God Promises to Rescue His People
1 Israel, the Lord who created you says,
“Do not be afraid—I will save you.
I have called you by name—you are mine.
2 When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
When you pass through fire, you will not be burned;
the hard trials that come will not hurt you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the holy God of Israel, who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.
4 I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honor.
5 Do not be afraid—I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.
6 I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
7 They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
Israel Is the Lord's Witness
8 God says,
“Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!
9 Summon the nations to come to the trial.
Which of their gods can predict the future?
Which of them foretold what is happening now?
Let these gods bring in their witnesses
to prove that they are right,
to testify to the truth of their words.
10 “People of Israel, you are my witnesses;
I chose you to be my servant,
so that you would know me and believe in me
and understand that I am the only God.
Besides me there is no other god;
there never was and never will be.
11 “I alone am the Lord,
the only one who can save you.
12 I predicted what would happen,
and then I came to your aid.
No foreign god has ever done this;
you are my witnesses.
13 I am God and always will be.
No one can escape from my power;
no one can change what I do.”
Escape from Babylon
14 Israel's holy God, the Lord who saves you, says,
“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;
I will break down the city gates,
and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.
15 I am the Lord, your holy God.
I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”
16 Long ago the Lord made a road through the sea,
a path through the swirling waters.
17 He led a mighty army to destruction,
an army of chariots and horses.
Down they fell, never to rise,
snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!
18 But the Lord says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19 Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
20 Even the wild animals will honor me;
jackals and ostriches will praise me
when I make rivers flow in the desert
to give water to my chosen people.
21 They are the people I made for myself,
and they will sing my praises!”
Israel's Sin
22 The Lord says,
“But you were tired of me, Israel;
you did not worship me.
23 You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you by demanding offerings
or wear you out by asking for incense.
24 You didn't buy incense for me
or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.
Instead you burdened me with your sins;
you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.
25 And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,
and I do this because of who I am.
I will not hold your sins against you.
26 “Let us go to court; bring your accusation!
Present your case to prove you are in the right!
27 Your earliest ancestor sinned;
your leaders sinned against me,
28 and your rulers profaned my sanctuary.
So I brought destruction on Israel;
I let my own people be insulted.”
1 But nowe thus sayeth the Lord, that created thee, O Iaakob: and hee that formed thee, O Israel, Feare not: for I haue redeemed thee: I haue called thee by thy name, thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I wil be with thee, and through the floods, that they doe not ouerflowe thee. When thou walkest through the very fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle vpon thee. 3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, thy Sauiour: I gaue Egypt for thy ransome, Ethiopia, and Seba for thee. 4 Because thou wast precious in my sight, and thou wast honourable, and I loued thee, therefore will I giue man for thee, and people for thy sake. 5 Feare not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy seede from the East, and gather thee from the West. 6 I will say to the North, Giue: and to the South, Keepe not backe: bring my sonnes from farre, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. 7 Euery one shall be called by my Name: for I created him for my glorie, formed him and made him. 8 I will bring foorth the blinde people, and they shall haue eyes, and the deafe, and they shall haue eares. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this and shewe vs former things? let them bring foorth their witnesses, that they may be iustified: but let them heare, and say, It is truth. 10 You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my seruant, whom I haue chosen: therefore yee shall knowe and beleeue me and yee shall vnderstand that I am: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, euen I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Sauiour. 12 I haue declared, and I haue saued, and I haue shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore you are my witnesses, sayeth the Lord, that I am God. 13 Yea, before the day was, I am, and there is none that can deliuer out of mine hand: I will doe it, and who shall let it? 14 Thus sayeth the Lord your redeemer, the holy one of Israel, For your sake I haue sent to Babel, and brought it downe: they are all fugitiues, and the Chaldeans crie in the shippes. 15 I am the Lord your holy one, the creator of Israel, your King. 16 Thus sayeth the Lord which maketh a way in the Sea, and a path in the mighty waters. 17 When hee bringeth out the charet and horse, the armie and the power lie together, and shall not rise: they are extinct, and quenched as towe. 18 Remember yee not the former things, neither regard the things of olde. 19 Behold, I do a new thing: now shall it come foorth: shall you not knowe it? I wil euen make a way in the desert, and floods in the wildernesse. 20 The wilde beastes shall honour mee, the dragons and the ostriches, because I gaue water in the desert, and floods in the wildernesse to giue drinke to my people, euen to mine elect. 21 This people haue I formed for my selfe: they shall shewe foorth my praise. 22 And thou hast not called vpon mee, O Iaakob, but thou hast wearied me, O Israel. 23 Thou hast not brought me the sheepe of thy burnt offrings, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I haue not caused thee to serue with an offring, nor wearied thee with incense. 24 Thou boughtest mee no sweete sauour with money, neither hast thou made mee drunke with the fatte of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made mee to serue with thy sinnes, and wearied mee with thine iniquities. 25 I, euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake, and will not remember thy sinnes. 26 Put me in remembrance: let vs be iudged together: count thou that thou maist be iustified. 27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers haue transgressed against me. 28 Therefore I haue prophaned the rulers of the Sanctuarie, and haue made Iaakob a curse, and Israel a reproche.