v1 Give comfort, yes, give comfort to my people! This is what your God says. v2 Speak gently to the people who had been inhabitants of *Jerusalem. Tell them that their time of hard labour is over. God has forgiven them. The people from Judah have received double for all their *sins.

v3 Listen! Someone is shouting: ‘Clear a way through the desert for the *Lord! Prepare a straight road through the desert for our God. v4 Fill every valley with soil. Make the hills level like a plain. Make rough ground smooth. v5 Then everybody will see the *Lord’s great *glory. The *Lord himself has promised this.’

v6 Listen! Someone is shouting, ‘Announce a message in public!’ I replied, ‘What message shall I announce?’ The answer came: ‘Declare that all *human beings are like grass. Like wild flowers that last only a short time. v7 Grass becomes brown and flowers fall. Because the *Lord sends a hot wind to blow on them. Truly, people are no stronger than grass. v8 Grass becomes brown and flowers fall. But God’s promises always remain true.’

v9 People in *Jerusalem, climb a high mountain and announce the good news! Shout loudly, people in *Zion! Call out the good news! Do not be afraid to speak! Tell the inhabitants of the towns in Judah, ‘Look, your God is coming!’

v10 Yes, God the Master is coming to rule with immense power. He is bringing with him the people whom he has rescued. v11 The *Lord will look after his people, like someone who looks after sheep. He will pick up the young sheep that have just been born. He will carry them close to his heart. And he will gently lead their mothers.

v12 No *human being can measure the seas in the cup (centre) of his hand. But God can. No *human being can measure the sky by the width of his hand. But God can. No *human being can put all the dust of the earth into a box. But God can. No *human being can weigh mountains or even hills. But God can.

v13 Nobody can understand the mind of the *Lord. No *human being can teach God anything. v14 God did not gain his knowledge from any *human being. No *human being taught God wisdom in how to live rightly. No *human being helped him to understand everything.

v15 To God, even powerful nations seem as small as a little water in a bucket. To God, great nations weigh no more than a little dust.

v16 Even the vast forests in Lebanon cannot provide enough trees to be fuel for God’s *altar. Nor are there enough animals to burn as a worthwhile gift to God. v17 To God, all the nations together amount to less than nothing.

v18 There is nobody who is like God. And no *human being can describe what God is like. v19 God is not like an *idol that a workman shapes. A worker in metals covers the *idol with gold. And he makes silver chains for it. v20 If somebody cannot afford gold or silver, he chooses a piece of hard wood. Then he looks for a skilful worker to make an *idol that will not fall down.

v21 You must surely know. You must surely have heard. Someone must surely have told you from ancient times. You must surely understand who made the earth in the beginning. v22 It is God who lives above the skies. In God’s sight the inhabitants of the earth seem as tiny as insects. God stretched out the heavens as one stretches a curtain. God spread the heavens like a tent in which to live. v23 God reduces the great rulers in the world to nothing. He makes the leaders of the nations to be like empty boxes. v24 They are like young plants that one has set out in the ground. They have hardly any roots yet. So when the *Lord sends a hot wind, the plants quickly become dry. They die, and the wind blows them away. v25 Nobody is like the Holy God. v26 Look up at the sky! God created all the stars that you see. It is God who leads them all out like an army. And he knows exactly how many stars there are. Because God’s power is so great, not one of them is ever missing.

v27 The descendants (later family) of Jacob should not continue to complain. The people in Israel should not continue to feel sorry for themselves. In fact, the *Lord does see when his people suffer unfairly. v28 You must surely know this. You must surely have heard that the *Lord has always been God. It was he who created the world and everything in it. God never gets tired. He never wears himself out. No *human being can fully (completely) understand God’s ways. v29 God gives strength to anyone who feels weak. He gives new energy to those who have worn themselves out. v30 Even young people may feel weak, when they get very tired. Even young people may fall down because they have worn themselves out completely. v31 But those people who put their trust in the *Lord will gain new strength. Like great *eagles, they will rise high, as if they had wings. If they run, they will not get tired. If they walk, they will not become weak.

v1 God speaks: ‘You people in distant nations, be silent! Listen to me. Collect your evidence. Then prepare what you want to say, as if in a court. You will have your opportunity to speak. Then together we can calmly reach a decision about who controls the events through history.

v2 Who is it that has brought a man from the east? That man wins battles wherever he goes. It is God the *Lord who allows him to overcome many nations. And to walk over kings. And to reduce many armies to dust. That man’s weapons (military arms) scatter armies like so much straw that the wind blows away. v3 He pursues their armies, but he himself is never in any danger. He travels at such speed. One could say that his feet never seem to touch the ground.

v4 There is only one who has made all this to happen. The one who has decided the events through history. The same one who has always been calling people to his service. I, the *Lord, was there at the beginning. I, the *Lord, will be there at the end.’

v5 People who live even in distant nations are greatly afraid. The whole world trembles at what is happening. v6 So people gather together and tell each other to be brave. v7 But they also hurry to make a new *idol. One worker is skilled to use wood. He encourages the worker who is skilled to use gold. One worker hammers the metal flat. He encourages his partner who shapes it on the *anvil. One worker tells the other worker that he has done a good job. And he uses nails so that the *idol will not fall down.

v8 But you Israel, you are my servant. You are the people that I chose. You are the family of Abraham, my friend. v9 You are the people that I rescued from distant countries. I called you from the furthest parts of the earth. You are still my servants. You are the people that I chose. I have never given you up. v10 Do not be afraid. I will be with you. Let nothing frighten you, because I am your God. I will give you strength. I will help you. v11 Yes, any who oppose you will be ashamed. They will completely fail. Any who attack you will come to nothing. (In other words, their efforts will be hopeless.) They will just disappear. v12 You may search for those who oppose you. But you will not be able to find any. Those who fight against you will be as nothing. They will vanish. v13 Because I, the *Lord your God, give you power. It is I who tells you never to be afraid. I myself will be there to help you.

v14 So do not be afraid, Israel, small and weak as you are. I, the *Lord, will help you. I am the Holy God of Israel. It is I who saves you. v15 I will make you like a new *threshing-sledge that has sharp teeth (that is, nails). With it you will beat the mountains and you will reduce them to dust. You will make the hills like bits of grass. v16 You will throw the bits into the air for the wind to carry away. And the storm will scatter them. But you will be happy because the *Lord is your God. You will have pride because the Holy God is Israel’s God.

v17 Days may come when my poor people have no water to drink. Their tongues are dry. But I am their *Lord. I will provide for them. The God of Israel will never fail to satisfy them. v18 I will cause rivers to appear on bare hills where nothing was able to grow. I will make water to spring up in the valleys. The desert will become a pool of water. And dry ground will produce sources of water. v19 Now there will be water where once was only desert. Now I, the *Lord, will plant all kinds of lovely and useful trees. And vast forests will develop. v20 People will see what is happening. And they will understand that the *Lord himself has done it by his great power. The Holy God of Israel has brought it all about.

v21 The *Lord is the King of Israel. He tells the gods of the nations to produce their evidence, as in a court of law. v22 ‘Let these gods come here. Let them tell us what will happen in the future. And let them tell us the meaning of past events. Then we can consider what they say. Or let the gods announce future events, so that we can know what to expect. v23 Tell us what will happen in the future. Then we shall know whether you really are gods. Do anything you like! Do it, whether it is something good or something bad. Then we shall be able to see how clever you are. v24 You do not even exist! So you cannot do anything. Anyone who chooses to respect you fills me with disgust.

v25 I have called a man from the north. He has come from the east. He knows me. He will walk heavily on rulers, as a maker of pots walks on his *clay. v26 Not one of you gods was able to announce these events before they happened. None of you spoke about them. Nobody warned us. Otherwise, we could say, “That one was right.” v27 I, the *Lord, am the first to announce that my people are coming home. I am sending someone to bring the good news to the inhabitants of *Jerusalem who remained there. v28 But when I looked at the gods, none of them had anything to say. None of them could answer my questions. v29 Truly, all these gods have no use whatever. They can do absolutely nothing. They are completely without any sort of power.’

v1 The *Lord speaks: ‘See, here is my Servant. I support him. I have chosen him. He pleases me. I have put my Spirit on him. He will establish fair judgement among the nations. v2 He will not shout or cry out. He will not make loud speeches in the streets. v3 He will not break a thin stick. Nor will he put out a lamp that gives only a little light. He will make sure that judgements are always true. v4 My Servant will not lose hope or courage. He will make the world a place of fair judgements. And distant nations will wait hopefully for him to teach them.’

v5 It is God the *Lord who created the heavens. He created them so that they hang like a curtain. It is God the *Lord who created the earth. And he created all that it produces. He gave the breath of life to all who live upon the earth. Now this is what the *Lord says to his Servant: v6 ‘I am the *Lord. I have called you, my Servant, to bring *justice to the world. I have given you the power to carry out this task. I have appointed you to be my *covenant with the nations. And to be as a light for the nations. v7 This is so that you can make blind people able to see. And so that you can free prisoners. And so that you can bring people out of the darkness in which they were living. v8 I alone am the *Lord. That is my name. I do not permit the honour that belongs to me to go to anyone else. Or to go to some home-made *idol. v9 In the past, I announced that various things would happen. Look! Those events really have happened. Now I am announcing some new events. I am telling you about them before they happen.’

v10 Tell the whole world to sing a new song to the *Lord. Tell those who sail the seas to join in the song. And tell those who live in distant places to join in too. v11 Let people who live in the deserts and in the cities sing aloud to praise God. Let the people in Kedar praise him. Let the inhabitants of the city called Sela shout for joy from the tops of the mountains. v12 Let the inhabitants of distant nations praise the *Lord. Let them give him great honour.

v13 The *Lord marches into battle like a fierce champion. Like an angry soldier he shouts loudly as he charges into the fight. He shows no fear whatever. He will overcome his enemies. v14 ‘For a long time I have been silent’, says God. ‘I have been still. I have not acted. But now I shall cry out like a woman as she gives birth. As if I were struggling for air. v15 I shall destroy mountains and hills. I shall cause all their trees and plants to be so dry that they die. I shall reduce their rivers to mere pools. Then I shall dry up the pools. v16 But I shall never leave my people. I shall lead those who are blind along new ways. I shall take them by paths that they have never travelled before. I shall turn their darkness to light. And I shall make the rough places smooth. All this is what I shall do for them. I shall never leave them. v17 But all who put their trust in any sort of *idol as their god will be completely ashamed.’

v18 The *Lord says: ‘Listen, you people of mine who have been so deaf. Look carefully, you people of mine who have been so blind. Pay close attention to my words. v19 Nobody is more blind than my servant called Israel. Nobody is more deaf than Israel, which ought to carry my message to the world. v20 Israel sees many events. But he does not understand their meaning. His ears are open. But he does not really listen to the words of God’s laws.’

v21 It was the *Lord’s intention, because of his own *righteousness, to make his law great and honourable. v22 But the people in Israel did not obey God’s law. His directions would have made life so good. So Israel’s enemies have robbed them of liberty and land. Now God’s people are having to live in a foreign country. It is as if their life is in a deep hole or in a prison. They cannot escape. There is nobody to come to their rescue. v23 Someone among you people from Israel needs to listen. From now on, someone must pay proper attention. v24 It was surely the *Lord who handed over the people from Israel. He handed them over to their enemies, who acted like robbers. Because it is the *Lord whose law we (the people from Israel) have not obeyed. We have not followed his way. We have not obeyed his instructions. v25 So the *Lord showed his anger by the way that he made Israel suffer the results of war. It was as if God’s anger was like a fierce fire. The fire burned the people in Israel. But they still did not learn their lesson.

v1 But now, people from Israel, listen to the *Lord’s words to you. He who created you says, ‘Do not be afraid of the future.’ He who formed you as a nation says, ‘I will defend you. I have called you by name. So you belong to me. v2 Whenever you cross deep waters, I shall be with you. Whenever you cross rivers, you will not drown. Whenever you go through fire, the flames will not burn you. The flames will not even hurt you. v3 Truly, I am the *Lord your God, the Holy God of Israel. It is I who saves you. I caused the nation called Egypt to let you go free. And I caused the nations called Cush and Seba to give you your liberty. v4 You are very precious to me and I love you. Therefore I place you above other nations. I consider your life to be more valuable than the life of other nations. v5 So do not be afraid. I am with you. I will bring back your people from the east. I will gather them from the west. v6 I will order the nations in the north to free you. And I will order nations in the south to let you go home. They must send back my sons and my daughters from the most distant parts of the earth. v7 They are my own people. They are called by my name. I created them and I formed them to bring me honour.’

v8 God says: ‘Bring here the people who are blind. They are blind although their eyes are able to see. Bring here the people who are deaf. They are deaf although their ears are able to hear. v9 All the nations are here. Their people have gathered together. None of their gods were able to tell about events in the future. And their gods were unable to explain the meaning of those events. Otherwise, they could produce witnesses to prove that they did this. v10 People from Israel, you are my witnesses. You have seen what I have done,’ says the *Lord. ‘I have chosen you people to be my servant. This is so that you can learn to know me and to trust me. Because, apart from me, there has never been another real god. Nor will there ever be any other real god in the future. v11 I alone am the *Lord. I alone can rescue you in your present situation. And in the future. v12 I, the *Lord, announced what was going to happen. And it was I, the *Lord, who rescued you. It was not the work of some foreign god. And you are my witnesses,’ says the *Lord. v13 ‘I am God and I always shall be. Nobody can force me to give up my plan. None can change what I intend to do.’

v14 This is what the *Lord says. (He is the Holy God of Israel. He is your Rescuer.) ‘People from Israel, for your benefit I shall send someone with an army to attack Babylon. The army will destroy all that protects the city. Then what had once been shouts of joy by Babylon’s inhabitants will change to cries of despair. v15 I am the *Lord, your Holy God. I am he who created Israel as my people. I am Israel’s king.’

v16 Long ago the *Lord made a road through the sea for his people. He made a path for them through the deep waters. v17 Then the *Lord urged Egypt’s chariots and horses to pursue the *Israelites. But it was only so that the *Lord could destroy that great army in the sea. He ended their lives, as someone might put out a candle. v18 But do not think only of what happened long ago. Do not keep in your thoughts only events in the past. v19 ‘See! I am going to do something completely new. Even now it is beginning to happen. Surely you can see it. I am going to make a road for you through the desert. I am creating rivers in the bare (empty) country. v20 Even the wild animals that live in these dry places will give me honour. Because I am supplying water in the desert and rivers in bare places. So my people will be able to drink. They are the people whom I chose. v21 They are the people that I formed for myself. They will praise me in song.’

v22 ‘But you, my own people, have not given me honour. In fact, you people from Israel have become tired of my service. v23 It was not for me that you burned sheep on my *altar as gifts. You did not give any honour to me when you offered *sacrifices. I have never asked for too many gifts from you. I have not tired you by constant demands for *incense. v24 You have never had to buy *incense to offer to me. You have never had to burn the fat of animals on my *altar to satisfy me. But your wicked deeds are like a heavy load that I must carry. You have tired me by all your evil actions.

v25 But I am still the *Lord your God. So I have completely wiped off all the record of your evil actions. I will never again remember your wicked deeds in the past. v26 Remind me. Explain why you were complaining. Tell me about it. And bring evidence to prove that you are right. v27 Your earliest relative practised evil deeds. Still today your leaders refuse to obey my laws. v28 Therefore, I no longer allow your priests to serve me in my *Temple. I am letting enemies destroy Israel as a nation. I am leaving my special people to suffer shame.’

v1 But now, Jacob my servant, listen. Hear, Israel, my people whom I have chosen. v2 The *Lord created you in the beginning. He formed you into the nation called Israel from birth. (That is, from the start of the nation.) He will continue to help you. Listen to what he says: ‘You must not be afraid, Jacob my servant, Jeshuran (Israel) whom I have chosen. And whom I love so deeply. v3 I pour water onto dry ground. And I create streams to flow in the desert. So I will pour my Spirit upon your children. And I will greatly *bless the future members of your family. v4 They will grow like grass grows near water. And they will grow like green trees by a flowing river. v5 Some people will say that they belong to the *Lord. Some foreigners will say that their name is now Jacob. That is, that they have come to join the people from Israel. Some people will write on their hands that they belong to the *Lord. And other people will be proud to add the name of God’s people, Israel, to their own names.’

v6 The *Lord is Israel’s King and Rescuer. He is the *Lord of Heaven’s Forces. This is what the *Lord declares: ‘I am the First and the Last. I was there in the beginning. I will be there at the end. Apart from me, no god exists. v7 There is none like me. Let any who would claim to be like me prove it. Let them produce their evidence. Nobody else from ancient times has ever announced what is going to happen in the future. Let them come forward now and make known the future. v8 Do not worry. Do not be afraid. I announced to you long ago what would happen. You are witnesses of what I said. There is no God other than me. There is no other Rock (place of security). That is, there is no other firm foundation (base) for people to trust. If there were, I would certainly know about it.’

v9 People who make *idols are wasting their time. *Idols do not have the slightest value. People who admire *idols are blind. Such people know nothing. Anyone could see that they are foolish. v10 It is stupid to make a god or a metal *idol. It provides no benefit whatever. v11 All who give honour to *idols will be ashamed in the end. People who make gods are themselves only human. So the one and only God says, ‘Let them all come in front of me. Suddenly they will tremble with fear. And they will realise how foolish they have been.’

v12 A workman who is skilled to use metals first makes his tool sharp. Then he causes a piece of metal to become soft in the fire. After that he uses a hammer with his strong arm to shape the metal. But if he gets hungry in his labour, he will become tired. And if he drinks no water, he will become weak.

v13 Another workman is skilled to use wood. He makes an outline of a human figure on a block of wood. He marks the wood with a tool. Then he shapes the wood to look like an attractive person. The *idol is to stand in someone’s home. v14 This workman had cut down some suitable tree that grows large in the forest. The rain had helped it to grow very tall and strong. (Wood from the tree can serve more than one purpose.)

v15 Wood is useful as fuel. A person can make a fire with wood to keep himself warm. Or he can cook food on the fire. And he can also use some wood to make an *idol that he will serve as his god. v16 So with some of the wood he makes a fire to cook meat to eat. And the fire warms him. So he can say that it makes him feel good. v17 What remains of the wood he makes into an *idol to be his god. Then he bends his head to give it honour. And he prays to his wooden god. He asks it to save him from some trouble.

v18 Such a person is so stupid. He has no intelligence. He cannot see what is in front of his eyes. He cannot understand what he is doing. v19 He does not have enough sense to realise what he has done with the wood. He burned half the wood in the fire. He baked bread and he cooked meat on the coals. With the wood that remained he made an awful *idol. Then he bends his head to give honour to a block of wood! v20 His actions are really stupid. It is as if he tried to catch ashes to eat. And the wind is blowing the ashes away. His foolish ideas have so gripped him that now he cannot escape from them. He does not even consider that the wooden *idol in his hand is a completely false god.

v21 The *Lord speaks to the people in Israel: ‘Always remember that I shaped you as a nation to be my special servant. Therefore, Israel, I shall never forget you. v22 I have forgiven your evil deeds. They were like a mere cloud that blew away in the wind. And I have removed from my mind all those occasions when you did not obey my laws. Like the mist, they have disappeared. Return to me, because I have made your relationship with me right again.’

v23 Shout for joy, you heavens, because of what the *Lord has done. Shout, you earth, even in your deepest places. Sing loudly for joy, you mountains, however high you are. Sing with every tree in the forest. Sing, because the *Lord has rescued the families of Jacob. Yes, he has shown his *glory in Israel.

v24 People from Israel, it is the *Lord who rescues you from foreign countries. The *Lord says, ‘I created you in the beginning. I am the *Lord who made everything. I alone established the heavens. I alone created the earth. There was nobody else with me. v25 Some people think that they know the future. But I will confuse their words, which are mere lies. Those people try to guess future events. I prove that they are mere fools. I destroy the wisdom of wise men. I make their advice into nonsense.

v26 But I, the *Lord, bring about the words that my servant Isaiah speaks on my behalf. I will make sure that *Jerusalem will again be full of inhabitants. And that men will build again the towns in Judah. They will establish again the places that enemies ruined. v27 I command the deep sea to become dry. I cause your rivers to have no water. v28 And I, the *Lord, declare that Cyrus is to be the ruler of my people. He will complete all my plans. And he will call you to build *Jerusalem again. And he will encourage you to establish the *Temple again.’

v1 The *Lord has chosen Cyrus as his champion. The *Lord has given power to Cyrus to overcome nation after nation. The *Lord is sending Cyrus to take the authority away from kings. The *Lord will open the gates of cities for Cyrus.

Now the *Lord speaks to Cyrus: v2 ‘I will march ahead of you to make the mountains level. As you attack cities, I will burst open their metal gates. I will completely destroy the bars of iron on the gates. v3 I will give you rich things that you did not expect to find. And valuable stores that people have hidden in secret places. In that way you will realise that I, the *Lord, Israel’s God, have called you by name to my service. v4 But I have appointed you for the benefit of Jacob my servant. That is, for my people called Israel whom I have chosen. Cyrus, I have called you by name and I have given you great honour. And I have done all this although you have not known me. v5 I am the *Lord, the God of Israel. Apart from me, no god exists. It is I, the *Lord, who have given you the strength for the task. I have done this although you do not recognise me. v6 I am doing this so that everybody in all the world may know me, the *Lord. And that there is no other god. v7 I form light and I create darkness. That is, everything in the natural world. I cause harmony and I bring about disagreements. That is, everything in human relationships. I, the *Lord, do all these things. v8 Tell the heavens to send justice (fair judgements) like rain from the sky. The earth will be ready to receive it. And cause freedom and justice (fair judgements) to grow like plants. I am the *Lord who will make all this to happen.’

v9 *Woe to anyone who argues with God who created him. That is like a pot that argues with its maker. The *clay cannot argue with the person who shapes it. The *clay cannot order that person to explain what he is doing. Nor can the pot complain because it has no handle. v10 *Woe to anyone who does not approve of the way that he was born. v11 It is the *Lord, the Holy God of Israel, who shapes the future. It is out of the question for anybody to tell God what he ought to do about his people. v12 ‘I am the *Lord, who made the earth. I am the *Lord, who created people to live in it. It was my hands that established the heavens. And it was I who put sun and moon and stars in their places. v13 It is I who have urged the foreigner Cyrus to put things right among the nations. And I will make his path straight. He will repair my city *Jerusalem. He will send home my people who are in foreign countries. And he will do all this freely and without any payment.’ That is what the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) says.

v14 This is what the *Lord says to the people from Israel: ‘The wealth of Egypt and Cush will be yours. The tall men from Seba will serve you as slaves. They will follow you with chains on their arms and legs. They will understand that they belong to you. They will agree that God is with you. And they will agree that he alone is God. There is no other.’

v15 Truly, God of Israel, it is you who rescues us. But you hide yourself. In other words, you have no form (natural body) that we can see. v16 All who make *idols will be ashamed. They wander about in total confusion. v17 But the *Lord will always be there to rescue Israel. So you, who are his people, will never know shame or confusion.

v18 God the *Lord created the heavens and he formed the earth. But he did not make the world to be a empty place of confusion. He established the world for people to live in. He declares that he is the *Lord. There is no other god. v19 ‘I, the *Lord, have not spoken in secret, as if to hide my purpose in darkness. I did not tell the people from Israel to look for me in an empty place of confusion. I am the *Lord. I speak the truth. And I declare things that you can trust.’

v20 ‘Gather together! Come here, you people who remain alive. People who are still carrying their wooden *idols with them understand nothing whatever. They pray to gods that cannot save them. v21 Come, bring your evidence as if to a court. Discuss the matter with each other. No *idols told you that these events would happen in the future. It was I, the *Lord God, who arranged to rescue my people by means of Cyrus. No other real god exists, none whatever. v22 Turn to me now and let me rescue you, you people in all the world! Because I, the *Lord, am the only God that there is. v23 I am making a serious promise. I will not change it. I promise by all that I am. Every person in the world will come and kneel in front of me. They will all promise to be loyal to me. v24 They will declare that only by me can anyone find success and power. But all that are still angry with me will suffer shame. v25 All people who belong to Israel will find their success and delight in the *Lord.’

v1 The chief gods of Babylon were called Bel (or Marduk) and Nebo (Bel’s son). The *Babylonians once proudly carried their gods’ images in happy processions. Now those images lie flat on their backs. The *idols are merely a heavy load for tired animals to try to carry to safety. v2 The gods bend down. They pray together. But they cannot rescue the load of images. Instead, the gods themselves become prisoners.

v3 ‘Listen to me, you people from Jacob’s family, you people from Israel who are alive today. I, the *Lord, have carried you from before you were born. And I have supported you since your birth as a nation. v4 I will be the one who carries you. Even when you grow old and your hair is white. I created you and I will support you. I will carry you and I will rescue you.’

v5 ‘None is like me. None is equal to me. You cannot compare me with anyone else. v6 Rich people freely spend large sums of gold from their bags. They weigh much silver for payment. They hire a skilled worker and he shapes the metal into the image of a god. Then they humbly bend in front of their new *idol. They even *worship it. v7 They lift it upon their shoulders to carry it. Then they set it up in its place. And there it stands. It cannot move. If anyone prays to it, it cannot answer. Neither can it do anything to save them from trouble.’

v8 ‘Remember this, you people who do not obey God’s laws. Think carefully about what I am saying. v9 Think of all that I did for you long ago. I alone am God. There is no other god. I am God. There is none like me. v10 From the beginning I announced what the end would be. I announced what would happen in the future. I declared that my plans would never fail. And that I would do all that I intended to do. v11 I am calling a man (Cyrus) from the east. He comes from a distant country to do what I intend. He will attack like some powerful bird that suddenly dives from the sky. I have spoken and I will cause it to happen. I have made my plans and Cyrus will carry out my purpose.’

v12 ‘Listen carefully to what I am saying, you people with hard hearts. You cannot believe that you will have freedom in your own country again. You do not understand my plan. v13 The day when I rescue you is very near. It is not an event in some distant future. I will rescue *Jerusalem. That is, I will cause men to build again the city and my *Temple in it. And I will bring my *glory to Israel. That is, my people will reflect my beautiful purposes in the world.’

v1 The *Lord declares to Babylon: ‘For so long you never suffered defeat. But now you must leave your throne (royal seat) and sit in the dust. You sat like a queen. Now you must sit in the dirt. Nobody will ever again think of you as a beautiful young woman. Your face was once soft and gentle. v2 Now you will have to work as a slave. You will have to turn heavy *millstones. You will have to reduce grain to flour. You will have to strip the veil (cover) from your face. You will have to lift your skirt. You will have to make your legs bare to cross streams. v3 You inhabitants of Babylon will be ashamed when other people see you naked.

My special people will have *satisfaction for the times when enemies were so cruel to them. I will make sure of that. And nobody will stop me.’

v4 The *Lord is the Commander of Heaven’s Forces. He will free us! He is the Holy God of Israel!

v5 The *Lord says to Babylon: ‘Sit in silence in the darkness of a foreign prison. Never again will anybody call you the “*Mistress of many nations”. v6 I was angry with my people called Israel. I acted as if they did not still belong to me. So I handed them over to you, Babylon. But you were cruel. You showed them no pity. You made even old people to carry heavy loads. v7 Babylon, you thought that you would always be a great political power. So you did not give proper consideration to what these events meant. Nor did you think about what might happen in the future.’

v8 ‘So now, listen to me. You love your life of luxury and pleasure. You think to yourself that all is well. You feel safe. You have security. You even consider yourself to be as great as God. You never thought that you would be a widow. Nor that you would suffer the loss of your children. v9 But suddenly and in a moment, both of these losses will happen. You will lose both your husband and your children. Even if you use all your magic, you will lose everything. v10 You felt such security as you carried out your wicked activities. You thought that nobody could see your evil deeds. But your wisdom and knowledge led you the wrong way. They made you a complete fool. You told yourself that you were God. You alone controlled events. There was none like you. How totally wrong you were! v11 A sudden attack will surprise you and it will destroy everything. And you will not be able to avoid it by your magic. You will suffer great trouble. And you will not find any protection.’

v12 ‘Of course, you may decide to carry on with your black (wicked) magic. You may continue to use evil practices. You have depended on them all your life. You may even hope that one day they might possibly help you to avoid trouble. Or perhaps you think that you could use them to frighten other people. v13 The vast quantity of advice that you receive has worn you out. Some comes from those who study the sky. Some comes from those who look for the future in the stars. And some comes from those who announce month by month what to expect. Let all these people rise and rescue you! v14 Look, they are no better than straw that the fire burns. They cannot rescue even themselves from the flames. They provide neither coals to warm anybody, nor a pleasant fire to sit near. v15 People like that will not help you. All your life you have paid them for their advice. But now they are no use to you. In this emergency they only want to save themselves. None of them will stay to try to save you.’

v1 The *Lord says, ‘Listen to this, you family of Jacob. You are called “Israel”. You come from the *tribe called “Judah”. You make solemn (serious) promises in the name of the *Lord God of Israel. But you do not do so truly or sincerely. You do not really mean what you say. v2 You call yourselves citizens of the holy city, that is, *Jerusalem. You even declare that you put your trust in the *Lord God of Israel, whose name is “Commander of Heaven’s Forces”. You are lying.’

v3 ‘Long ago I declared that certain events would happen. I made known the future by my words. Then suddenly I acted. That proved my words to be true. v4 I did this because I knew your attitudes. You had firmly fixed your thoughts on your own opinions. Your neck seems as stiff as a bar of iron! Your head seems as hard as the hardest metal! v5 That is why long ago I told you about these future events. Before they happened, I announced them to you. So you could not say that your *idols had caused those events. Or that your wooden images or metal gods had made the events happen.’

v6 ‘You heard what I announced. Then you saw what happened. What I said was true. You ought to agree with that! Now I am now going to tell you about some new events that will happen. These events were secrets that you did not know. v7 Only now am I making them happen. So you could not have known about them before today. And you could not pretend that you already knew about them.’

v8 ‘You have never listened to me. So I have never been able to trust you. v9 But because of my name, I will hold back my anger. And because of my honour, I will still be patient. I will not destroy you.

v10 An expert with metals wants silver that is pure. So he puts the silver into a very hot fire. This removes all that is not pure in the silver.’ This is a picture of God’s action when he allowed the people from Israel to suffer in Babylon. But God knew that he would find nothing good in his people. So he stopped the process, because otherwise it would have destroyed the nation called Israel completely. v11 ‘But because of my name, yes, because of my name, I will save you from my anger. I will not destroy you. Otherwise wicked people will declare that their gods have overcome me. I will not allow anybody or anything to have the honour that is mine and mine alone.’

v12 ‘Listen to me, my people called Israel. Listen to me, you people that I have chosen. I alone am God. I, the *Lord, am the First. I was there at the beginning. I, the *Lord, am the Last. I shall be there at the end. v13 My own hands laid out the foundations (base) of the earth. And my right hand spread out the sky. When I spoke, they immediately began to exist.

v14 Come together, all of you, and listen. None of your *idols announced what Cyrus, my special helper, would do. I, the *Lord, have chosen him to attack the country called Babylon. He will do what I want him to do. v15 I, the *Lord, appointed him to carry out this task. And so he will succeed.’

v16 ‘Come to me. Listen to what I am saying. In the past I did not use words that were unclear. I spoke plainly about events that would happen. At the right moment those events did happen. That was because I was there to make them happen.’

‘And now,’ says Isaiah, ‘the *Lord God has sent me to speak his message by his Spirit.’ v17 This is what the *Lord, your rescuer, the Holy God of Israel, says to you: ‘I am the *Lord, your God. I am your teacher. I teach you how to succeed. I am your guide. I shall guide you in the path by which you should go.’

v18 ‘If you had only listened to my commands, your life would have been like a full river. Such a river flows calmly. Your success would have been like the powerful waves of the sea. Nothing could have stopped you. v19 Your families would have been as many as the grains of sand along the shore. Their name would always have been in front of my eyes.’

v20 Get away from Babylon! Go with great joy! Shout the news gladly for everybody to hear! The *Lord has rescued his people Israel! v21 There was no lack of water when he led them through the desert. He made water to pour from the rock for them. He split the rock and the water flowed. v22 But the *Lord warns those who continue their wicked behaviour. There will still be no safety for them.