Chapter 49

Listen,³ O isles, unto me; and hearken,⁵⁴ ye people, from far; The LORD hath called¹ me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention⁵² of my name.

And he hath made⁴ my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid⁵² me, and made⁴ me a polished⁷ shaft; in his quiver hath he hid⁵² me;

And said⁴ unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.¹⁰¹

Then I said,¹ I have laboured¹ in vain, I have spent¹⁴ my strength for nought, and in vain: [yet] surely my judgment [is] with the LORD, and my work with my God.

And now, saith¹ the LORD that formed⁶ me from the womb [to be] his servant, to bring Jacob again³² to him, Though Israel be not gathered,¹¹ yet shall I be glorious¹¹ in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

And he said,⁴ It is a light thing⁸ that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up⁵³ the tribes of Jacob, and to restore⁵³ the preserved^{7 5336} of Israel: I will also give¹ thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Thus saith¹ the LORD, the Redeemer⁶ of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth,¹⁸ to a servant of rulers,⁶ Kings shall see⁴ and arise,¹ princes also shall worship,¹⁰¹ because of the LORD that is faithful,¹² [and] the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose⁴ thee.

Thus saith¹ the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard¹ thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped¹ thee: and I will preserve⁴ thee, and give⁴ thee for a covenant of the people, to establish⁵³ the earth, to cause to inherit⁵³ the desolate⁶ heritages;

That thou mayest say² to the prisoners,⁷ Go forth;³ to them that [are] in darkness, Shew¹⁰ yourselves. They shall feed⁴ in the ways, and their pastures [shall be] in all high places.

They shall not hunger⁴ nor thirst;⁴ neither shall the heat nor sun smite⁵⁵ them: for he that hath mercy¹⁸ on them shall lead¹⁷ them, even by the springs of water shall he guide¹⁷ them.

And I will make¹ all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.⁴

Behold, these shall come⁴ from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

Sing,³ O heavens; and be joyful,³ O earth; and break forth³ into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted¹⁴ his people, and will have mercy¹⁷ upon his afflicted.

But Zion said,⁴ The LORD hath forsaken¹ me, and my Lord hath forgotten¹ me.

Can a woman forget⁴ her sucking child, that she should not have compassion¹⁵ on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget,⁴ yet will I not forget⁴ thee.

Behold, I have graven¹ thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls [are] continually before me.

Thy children shall make haste;¹⁴ thy destroyers¹⁸ and they that made thee waste⁵⁶ shall go forth⁴ of thee.

Lift up³ thine eyes round about, and behold:³ all these gather themselves together,⁸ [and] come¹ to thee. [As] I live, saith⁷ the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe⁴ thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind¹⁷ them [on thee], as a bride [doeth].

For thy waste and thy desolate places,⁶ and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow⁴ by reason of the inhabitants,⁶ and they that swallowed thee up¹⁸ shall be far away.¹

The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say⁴ again in thine ears, The place [is] too strait for me: give place³ to me that I may dwell.⁴

Then shalt thou say¹ in thine heart, Who hath begotten¹ me these, seeing I have lost my children,⁷ and am desolate, a captive,⁶ and removing to and fro?⁷ and who hath brought up¹⁴ these? Behold, I was left⁸ alone; these, where [had] they [been]?

Thus saith¹ the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up⁴ mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up⁵⁵ my standard to the people: and they shall bring⁵² thy sons in [their] arms, and thy daughters shall be carried¹¹ upon [their] shoulders.

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers,⁶ and their queens thy nursing mothers:⁵⁶ they shall bow down¹⁰¹ to thee with [their] face toward the earth, and lick up¹⁷ the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know¹ that I [am] the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed⁴ that wait⁶ for me.

Shall the prey be taken⁹³ from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?¹¹

But thus saith¹ the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,⁹³ and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered:¹¹ for I will contend⁴ with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save⁵⁵ thy children.

And I will feed⁵² them that oppress⁵⁶ thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken⁴ with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know¹ that I the LORD [am] thy Saviour⁵⁶ and thy Redeemer,⁶ the mighty One of Jacob.