then I said, "I have worked hard for nothing. I have used up my strength and gained nothing at all. Yet the LORD will judge my case fairly, and my reward is with my God."

5And 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.

5Now the LORD speaks, the one who shaped me before birth to be his servant. He sent me to bring Jacob's people back to him. Even if Israel is not gathered in, the LORD still honors me, and my God is my strength.

NoteThe Hebrew here can be read two ways, and old copies differ: either "though Israel is not gathered" (the KJV reading) or "so that Israel may be gathered to him." Both readings are ancient.

6And 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.

6He said, "It is too small a task for you just to be my servant who lifts up the tribes of Jacob and brings back the people of Israel I kept safe. I will also make you a light for the other nations, so that my rescue reaches the ends of the earth."

7Thus 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.

7The LORD, the one who buys Israel back, the Holy One of Israel, speaks to the man people look down on, the man his own nation cannot stand, the servant of rulers. He says, "Kings will see you and stand up. Princes will bow down. This will happen because the LORD is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and he has chosen you."

8Thus 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;

8This is what the LORD says: "At the right time I answered you. On the day I rescued you, I helped you. I will keep you safe and make you the sign of my promise to the people. Through you I will put the land right again and hand out the ruined places as their own."

9That 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.

9You will say to the prisoners, "Come out," and to those sitting in the dark, "Come into the light." They will find food along the roads and grass to eat on every bare hill.

10They 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.

10They will not be hungry or thirsty. The burning heat and the sun will not beat down on them. The one who cares for them will lead them and guide them to springs of water.

11And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

11I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be built up high.

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

12Look, they will come from far away. Some will come from the north, some from the west, and some from the land of Sinim.

NoteSinim is a faraway land; nobody today is certain which one. Some old copies read Aswan, in southern Egypt. The point is that the people come from a great distance.

13Sing, 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.

13Sing, sky! Be glad, earth! Burst into song, mountains! The LORD has comforted his people, and he will be kind to those who are suffering.

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

14But Zion, the city of Jerusalem, said, "The LORD has left me. My Lord has forgotten me."

15Can 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.

15Can a mother forget the baby she is nursing? Can she stop loving the child she gave birth to? Even if she could forget, I will never forget you.

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

16Look, I have carved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are always right in front of me.

17Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

17Your children are hurrying back to you. The ones who tore you down and wrecked you are leaving.

18Lift 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.

18Look around you and see. They are all gathering together and coming to you. "As surely as I live," says the LORD, "you will wear them all like jewelry, the way a bride puts on her ornaments."

19For 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.

19Your ruined and empty places, your wrecked land, will now be too small for all the people living there. The ones who swallowed you up will be far away.

20The 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.

20The children born to you after you lost the others will say where you can hear them, "This place is too small for me. Make room for me to live here."

21Then 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?

21Then you will say to yourself, "Who gave me these children? I lost my children and could have no more. I was taken away and moved from place to place. Who raised these? I was left all alone, so where did they come from?"

22Thus 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.

22This is what the Lord GOD says: "Look, I will raise my hand to signal the nations. I will lift up my flag for the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders."

23And 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.

23Kings will care for you like fathers, and their queens will care for you like mothers. They will bow to you with their faces to the ground and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD. No one who waits for me will be put to shame.

Note"Nursing fathers" in the KJV does not mean fathers feeding babies. It means guardians who raise and protect a child, the way a foster parent would.

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

24Can stolen goods be taken back from a strong soldier? Can prisoners be rescued from a fierce man?

25But 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.

25But this is what the LORD says: "Yes, the prisoners will be taken back from the strong soldier, and the stolen goods will be pulled away from the fierce one. I will fight against anyone who fights you, and I will save your children."

26And 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.

26I will make the people who hurt you eat their own flesh. They will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were sweet wine. Then everyone alive will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, the one who buys you back, the Mighty One of Jacob.