Isaiah 43

Israel's Only Savior

1 But now thus says the Lord,
m he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
n "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
o I have called you by name, you are mine.
 2 p When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
p when you walk through fire q you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
 3 For r I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
s I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and t Seba in exchange for you.
 4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
 5 u Fear not, for I am with you;
v I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
 6 I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring w my sons from afar
and w my daughters from the end of the earth,
 7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

8 Bring out x the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
who are deaf, yet have ears!
 9 y All the nations gather together,
and the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this,
and show us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,
and let them hear and say, It is true.
 10 z "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord,
"and a my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
b Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.
 11 c I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.
 12 I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and z you are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and I am God.
 13 Also d henceforth I am he;
there is none who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can turn it back?"

14 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
e "For your sake I send to Babylon
and f bring them all down as fugitives,
g even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King."

16 Thus says the Lord,
h who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
 17 who i brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
j they are extinguished, k quenched like a wick:
 18 l "Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
 19 m Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
n I will make a way in the wilderness
o and rivers in the desert.
 20 The wild beasts will honor me,
p the jackals and the ostriches,
q for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
 21 the people whom I formed for myself
r that they might declare my praise.

22 "Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but s you have been weary of me, O Israel!
 23 t You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
s or wearied you with frankincense.
 24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.

25 "I, I am he
u who blots out v your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
 26 Put me in remembrance; w let us argue together;
set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
 27 x Your first father sinned,
and y your mediators transgressed against me.
 28 Therefore z I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
and a deliver Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:2
    Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
    Isaiah 44:21
    Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
    Isaiah 44:24
    Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:14
    Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord ; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:3 - 4
    I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
    Genesis 32:28
    Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.
  4. Cross References
    Psalms 66:12
    You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 66:12
    You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:25
    So he poured on him the heat of his anger and the might of battle; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand; it burned him up, but he did not take it to heart.
    Daniel 3:25
    He answered and said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
    Daniel 3:27
    And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 20:2
    I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:14
    Thus says the Lord : "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: 'Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.'
    Isaiah 52:3 - 4
    For thus says the Lord : "You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 72:10
    May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:10
    Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
    Isaiah 41:13 - 14
    For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you.
    Isaiah 44:2
    Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
    Jeremiah 30:10 - 11
    Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord, nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:12
    Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene.
    Isaiah 60:8 - 9
    Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?
    Psalms 107:3
    And gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
  12. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 6:18
    And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.
  13. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 6:18
    And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.
  14. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:19
    Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord ?
  15. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:1
    Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment.
    Isaiah 41:21 - 22
    Set forth your case, says the Lord ; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:12
    I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and I am God.
    Isaiah 44:8
    Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:1
    Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
  18. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:4
    Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:21
    Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord ? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.
    Hosea 13:4
    But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:10
    You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:4
    Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
    Psalms 90:2
    Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
    John 8:58
    Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:4
    Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 47:1
    Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 23:13
    Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 51:10
    Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
    Exodus 14:21 - 22
    Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
    Psalms 77:19
    Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
  26. Cross References
    Exodus 14:4 - 9
    And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." And they did so.
  27. Cross References
    Psalms 76:5 - 6
    The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands.
  28. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:31
    And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.
    Psalms 118:12
    They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
  29. Cross References
    Jeremiah 16:14
    "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,'
    Jeremiah 23:7
    "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, 'As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,'
  30. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:9
    Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.
    2 Corinthians 5:17
    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
    Revelation 21:5
    And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
  31. Cross References
    Isaiah 35:8
    And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
  32. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:18
    I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
    Isaiah 48:21
    They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out.
  33. Cross References
    Isaiah 13:22
    Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
  34. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:10
    They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.
  35. Cross References
    Psalms 79:13
    But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
    Psalms 22:3
    Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
    Psalms 105:1
    Oh give thanks to the Lord ; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
    Luke 1:74 - 75
    That we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear.
    1 Peter 2:9
    But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
  36. Cross References
    Micah 6:3
    O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
  37. Cross References
    Amos 5:25
    Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
  38. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:22
    Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
  39. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:22
    I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.
    Ezekiel 36:25 - 26
    I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
  40. Cross References
    Isaiah 46:8
    Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors.
  41. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:18
    Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord : though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
  42. Cross References
    Ezekiel 16:3
    And say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
  43. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:31
    The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
  44. Cross References
    Lamentations 2:2
    The Lord has swallowed up without mercy all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and its rulers.
  45. Cross References
    Jeremiah 24:9
    I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them.
    Jeremiah 29:22
    Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: "The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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