God: Israel, you are mine
1This is the LORD talking.
Jacob’s children, I brought you to life.
Israel, I made you what you are.
So, don’t be afraid of me.
I’m the one who saved you.
I’m the one who chose you,
I’m the one who called you by your name.
You are mine.
I’ll wade the water with you.
Deep water won’t sweep you away.
It can’t sweep you from your LORD.
When you walk through fire
You won’t burn.
Flames can’t erase you from your LORD.
3I am the LORD your God.
I am the Holy One of Israel, your Savior
I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia, [1] and Seba. [2]
That’s what I did to save you.
4I love you and respect you.
You’re precious to me.
When I rescued you, I paid a high price.
People died. Nations fell. [3]
5Don’t be afraid. I am with you.
Though your people are scattered,
I’ll bring them home.
I’ll bring them from the east
I’ll bring them from the west.
6I’ll tell the northern lands,
“Let my people go.”
I’ll tell the southern lands,
“Don’t try to stop them.
Send my sons from your faraway lands
Send my daughters from the ends of the earth.
7These are my people.
I created them and chose them.
They honor me with their lives.
8Free the people who have eyes but can’t see,
Who have ears but can’t hear. [4]
God calls a meeting
9Call a meeting of all the nations.
Get everyone together.
Ask if any of them predicted what has happened. [5]
Have them call their witnesses to prove it.”
“My people, you are my witnesses.
I picked you out of all the nations.
I chose you so you could meet me
And believe in me
And know that I am God.
There are no other gods.
None before. None to come.
11I am the LORD. That’s me.
I am the only one who can save you.
12I am the one who said I would save you.
And I’m the one who saved you.
No idol did that for you.
You saw it with your own eyes.
I am God.
13I have always been God.
No one can overpower me.
No one can stop me.
God: I’m coming to your rescue
14I’m the LORD,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I’m coming to your rescue.
I’ll break down the walls of Babylon.
People of Babylon may be cheering now
But they’ll be crying when I’m done.
I’m your creator and your king.
16I cut a path through the water, [6]
A trail through the powerful sea.
17I drew enemy horses and chariots into the sea,
An army of warriors coming to catch you.
But I knock them down, and they can’t get up.
I take their lives like snuffing out a candlelight.
Tomorrow’s news: Rivers in the desert
18That’s old news.
Forget the past for now.
It’s beginning to happen. Can you see it yet?
I’m going to plow the road.
I’ll make a path through the wasteland.
I’ll put rivers in the desert.
20Wild animals will love me for it.
Jackals and owls will be happy
Because I put water in the badlands
And rivers in the desert.
But I’ll put them there for my people.
21These are the people I created for myself
I wanted them to know me
And to celebrate who I am.
When Israel gave up on God
22But you stopped talking to me,children of Jacob. [7]
You got tired of me,
children of Israel.
23You haven’t brought me sheep
As sacrificial offerings.
You haven’t shown me that respect.
I didn’t ask for sacrifices in your exile. [8]
I didn’t ask for offerings or incense.
24So, you didn’t bring me perfumes
Or the sweet fat from your sacrifices.
Instead, you weighed me down with sins.
But I’ve grown tired of it all.
God erases Israel’s sins
25I’m the only one who erases your sins.
I’ll do it because that’s who I am.
I’ll erase them and forget them.
Let’s see who’s right or wrong.
27You’ve been sinning for generations.
Even your priests turned against me.
28I rejected those priests.
I declared them sinful and unfit.
Then I gave Jacob’s descendants to the enemy.
I let Israel fall to pieces in disgrace.
