1 L isten, islands, to me. Listen, you peoples, from afar: Yahweh has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother he has mentioned my name.

Listen to me, O isles and coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The Lord has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He has named my name.

2 H e has made my mouth like a sharp sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. He has made me a polished shaft. He has kept me close in his quiver.

And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He hid me and made me a polished arrow; in His quiver has He kept me close and concealed me.

3 H e said to me, “You are my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

And said to me, You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 B ut I said, “I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength in vain for nothing; yet surely the justice due to me is with Yahweh, and my reward with my God.”

Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in empty futility; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense is with my God.

5 N ow Yahweh says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and to gather Israel to him, for I am honorable in Yahweh’s eyes, and my God has become my strength.

And now, says the Lord—Who formed me from the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him and not be swept away, for I am honorable in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength—

6 I ndeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel? I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.”

He says, It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will also give you for a light to the nations, that My salvation may extend to the end of the earth.

7 Y ahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up; princes, and they shall worship; because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One, to him whom man rejects and despises, to him whom the nations abhor, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see you and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, Who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, Who has chosen you.

8 Y ahweh says, “In an acceptable time I have answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage:

Thus says the Lord, In an acceptable and favorable time I have heard and answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; and I will preserve you and give you for a covenant to the people, to raise up and establish the land and to apportion and cause them to inherit the desolate heritages,

9 s aying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’; to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ “They shall feed along the paths, and their pasture shall be on all treeless heights.

Saying to those who are bound, Come forth, and to those who are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in all the ways, and their pastures shall be on all the bare hills.

10 T hey shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them: for he who has mercy on them will lead them. He will guide them by springs of water.

They will not hunger or thirst, neither will mirage or scorching wind or sun smite them; for He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of water will He guide them.

11 I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be exalted.

And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways will be raised up.

12 B ehold, these shall come from afar; and behold, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.”

Behold, these shall come from afar—and, behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim (China).

13 S ing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break out into singing, mountains: for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people and will have compassion upon His afflicted.

14 B ut Zion said, “Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”

But Zion said, The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.

15 “ Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!

Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.

16 B ehold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. your walls are continually before me.

Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

17 Y our children hurry. Your destroyers and those who devastated you will leave you.

Your children and your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go forth from you.

18 L ift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live,” says Yahweh, “you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride.

Lift up your eyes round about and see; all these gather together and come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament and bind them on you as a bride does.

19 “ For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now that land will be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

For your waste and desolate places and your land of destruction surely now will be too narrow to accommodate the population, and those who once swallowed you up will be far away.

20 T he children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’

The children of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, The place is too narrow for me; make room for me, that I may live.

21 T hen you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’”

Then, you will say in your heart, Who has borne me all these children, seeing that I lost my offspring and am alone and barren and unfruitful, an exile put away and wandering hither and thither? And who brought them up? Behold, I was left alone; from where then did all these children come?

22 T hus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and lift up my banner to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up My hand to the Gentile nations and set up My standard and raise high My signal banner to the peoples; and they will bring your sons in the bosom of their garments, and your daughters will be carried upon their shoulders.

23 K ings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet; Then you will know that I am Yahweh; and those who wait for me shall not be disappointed.”

And kings shall be your foster fathers and guardians, and their queens your nursing mothers. They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be put to shame who wait for, look for, hope for, and expect Me.

24 S hall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives of the just be delivered?

25 B ut Yahweh says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the plunder retrieved from the fierce; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.

For thus says the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the prey of the terrible will be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will give safety to your children and ease them.

26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

And I will make those who oppress you consume themselves, thus eating their own flesh; and they will be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.