The Lord Saves Israel
1Family of Jacob, the Lord created you.
People of Israel, he formed you.
He says, “Do not be afraid.
I will set you free.
I will send for you by name.
You belong to me.
2You will pass through deep waters.
But I will be with you.
You will pass through the rivers.
But their waters will not sweep over you.
You will walk through fire.
But you will not be burned.
The flames will not harm you.
3I am the Lord your God.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
I am the one who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free.
I will give up Cush and Seba for you.
4You are priceless to me.
I love you and honor you.
So I will trade other people for you.
I will give up other nations to save your lives.
5Do not be afraid. I am with you.
I will bring your people back from the east.
I will gather you from the west.
6I will say to the north, ‘Let them go!’
And I will say to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from far away.
Bring my daughters from the farthest places on earth.
7Bring back everyone who belongs to me.
I created them to bring glory to me.
I formed them and made them.”
8Lead my people into court.
They have eyes but can’t see.
Bring those who have ears but can’t hear.
9All the nations are gathering together.
All of them are coming.
Which one of their gods said ahead of time
that the people of Israel would return?
Which of them told us anything at all about the past?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right.
Then others will hear them. And they will say,
“What they said is true.”
10“People of Israel, you are my witnesses,” announces the Lord.
“I have chosen you to be my servant.
I wanted you to know me and believe in me.
I wanted you to understand that I am the one and only God.
Before me, there was no other god at all.
And there will not be any god after me.
11I am the one and only Lord.
I am the only one who can save you.
12I have made known what would happen.
I saved you. I have told you about it.
I did this. It was not some other god you worship.
You are my witnesses that I am God,” announces the Lord.
13“And that is not all! I have always been God,
and I always will be.
No one can save people from my power.
When I do something, who can undo it?”
The Lord Is Full of Mercy but Israel Is Unfaithful
14The Lord sets his people free.
He is the Holy One of Israel. He says,
“People of Israel, I will send an army to Babylon to save you.
I will cause all the Babylonians to run away.
They will try to escape in the ships they were so proud of.
15I am your Lord and King.
I am your Holy One.
I created you.”
16Long ago the Lord opened
a way for his people to go through the Red Sea.
He made a path through the mighty waters.
17He caused Egypt to send out its chariots and horses.
He sent its entire army to its death.
Its soldiers lay down there.
They never got up again.
They were destroyed.
They were blown out like a dimly burning flame.
But the Lord says,
18“Forget the things that happened in the past.
Do not keep on thinking about them.
19I am about to do something new.
It is beginning to happen even now.
Don’t you see it coming?
I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert.
I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.
20Even wild dogs and owls honor me.
That is because I provide water in the desert
for my people to drink.
I cause streams to flow in the dry and empty land
for my chosen ones.
21I do it for the people I made for myself.
I want them to sing praise to me.
22“Family of Jacob, you have not prayed to me as you should.
People of Israel, you have not worn yourselves out for me.
23You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings.
You have not honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not loaded you down
by requiring grain offerings.
I have not made you tired
by requiring you to burn incense.
24But you have not bought any sweet-smelling cane for me.
You have not given me the fattest parts
of your animal sacrifices.
Instead, you have loaded me down with your sins.
You have made me tired with the wrong things you have done.
25“I am the one who wipes out your lawless acts.
I do it because of who I am.
I will not remember your sins anymore.
26But let us go to court together.
Remind me of what you have done.
State your case.
Prove to me that you are not guilty.
27Your father Jacob sinned.
The people I sent to teach you refused to obey me.
28So I put the high officials of your temple to shame.
I let Jacob’s family be totally destroyed.
And I let people make fun of Israel.
以色列的唯一救主
1雅各啊，以色列啊，创造你、使你成形的耶和华说：
“不要害怕，我已经救赎了你；
我点名呼召了你，你属于我。
2你穿越洪涛，我必与你同在；
你渡过江河，必不会被水淹没；
你在火中走过，必不会被烧伤，
火焰不会烧到你身上。
3因为我是你的上帝耶和华，
是以色列的圣者，是你的救主。
我用埃及作你的赎价，
使古实和西巴代替你。
4我珍视你，看重你，深爱你，
所以我用他人代替你，
用列邦交换你的生命。
5不要害怕，因为我与你同在，
我必从东方、从西方召集你和你的儿女。
6我要对北方说，‘交出来！’
对南方说，‘不要扣留！’
要从远方把我的儿子们带来，
从地极把我的女儿们领回。
7所有属于我的人都要回来，
他们是我为自己的荣耀而创造的。
8“要把那些有眼看不见、
有耳听不见的人带出来。
9让万国聚集，列邦会合。
他们的神明中谁曾启示这事？
谁曾预言所发生的事？
他们可以找证人来证实，
好叫听见的人都说这是真的。
10耶和华说：
‘以色列人啊，你们是我的证人，
我拣选你们做我的仆人，
要叫你们认识我，相信我，
明白我是耶和华，
在我以前没有上帝，
在我以后也没有。
11唯有我是耶和华，
除我以外没有别的救主。
12我曾启示，我曾拯救，
我曾宣告。
你们中间没有别的神明。
我是上帝，你们是我的证人。’
这是耶和华说的。
13‘我从太初就是上帝。
无人能逃脱我的手。
谁能阻挠我行事呢？’”
14你们的救赎主耶和华——以色列的圣者说：
“为了你们的缘故，
我必派大军进攻巴比伦，
使迦勒底人坐着他们引以为荣的船逃亡。
15我是你们的圣者耶和华，
是以色列的创造主，
是你们的君王。”
16耶和华曾在汹涌的大海中开辟道路。
17祂使埃及的战车、马匹、军兵、
勇士倾巢而出，
一同倒下，不再起来，
像熄灭的灯火一样灭没。
18耶和华说：
“不要想念过去，
不要留恋往事。
19看啊，我要行一件新事，
这事现在就要发生，
难道你们没有察觉吗？
我要在旷野辟道路，
在沙漠开江河。
20旷野的走兽必尊崇我，
其中有豺狼和鸵鸟，
因为我使旷野有甘泉，
使沙漠有江河，
供我拣选的子民饮用。
21他们是我为自己所造的子民，
他们要颂扬我。
22“雅各啊，你却没有求告我；
以色列啊，你竟然厌烦我。
23你没有带来作燔祭的羊，
也没有用祭物来尊崇我。
我没有让你因祭物而受累，
也没有让你因香料而烦扰。
24你并没有花钱买菖蒲献给我，
也没有用祭物的脂肪满足我，
反而使我因你的罪恶而受累，
因你的过犯而烦扰。
25“我，是我为自己的缘故，
除去你的过犯，忘掉你的罪恶。
26你可以提醒我，你我可以理论，
你可以提出理由证明自己的清白。
27你的始祖犯了罪，
你的首领也背叛了我。
28所以我要使你圣殿的祭司受辱，
使雅各遭毁灭，
使以色列被辱骂。
