Isaiah 49 | King James Version

King James Version

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. 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; 3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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; 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. 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. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these 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. 14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath 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. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. 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 . 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. 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. 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 ? 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. 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. 24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 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. 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.

New International Reader’s Version

The servant of the Lord

1 People who live on the islands, listen to me. Pay attention, you nations far away. Before I was born the LORD chose me to serve him. Before I was born the LORD spoke my name. 2 He made my words like a sharp sword. He hid me in the palm of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow. He took good care of me and kept me safe. 3 He said to me, ‘You are my true servant Israel. I will show my glory through you.’ 4 But I said, ‘In spite of my hard work, I feel as if I haven’t accomplished anything. I’ve used up all my strength. It seems as if everything I’ve done is worthless. But the LORD will give me what I should receive. My God will reward me.’ 5 The LORD formed me in my mother’s body to be his servant. He wanted me to bring the family of Jacob back to him. He wanted me to gather the people of Israel to himself. The LORD will honour me. My God will give me strength. 6 Here is what the LORD says to me. ‘It is not enough for you as my servant to bring the tribes of Jacob back to their land. It is not enough for you to bring back the people of Israel I have kept alive. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles. Then you will make it possible for the whole world to be saved.’ 7 The LORD sets his people free. He is the Holy One of Israel. He speaks to his servant, who is looked down on and hated by the nations. He speaks to the servant of rulers. He says to him, ‘Kings will see you and stand up to honour you. Princes will see you and bow down to show you their respect. I am the LORD. I am faithful. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have chosen you.’

Israel is brought back to their land

8 The LORD says to his servant, ‘When it is time to have mercy on you, I will answer your prayers. When it is time to save you, I will help you. I will keep you safe. You will put into effect my covenant with the people of Israel. Then their land will be made like new again. Each tribe will be sent back to its territory that was left empty. 9 I want you to say to the prisoners, “Come out.” Tell those who are in their dark cells, “You are free!” ‘On their way home they will eat beside the roads. They will find plenty to eat on every bare hill. 10 They will not get hungry or thirsty. The heat from the desert sun will not beat down on them. The God who has tender love for them will guide them. Like a shepherd, he will lead them beside springs of water. 11 I will make roads across the mountains. I will build wide roads for my people. 12 They will come from far away. Some of them will come from the north. Others will come from the west. Still others will come from Aswan in the south.’ 13 Shout for joy, you heavens! Be glad, you earth! Burst into song, you mountains! The LORD will comfort his people. He will show his tender love to those who are suffering. 14 But the city of Zion said, ‘The LORD has deserted me. The Lord has forgotten me.’ 15 The LORD answers, ‘Can a mother forget the baby who is nursing at her breast? Can she stop having tender love for the child who was born to her? She might forget her child. But I will not forget you. 16 I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Your walls are never out of my sight. 17 Your people will hurry back. Those who destroyed you so completely will leave you. 18 Look up. Look all around you. All your people are getting together to come back to you. You can be sure that I live,’ announces the LORD. ‘And you can be just as sure that your people will be like decorations you will wear. Like a bride, you will wear them proudly. 19 ‘Zion, you were destroyed. Your land was left empty. It was turned into a dry and empty desert. But now you will be too small to hold all your people. And those who destroyed you will be far away. 20 The children born during your time of sorrow will speak to you. They will say, “This city is too small for us. Give us more space to live in.” 21 Then you will say to yourself, “Whose children are these? I lost my children. And I couldn’t have any more. My children were taken far away from me. And no one wanted them. Who brought these children up? I was left all alone. So where have these children come from?” ’ 22 The LORD and King continues, ‘I will call out to the nations. I will give a signal to them. They will bring back your sons in their arms. They will carry your daughters on their hips. 23 Their kings will become like fathers to you. Their queens will be like mothers who feed you. They will bow down to you with their faces towards the ground. They will kiss the dust at your feet to show you their respect. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who put their hope in me will not be ashamed.’ 24 Can goods that were stolen by soldiers be taken away from them? Can prisoners be set free from the powerful Babylonians? 25 ‘Yes, they can,’ the LORD answers. ‘Prisoners will be taken away from soldiers. Stolen goods will be taken back from the powerful Babylonians. Zion, I will fight against those who fight against you. And I will save your people. 26 I will make those who treat you badly eat the flesh of others. They will drink blood and get drunk on it as if it were wine. Then everyone on earth will know that I am the one who saves you. I am the LORD. I set you free. I am the Mighty One of Jacob.’