Isaiah, 49

1. Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

1. Listen to me, O islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. Yahweh called me from my mother's womb; he pronounced my name before I was born.

2. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

2. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in his quiver.

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

3. He said to me, "You are Israel, my servant, Through you I will be known."

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

4. "I have labored in vain," I thought and spent my strength for nothing." Yet what is due me was in the hand of Yahweh, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of Yahweh, and my God is my strength.

5. And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb [to be] his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

5. And now Yahweh has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him.

6. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

6. He said: " 'Tis not enough that you be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that my salvation will reach to the ends of the earth."

7. Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, [and] the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

7. Thus says Yahweh, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to him whom people despise, to him whom nations abhor, to the servant of tyrants: "Kings will see you and stand up, and princes will bow down for the sake of Yahweh, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."

8. Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

8. This is what Yahweh says: "At a favorable time I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have been your help; I have formed you and made you to be my covenant with the people. You will restore the land, and allot its abandoned farms.

9. That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that [are] in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures [shall be] in all high places.

9. You will say to the captives: Come out; and to those in darkness: Show yourselves. They will feed along the road; they will find pasture on barren hills.

10. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

10. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the scorching wind or the sun beat upon them; for he who has mercy on them will guide them and lead them to springs of water.

11. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

11. I will turn all my mountains into roads and raise up my highways.

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

12. See, they come from afar, some from the north and west, others from the land of Sinim.

13. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

13. Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth; break forth into song, O mountains: for Yahweh has comforted his people and taken pity on those who are afflicted.

14. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

14. But Zion said: "Yahweh has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me."

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

15. Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child of her womb? Yet though she forget, I will never forget you.

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

16. See, I have written your name upon the palm of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

17. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

17. Your sons hurry back, and those who laid you waste hasten to depart from you.

18. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride [doeth].

18. Lift up your eyes, look around and see: your sons are all assembling and coming to you. As I live, says Yahweh, you will wear them all as your jewels; they will adorn you as brides are adorned.

19. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

19. Your lonely places and your ruins, your wastelands and devastated country, will now be too small for your people, while those who destroy you will be driven off.

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

20. The children you will have, after those you lost, will also say in your hearing, "This place is too small for us. Give us more space to live in."

21. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where [had] they [been]?

21. You will then say in your heart, "Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, and who has brought these up? I was left alone; but these - where have they come from?"

22. Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in [their] arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon [their] shoulders.

22. Thus speaks the Lord Yahweh: See, I am to make signs to the nations; and to raise my banner to the peoples, that they will bring your sons in their arms, your daughters upon their shoulders.

23. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with [their] face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

23. Kings will be your foster fathers, their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am Yahweh and that those who hope in me will not be put to shame.

24. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

24. Can booty be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a tyrant? But thus says Yahweh:

25. But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

25. Yes, captives will be taken from warriors and booty rescued from a tyrant: for I will fight whoever fight you and I will save your children.

26. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

26. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh and be drunk with their own blood, as with wine. All mankind will know that I, Yahweh, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.