Guds løfte om at redde sit folk på trods af deres ulydighed
1Israels folk, Herren, som skabte dig, siger nu til dig: „Vær ikke bange, for jeg har købt dig fri! Jeg kalder dig ved navn—du er min! 2Når du går gennem fortvivlelsens dybe vande, er jeg med dig. Når modgangen skyller ind over dig, skal du ikke drukne i sorg. Når du går gennem prøvelsens ild, skal du ikke brænde op, for flammerne vil ikke skade dig. 3Jeg er Herren, din Frelser, Israels hellige Gud! Jeg giver Egypten, Kush og Seba i løsesum, så du kan få din frihed. 4Fordi du er dyrebar for mig, agtet og elsket, giver jeg andre folkeslag i bytte for at redde dig. 5Vær ikke bange, for jeg er med dig! Jeg samler dig sammen fra øst og vest, 6fra nord og syd. Mine sønner skal komme fra fjerne lande og mine døtre fra jordens ende, 7alle dem, som hører mig til, og som jeg har skabt til at ære mig.
8Før folket frem! De er blinde og døve, selvom de har øjne at se med og ører at høre med. 9Kald folkeslagene sammen! Har nogen af deres guder forudsagt sådanne begivenheder? Har de nogensinde forudsagt noget som helst? Lad vidnerne stå frem for at fortælle, hvilke af deres forudsigelser der er blevet opfyldt.
10I er mine vidner! siger Herren. I er den tjener, jeg har udvalgt til at lære mig at kende, at tro på mig og forstå, at jeg er den, jeg er. Der findes ingen anden Gud. Der har aldrig været nogen anden, og der vil aldrig blive nogen anden. 11Jeg er Herren. Der findes ingen anden Frelser end mig. 12Det er mig, der forudsiger det her, og det er mig, der frelser jer. Det var ingen fremmed gud, som talte til jer. I er vidner på, at jeg er Gud. 13Jeg er og vil i al fremtid være den eneste sande Gud, og ingen kan forhindre mig i at handle, som jeg vil.”
14Herren, jeres Befrier, Israels hellige Gud, siger: „For jeres skyld sender jeg en mægtig hær mod Babylon. Jeg nedbryder alle byens porte, så deres jubel vendes til jammer. 15Jeg er Herren, den Hellige, Israels Skaber og jeres Konge!”
16Herren banede en vej gennem vandet og førte sit folk uskadt over havets bund. 17Han lokkede Egyptens hær derud med alle dens heste og stridsvogne. De segnede og rejste sig aldrig igen. De døde, gik ud som et lys.
18Herren siger: „Glem bare fortiden og lad være med kun at tænke på, hvad der skete dengang. 19For nu vil jeg gøre noget helt nyt! Det spirer frem allerede. Ser I det ikke? Nu baner jeg en vej gennem ørkenen og lader vandstrømme bryde frem i ødemarken. 20De vilde dyr vil takke mig, selv sjakalen og strudsen. For jeg lader vand vælde frem i vildmarken og kilder springe frem i ørkenen, så mit udvalgte folk kan få slukket deres tørst. 21Det folk, som jeg skabte til min ære, skal fortælle om min herlighed.
22Men det var ikke mig, I søgte hjælp hos, Jakobs børn. I blev trætte af mig, Israels folk. 23I ofrede ingen lam til mig og ærede mig ikke med offerdyr, skønt jeg ikke stillede urimelige krav om høstofre og røgelsesofre. 24Alligevel købte I ikke vellugtende røgelse til mig eller lod mig nyde offerdyrenes fedt. Nej, I bragte mig kun jeres synder og trættede mig med jeres overtrædelser.
25Men jeg vil af egen fri vilje og for min egen skyld tilgive jeres synder og ikke mere mindes dem. 26Hvis jeg har uret, så bevis det! 27Jeres første forfar syndede. Jeres ledere brød min pagt. 28Derfor vanærede jeg lederne af min helligdom og overgav Israels folk til spot og ødelæggelse.
Israel’s only Saviour
1But now, this is what the Lord says –
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush43:3 That is, the upper Nile region and Seba in your stead.
4Since you are precious and honoured in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6I 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 ends of the earth –
7everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’
8Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.
9All the nations gather together
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may 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,
nor will there be one after me.
11I, even I, am the Lord,
and apart from me there is no saviour.
12I have revealed and saved and proclaimed –
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am God.
13Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No-one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?’
God’s mercy and Israel’s unfaithfulness
14This is what the Lord says –
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
‘For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians,43:14 Or Chaldeans
in the ships in which they took pride.
15I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator, your King.’
16This is what the Lord says –
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18‘Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20The wild animals honour me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.
22‘Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearied yourselves for43:22 Or Jacob; / surely you have grown weary of me, Israel.
23You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,
nor honoured me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands for incense.
24You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,
or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your offences.
25‘I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.
26Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;
state the case for your innocence.
27Your first father sinned;
those I sent to teach you rebelled against me.
28So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction43:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
and Israel to scorn.
