49 Listen to me, you islands.
    Listen carefully, you people who live far away.
The Lord called me to serve him
    before I was born.
Before my mother gave birth,
    he used my name to speak to me.
² The message that he gave me to speak
    was like a sharp sword.
He kept me safe in his hand.
He made me like a sharp arrow
    that he keeps safe and ready to use.
³ He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel.
    Because of you, I will cause people to know that I am great.’