Promise of Restoration

¹Now, this is what Yahweh says:

“Listen , Jacob, to the One who created you,

Israel, to the one who shaped who you are.

Do not fear,

for I, your Kinsman-Redeemer, will rescue you.

I have called you by name, and you are mine.

²When you pass through the deep, stormy sea,[#43:2 God’s method of deliverance is often not “out of” but “through.” His presence as we go through difficulties becomes our deliverance. See Ps. 23:4.]

you can count on me to be there with you.

When you pass through raging rivers,

you will not drown.

When you walk through persecution like fiery flames,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not harm you,

³for I am your Savior, Yahweh , your mighty God,

the Holy One of Israel!

I give up Egypt as the price to set you free,

Cush and Seba in exchange to bring you back .

⁴Since you are cherished and precious in my eyes,[#43:4 Or “dear,” “costly,” or “of great price.”]

and because I love you dearly and want to honor you,

I willingly give up nations in exchange for you—

a man to save your life.

⁵I am with you now, even close to you ,

so never yield to fear.

I will bring your children from the east;

from the west I will gather you.

⁶I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’

and to the south, ‘Don’t hold them back!’

Bring me my sons from far away,

my daughters from the ends of the earth!

⁷Bring me everyone who is called by my name,[#43:7 Isaiah was prophesying Israel’s restoration and foretelling a great worldwide harvest among the nations as a fulfillment of the Feast of Ingathering (Harvest), also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.]

the ones I created to experience my glory.

I myself formed them to be who they are

and made them for my glory .”

God’s Witness

⁸Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,

those who have ears but are deaf.

⁹Let all the nations gather together and the people assemble.

Which of their gods prophesied this?

Which of them foretold what is about to happen?

Let them bring out their witnesses to make their case;

let them take the stand and testify, “It is true.”

¹⁰Yahweh says, “You are my witnesses, my chosen servants.

I chose you in order that you would know me intimately ,

believe me always, and fully understand that I am the only God.

There was no god before me,

and there will be no other god after me.

¹¹I, only I, am Yahweh , and there is no Savior-God but me.

¹²I am the only one who revealed this to you.

I saved you, foretold the future, and brought it to pass .

It was not some foreign god who did this!

You are my witnesses that I am God,” declares Yahweh .

¹³“From the very beginning, I am the only God![#43:13 Or “Ever since day was, I am he.”]

No one can be snatched from my hand.

When I choose to act, who can reverse it?”

God, Israel’s Protector

¹⁴This is what Yahweh ,

your Kinsman-Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“For your good, I will send for the Babylonians;

I will bring them all as fugitives

and turn the shouting of the Chaldeans into mourning.

¹⁵I am Yahweh , your Holy One and your King,

the Creator of Israel.”

God Will Do a New Thing

¹⁶Yahweh is the one who makes a way in the sea,

a pathway in the mighty waters.

¹⁷He destroyed chariots and horses[#43:17 Or “led out [to destruction].”; #43:17 Chariots and horses are frequent biblical metaphors for the strength of the flesh.]

and all their mighty warriors.

They fell, never to rise again—

gone forever, snuffed out like a wick. This is what he says:

¹⁸“Stop dwelling on the past.

Don’t even remember these former things.

¹⁹I am doing something brand new, something unheard of .

Even now it sprouts and grows and matures.

Don’t you perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and open up flowing streams in the desert.

²⁰Wild beasts, jackals, and owls will glorify me.[#43:20 The beast is a common biblical metaphor for human nature. See Ps. 73:22.; #43:20 The Hebrew word for “jackals” ( tannim ) can also be translated “dragon.”]

For I supply streams of water in the desert

and rivers in the wilderness

to satisfy the thirst of my people, my chosen ones,

²¹so that you, whom I have shaped and formed for myself,

will proclaim my praise.

²²Yet you did not call out to me, O Jacob.

Are you so weary of me, O Israel?

²³You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings

or honored me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you by requiring many grain offerings

or wearied you with demands for frankincense.

²⁴You did not buy me fragrant calamus reeds

or lavish me with the fat of your sacrifices.

Instead, you have burdened me with your many sins

and wearied me with your evil deeds.

²⁵I, yes I, am the One and Only,[#43:25 This is doubly emphatic in the Hebrew. God refers to himself with fifteen emphatic personal pronouns in this chapter.]

who completely erases your sins, never to be seen again .

I will not remember them again.

Freely I do this because of who I am!

²⁶Help me remember the past . Let’s debate!

Bring me your version to prove your innocence.

²⁷Your earliest ancestor sinned,[#43:27 Some believe this to be a reference to Abraham, Jacob, or Adam.]

and your spokesmen rebelled against me.

²⁸So I brought disgrace on the holy priests

of the holy sanctuary

and brought destruction to Jacob,

humiliation and scorn to Israel.