Isaiah 51
51
Salvation for Zion
1Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who gave birth to you.
When I called him, he was only one;
I blessed him and made him many.#Gn 12:1; 15:5; Dt 1:10; Is 29:22; 41:8; 63:16; Ezk 33:24
3For the Lord will comfort Zion;#Is 40:1
he will comfort all her waste places,
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,#Gn 2:8; Jl 2:3
and her desert like the garden of the Lord.#Gn 13:10
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.
4Pay attention to me, my people,
and listen to me, my nation;
for instruction will come from me,
and my justice for a light to the nations.#Is 42:6; 49:6
I will bring it about quickly.
5My righteousness is near,#Is 46:13; 54:17
my salvation appears,
and my arms will bring justice to the nations.#Is 40:10
The coasts and islands will put their hope in me,
and they will look to my strength.#51:5 Lit arm
6Look up to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.#51:6 Or die in like manner#Ps 102:25–26; Is 34:4; Mt 24:35; Heb 1:10–12; 2Pt 3:10
But my salvation will last forever,#Is 45:17; 2Tm 2:10; Heb 5:9
and my righteousness will never be shattered.
7Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my instruction:#Ps 37:31
do not fear disgrace by men,
and do not be shattered by their taunts.
8For moths will devour them like a garment,#Is 50:9
and worms will eat them like wool.#Is 14:11
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
9Wake up, wake up!
Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations long ago.
Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces,#Jb 26:12; Ps 89:10; Is 30:7
who pierced the sea monster?#Ps 74:13; Is 27:1
10Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea,#Is 11:15–16; 50:2; 63:11–12
the waters of the great deep,
who made the sea-bed into a road
for the redeemed to pass over?#Ex 15:13
11And the ransomed of the Lord will return#Is 35:10
and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy.
Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.
12I — I am the one who comforts you.
Who are you that you should fear humans who die,#Ps 118:6; Is 2:22
or a son of man who is given up like grass?#Is 40:6–7; Jms 1:10–11; 1Pt 1:24
13But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.#Is 44:24; 45:12; Am 9:6; Zch 12:1
You are in constant dread all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who has set himself to destroy.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?#Is 49:26
14The prisoner#51:14 Hb obscure is soon to be set free;
he will not die and go to the Pit,
and his food will not be lacking.
15For I am the Lord your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar#Ps 107:25; Jr 31:35 —
his name is the Lord of Armies.
16I have put my words in your mouth,#Is 59:21
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,#Ex 33:22; Is 49:2
in order to plant#51:16 Syr reads to stretch out the heavens,
to found the earth,
and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
17Wake yourself, wake yourself up!
Stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk the cup of his fury#Jb 21:20; Is 63:6; Jr 25:15; Mt 20:22; 26:39; Jn 18:1; Rv 14:10
from the Lord’s hand;
you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs —
the cup that causes people to stagger.
18There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has raised;
there is no one to take hold of her hand
among all the offspring she has brought up.
19These two things have happened to you:#Is 47:9
devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
How can I#51:19 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg read you? Who can comfort you?
20Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net.
They are full of the Lord’s fury,
the rebuke of your God.
21So listen to this, suffering
and drunken one — but not with wine.#Is 29:9
22This is what your Lord says —
the Lord, even your God,
who defends his people#Is 3:12–13; 49:25; Jr 50:34 —
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup that causes staggering;
that goblet, the cup of my fury.
You will never drink it again.
23I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,#Is 49:26; Jr 25:15–17,26,28; Zch 12:2
‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like a street for those who walk on it.
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Isaiah 51: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Isaiah 51
51
Look to Abraham and Sarah
1Listen to me,
you who look for righteousness,
you who seek the LORD:
Look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry where you were dug.
2Look to Abraham your ancestor,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
They were alone when I called them,
but I blessed them and made them many.
3The LORD will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her ruins.
He will make her desert like Eden
and her wilderness like the LORD’s garden.
Happiness and joy will be found in her—
thanks and the sound of singing.
Salvation endures forever
4Pay attention to me, my people;
listen to me, my nation,
for teaching will go out from me,
my justice, as a light to the nations.
5I will quickly bring my victory.
My salvation is on its way,
and my arm will judge the peoples.
The coastlands hope for me;
they wait for my judgment.#51.5 Or for my arm
6Look up to the heavens,
and gaze at the earth beneath.
The heavens will disappear like smoke,
the earth will wear out like clothing,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.
But my salvation will endure forever,
and my righteousness will be unbroken.
7Listen to me, you who know what is right,
people who carry my teaching in your heart:
Don’t fear human scorn,
and don’t be upset when they abuse you.
8The moth will eat them as if they were clothing,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my righteousness is forever,
and my salvation for all generations.
Awake, arm of the LORD
9Awake, awake, put on strength,
arm of the LORD.
Awake as in times past,
generations long ago.
Aren’t you the one who crushed Rahab,
who pierced the dragon?
10Didn’t you dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep?
And didn’t you make the redeemed a road to cross
through the depths of the sea,
a road for the redeemed to pass?
11Then let those ransomed by the LORD return
and come to Zion with singing
and with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Let happiness and joy overwhelm them;
let grief and groaning flee.
12I, I am the one who comforts you.
Why should you fear humans who will die,
mortals who are treated like grass?
13You forgot the LORD your maker,
the one who stretched out the heavens
and founded the earth.
You were continually afraid, all day long,
on account of the oppressor’s wrath—
a fear by which they intend to destroy you.
Where now is the oppressor’s wrath?
14The imprisoned ones will soon be released;
they won’t die in the pit
or even lack bread.
15I am the LORD your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the LORD of heavenly forces is his name.
16I put my words in your mouth
and hid you in the shadow of my hand,
stretching out#51.16 Or planting the heavens, founding the earth,
and saying to Zion, “You are my people.”
Wake yourself, Jerusalem
17Wake yourself, wake yourself!
Rise up, Jerusalem,
who drank the cup of wrath from the LORD’s hand.
You drank; you drained the goblet of reeling.
18There’s no one to guide her among all the children she bore;
there’s no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.
19These two things have happened to you—
Who will be sorry for you?#51.19 DSS (1QIsaa), LXX, Vulg; MT How will I—
destruction and devastation,
famine and sword—
who will comfort you?#51.19 Or how will I comfort you?
20Your children passed out;
they lay at the head of every street like antelope in a net,
filled with the LORD’s wrath,
with the rebuke of your God.
21Therefore, hear this, suffering one,
who is drunk, but not from wine.
22The LORD, your Lord and your God,
who contends for his people, says:
Look, I have taken the cup of reeling,
the goblet of my wrath, from your hand.
You will no longer drink from it.
23I will put it in the hand of your tormentors,
who said to you,
“Lie down so that we can walk on you.
Make your back like the ground,
like a street for those walking on it.”
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