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