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.
El único Salvador de Israel
1Pero ahora, así dice el Señor,
el que te creó, Jacob,
el que te formó, Israel:
«No temas, que yo te he redimido;
te he llamado por tu nombre; tú eres mío.
2Cuando cruces las aguas,
yo estaré contigo;
cuando cruces los ríos,
no te cubrirán sus aguas;
cuando camines por el fuego,
no te quemarás ni te abrasarán las llamas.
3Yo soy el Señor, tu Dios,
el Santo de Israel, tu Salvador;
yo he entregado a Egipto como precio por tu rescate,
a Cus y a Seba en tu lugar.
4A cambio de ti entregaré hombres;
¡a cambio de tu vida entregaré pueblos!
Porque te amo y eres ante mis ojos
precioso y digno de honra.
5No temas, porque yo estoy contigo;
desde el oriente traeré a tu descendencia,
desde el occidente te reuniré.
6Al norte le diré: “¡Entrégalos!”
y al sur: “¡No los retengas!
Trae a mis hijos desde lejos
y a mis hijas desde los confines de la tierra.
7Trae a todo el que sea llamado por mi nombre,
al que yo he creado para mi gloria,
al que yo hice y formé”».
8Sacad al pueblo ciego, aunque tiene ojos,
al pueblo sordo, aunque tiene oídos.
9Que se reúnan todas las naciones
y se congreguen los pueblos.
¿Quién de entre ellos profetizó estas cosas
y nos anunció lo ocurrido en el pasado?
Que presenten a sus testigos
y demuestren tener razón,
para que otros oigan y digan:
«Es verdad».
10«Vosotros sois mis testigos —afirma el Señor—,
sois mis siervos escogidos,
para que me conozcáis y creáis en mí,
y entendáis que Yo soy.
Antes de mí no hubo ningún otro dios,
ni habrá ninguno después de mí.
11Yo, yo soy el Señor,
fuera de mí no hay ningún otro salvador.
12Yo he anunciado, salvado y proclamado;
yo entre vosotros, y no un dios extraño.
Vosotros sois mis testigos —afirma el Señor—,
y yo soy Dios.
13Desde los tiempos antiguos, yo soy.
No hay quien pueda librar de mi mano.
Lo que yo hago, nadie puede desbaratarlo».
La misericordia de Dios y la infidelidad de Israel
14Así dice el Señor,
vuestro Redentor, el Santo de Israel:
«Por vosotros enviaré gente a Babilonia;
abatiré a todos como fugitivos.
En los barcos que eran su orgullo,
abatiré también a los caldeos.
15Yo soy el Señor, vuestro santo;
soy vuestro rey, el creador de Israel».
16Así dice el Señor,
el que abrió un camino en el mar,
una senda a través de las aguas impetuosas;
17el que hizo salir carros de combate y caballos,
ejército y guerrero al mismo tiempo,
los cuales quedaron tendidos para nunca más levantarse,
extinguidos como mecha que se apaga:
18«Olvidad las cosas de antaño;
ya no viváis en el pasado.
19¡Voy a hacer algo nuevo!
Ya está sucediendo, ¿no os dais cuenta?
Estoy abriendo un camino en el desierto,
y ríos en lugares desolados.
20Me honran los animales salvajes,
los chacales y los avestruces;
yo hago brotar agua en el desierto,
ríos en lugares desolados,
para dar de beber a mi pueblo escogido,
21al pueblo que formé para mí mismo,
para que proclame mi alabanza.
22»Pero tú, Jacob, no me has invocado;
tú, Israel, te has cansado de mí.
23No me has traído el cordero de tus holocaustos,
ni me has honrado con tus sacrificios.
No te he abrumado exigiendo ofrendas de grano,
ni te he agobiado reclamando incienso.
24No me has comprado caña aromática,
ni me has saciado con el sebo de tus sacrificios.
¡En cambio, tú me has abrumado con tus pecados
y me has agobiado con tus iniquidades!
25»Yo soy el que por amor a mí mismo
borra tus transgresiones
y no se acuerda más de tus pecados.
26¡Hazme recordar! Presentémonos a juicio;
plantea el argumento de tu inocencia.
27Tu primer antepasado pecó;
tus voceros se rebelaron contra mí.
28Por eso humillé a las autoridades del templo;
entregué a Jacob a la destrucción total,
entregué a Israel al menosprecio.
