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The Lord Has Rescued His People

43 Descendants of Jacob,
I, the Lord, created you
    and formed your nation.
Israel, don't be afraid.
    I have rescued you.
I have called you by name;
    now you belong to me.
When you cross deep rivers,
I will be with you,
    and you won't drown.
When you walk through fire,
you won't be burned
    or scorched by the flames.

I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
    the God who saves you.
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia,[a]
and the region of Seba[b]
    in exchange for you.
To me, you are very dear,
    and I love you.
That's why I gave up nations
    and people to rescue you.

Don't be afraid! I am with you.
From both east and west
    I will bring you together.
I will say to the north
    and to the south,
“Free my sons and daughters!
Let them return
    from distant lands.
They are my people—
I created each of them
    to bring honor to me.”

The Lord Alone Is God

The Lord said:

Bring my people together.
They have eyes and ears,
    but they can't see or hear.
Tell everyone of every nation
    to gather around.
None of them can honestly say,
    “We told you so!”
If someone heard them say this,
    then tell us about it now.

10 My people, you are my witnesses
    and my chosen servant.
I want you to know me,
to trust me, and understand
    that I alone am God.
I have always been God;
    there can be no others.

11 I alone am the Lord;
    only I can rescue you.
12 I promised to save you,
    and I kept my promise.
You are my witnesses
that no other god did this.
    I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 I am God now and forever.
No one can snatch you from me
    or stand in my way.

The Lord Will Prepare the Way

14 I, the Lord, will rescue you!
I am Israel's holy God,
    and this is my promise:
For your sake, I will send
    an army against Babylon
to drag its people away,
    crying as they go.[c]

15 I am the Lord, your holy God,
    Israel's Creator and King.
16 I am the one who cut a path
    through the mighty ocean.
17 I sent an army to chase you
    with chariots and horses;
now they lie dead,
    unable to move.
They are like an oil lamp
    with the flame snuffed out.

Forget the Past

The Lord said:

18 Forget what happened long ago!
    Don't think about the past.
19 I am creating something new.
    There it is! Do you see it?
I have put roads in deserts,
    streams[d] in thirsty lands.
20 Every wild animal honors me,
    even jackals[e] and owls.
I provide water in deserts—
streams in thirsty lands
    for my chosen people.
21 I made them my own nation,
    so they would praise me.

22 I, the Lord, said to Israel:
You have become weary of me,
    but not from worshiping me.
23 You have not honored me
by sacrificing sheep
    or other animals.
And I have not burdened you
with demands for sacrifices
    or sweet-smelling incense.

24 You have not brought
    delicious spices for me
or given me the best part
    of your sacrificed animals.
Instead, you burden me down
    with your terrible sins.
25 But I wipe away your sins
    because of who I am.
And so, I will forget
    the wrongs you have done.

26 Meet me in court!
State your case and prove
    that you are right.
27 Your earliest ancestor[f]
and all your leaders[g]
    rebelled against me.
28 That's why I don't allow
    your priests to serve me;
I let Israel be destroyed
    and your people disgraced.

Footnotes

  1. 43.3 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
  2. 43.3 Seba: A region in southwest Arabia. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba probably stood for all that was known of Africa in biblical times.
  3. 43.14 crying as they go: Or “in their glorious ships.”
  4. 43.19 streams: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “paths.”
  5. 43.20 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller.
  6. 43.27 earliest ancestor: Jacob, also known as Israel.
  7. 43.27 leaders: Probably prophets, but perhaps also priests and kings.

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