Isaiah 43

₁But Israelites, descendants of Jacob,

now the Lord who made you says:

‘Do not be afraid because

I have saved you and freed you.

I have called you and said your name.

You are mine.

₂When you have to go through deep water,

I will be with you. Rivers will not flow over you.

When you walk through fire,

the flames will not burn you.

₃Yes, I am the Lord your God.

I am the holy God of Israel who saves you.

I give the people of the lands of Egypt,

Cush and Seba, and they will suffer

so that you can become free.

₄I punish other nations and I free you,

because you are very important to Me

and I love you.

₅Do not be afraid, because I am with you,

and I will bring all of you together,

you and your children.

I will bring you from the east and the west.

₆I will tell the people in the north:

“You must give back my people.”

I will say to the people in the south:

“Don't hold back my people.

Bring my sons and my daughters

from far away,

from everywhere on earth.

₇Bring everyone who belongs to Me

because I have called them.

Bring everyone whom I have made

so that they will honour Me.” ’

‘You must bring my people back to come here.

My people have eyes, but they do not see,

and they have ears, but they do not hear.

₉All nations must come together here.

Is there one of your gods that could say

what would happen

or what happened long ago?

Is there a god that can do that?

If there is, he must talk

and prove that he is a god.

Everyone must listen to it and say:

“What he says is the truth.”

₁₀My people, you are my witnesses.

I have chosen you to be my servants

so that you will know who I am

and believe in Me and understand my love.

There was no other god before Me,

and there will be no other god after Me.

₁₁I, I am the Lord, and there is

no other god that can save you.

₁₂I was the One who talked to you

and saved you.

There was no other god with you.

You know that I am God.’

₁₃‘And even after this, I will still be God.

No one can take you away from Me.

No one can stop Me when I want to do something.’

₁₄The Lord speaks.

The Lord who has made you free,

the holy God of Israel, says:

‘I have sent a man to the city of Babylon

to attack those people.

I have done it to help you.

The people of Babylon will cry,

and they will get into their boats and flee.

₁₅I am the Lord your holy God.

People of Israel, I have made you,

and I am your King.’

₁₆This is what the Lord says.

He is the One who made

a way through the wild sea

₁₇and who sent war-chariots and horses,

and very strong soldiers.

But they are dead, they are lying on the ground,

and they will not get up again. They are gone,

like the flame of a lamp that has died.

‘Don't think only

about things that happened before.

₁₉I am going to do something new

and it is going to happen now.

You will see it.

Yes, I will make a road through

the desert and I will make rivers flow there.

₂₀The wild animals will honour Me,

and also the foxes and ostriches,

because I give water in the desert

so that the people that I have chosen

will have water to drink.

₂₁The nation that I have made for Myself

will tell everyone that I am God.’

‘Descendants of Jacob,

people of Israel, you have prayed,

but you did not pray to Me.

You have made yourselves tired,

but you did not do it for Me.

₂₃You did not sacrifice sheep

or goats to honour Me.

I did not ask you to work hard

to bring Me offerings

and I did not make you tired by

asking you to bring Me incense-offerings.

₂₄You did not buy Me calamus

or give Me the best parts of your meat offerings.

No, you made Me tired with all the sins

that you have done.

₂₅But I am the God who forgives

when you rebel_against Me,

and I do not think about your sins.

₂₆Let us see who is right.

Prove to Me that you are not wrong.

₂₇Your first forefather sinned

from the beginning, and your first leaders

rebelled_against Me.

₂₈That is why I said that your priests

could no longer serve Me,

and I sent enemies

to destroy the descendants of Jacob,

and to laugh at the people of Israel.’