Isaiah 49
1
Listen to me, k O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples l from afar.
m The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
2
n He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
o in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3
And he said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, p in whom I will be glorified."
4
q But I said, "I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
and my recompense with my God."
5
r And now the Lord says,
he m who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him -
for s I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength -
6
he says:
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
t I will make you u as a light for the nations,
that v my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
7
Thus says the Lord,
w the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
x to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers:
y "Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
8
Thus says the Lord:
z "In a a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you b and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
c to apportion the desolate heritages,
9
d saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,'
to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.'
e They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10
f they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them g will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
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h And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12
i Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, j these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene."
13
k Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord l has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
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But Zion said, m "The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me."
15
n "Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16
Behold, o I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
17
Your builders make haste;
p your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
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q Lift up your eyes around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
r As I live, declares the Lord,
s you shall put them all on as an ornament;
you shall bind them on as a bride does.
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"Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land -
t surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20
u The children of your bereavement
will yet say in your ears:
t 'The place is too narrow for me;
make room for me to dwell in.'
21
Then you will say in your heart:
'Who has borne me these?
u I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away,
but who has brought up these?
Behold, I was left alone;
from where have these come?'"
22
Thus says the Lord God:
"Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
v and raise my signal to the peoples;
w and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23
x Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
y With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and z lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
a those who wait for me b shall not be put to shame."
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Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
25
For thus says the Lord:
c "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.
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d I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk e with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
that f I am the Lord your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
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Cross References
Isaiah 11:11
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
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Cross References
Isaiah 33:13
Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
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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.
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Cross References
Isaiah 11:4
But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Hosea 6:5
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Revelation 1:16
In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
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Cross References
Isaiah 51:16
And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'
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Cross References
Isaiah 44:23
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.
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Cross References
Isaiah 65:23
They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them.
Isaiah 50:6 - 8
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
Isaiah 53:10 - 12
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
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Cross References
Isaiah 50:4
The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.
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Cross References
Isaiah 49:1
Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
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Cross References
Isaiah 52:13
Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
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Cross References
Acts 13:47
For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'
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Cross References
Isaiah 42:6
I am the Lord ; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.
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Cross References
Psalms 98:3
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
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Cross References
Isaiah 48:17
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.
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Cross References
Isaiah 49:1
Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 50:6 - 7
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
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Cross References
Isaiah 49:23
Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord ; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.
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Cross References
2 Corinthians 6:2
For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
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Cross References
Psalms 69:13
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
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Cross References
Isaiah 42:6
I am the Lord ; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.
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Cross References
Isaiah 61:4
They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
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Cross References
Isaiah 42:7
To open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
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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.
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Cross References
Revelation 7:16
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
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Cross References
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Isaiah 40:11
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
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Cross References
Isaiah 40:4
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
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Cross References
Isaiah 43:5 - 6
Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.
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Cross References
Psalms 107:3
And gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
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Cross References
Isaiah 44:23
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.
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Cross References
Isaiah 40:1
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
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Cross References
Isaiah 40:27
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"?
Isaiah 54:6
For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God.
Isaiah 62:4
You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.
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Cross References
Isaiah 43:1
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Psalms 27:10
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.
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Cross References
Song of Solomon 8:6
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.
Revelation 13:16
Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead.
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Cross References
Zechariah 1:18 - 21
And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns!
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Cross References
Isaiah 60:4
Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
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Cross References
Numbers 14:21
But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
Ezekiel 5:11
Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 43:12
I shall kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin, and he shall go away from there in peace.
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Cross References
Zechariah 10:10
I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them.
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Cross References
Isaiah 54:1
Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the Lord.
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Cross References
Isaiah 49:19
Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land - surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
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Cross References
Isaiah 49:20
The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in.
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Cross References
Isaiah 11:12
He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
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Cross References
Isaiah 14:2
And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord 's land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.
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Cross References
Isaiah 60:3
And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60:16
You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
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Cross References
Isaiah 60:14
The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
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Cross References
Psalms 72:9
May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!
Micah 7:17
They shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall be in fear of you.
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Cross References
Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
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Cross References
Psalms 25:3
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Joel 2:27
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
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Cross References
Matthew 12:29
Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Luke 11:21 - 22
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe.
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Cross References
Isaiah 9:20
They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm.
Zechariah 11:9
So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.
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Cross References
Revelation 14:20
And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
Revelation 16:6
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!
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Cross References
Isaiah 43:3
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
Exodus 20:2
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.