Isaiah 43

¹ But now, thus says the LORD,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
the one who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name — you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters, I am with you,
and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.

³ For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes,
you are honored, and I love you.
So I give people in your place
and nations in exchange for your life.

⁵ Do not fear, for I am with you.
From the east I will bring your offspring,
and from the west I will gather you.

⁶ I will say to the north, "Give them up!"
and to the south, "Do not hold them back!"
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth —

⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed — yes, whom I made.

⁸ Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
who are deaf, yet have ears!

⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together,
and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this
and tell us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove themselves right,
or let them hear and say, "It is true."

¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
and after me there will be none.

¹¹ I, I am the LORD,
and apart from me there is no savior.

¹² I declared and I saved and I proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you.
You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and I am God.

¹³ Even from this day, I am he;
and no one can deliver from my hand.
I act, and who can reverse it?"

¹⁴ Thus says the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"For your sake I send to Babylon
and bring down all of them as fugitives,
even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing.

¹⁵ I am the LORD, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King."

¹⁶ Thus says the LORD,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,

¹⁷ who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior together —
they lie down, they cannot rise;
they are extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

¹⁸ "Do not remember the former things,
and do not consider the things of old.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth — do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.

²⁰ The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people.

²¹ The people I formed for myself —
they will recount my praise.

²² "But you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
you grew weary of me, O Israel.

²³ You did not bring me your sheep for burnt offerings,
and you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you with grain offerings,
or weary you with frankincense.

²⁴ You did not buy me sweet cane with silver,
and you did not satisfy me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Rather, you burdened me with your sins;
you wearied me with your iniquities.

²⁵ I, I am the one
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and your sins I will not remember.

²⁶ Remind me — let us argue together;
recount your case, that you may be proved right.

²⁷ Your first father sinned,
and your mediators rebelled against me.

²⁸ So I profaned the princes of the sanctuary,
and I gave Jacob over to destruction
and Israel to reviling.