Isaiah 51

You want some justice,
And you want to do what’s right.
So, you’re looking for the LORD.
But look at the rock from which you were cut.
2Abraham, your father, was that rock,
With Sarah, mother of your birth.
Abraham [1] was just one man I chose.
But look at the nation he became.
3The LORD will comfort Jerusalem,
A city that lies in ruins.
He’ll grow Eden in her wasteland,
God’s Garden in the desert.
Relief and joy will come to Jerusalem,
With songs of gratitude and thanks.

You’re my people. Listen to me.
You’re my nation. Pay attention.
I have something you need to know.
Justice is about to light up the nations.
5Rescue is coming soon.
It’s already on the road.
I’ll show you I still pack a punch. [2]
Your coastal homeland depends on that.
6Take a look at the sky.
Take a look at the ground.
Sky will vanish like a puff of smoke.
Earth will rip like a robe to a rag.
All life will die like bugs on their backs.
But the victory I win
Will make a difference forever.
My power to save never ends.
7If you know right from wrong,
If you live by my teachings,
Listen to what I say.
When others insult you,
Don’t let it get to you.
When others mistreat you,
Don’t let it beat you.
8Those people will disappear
Like cloth with a moth,
Like a ball of wool with a worm.
But I’ll be here to save forever,
For all generations to come.

Wake up, LORD. We need your muscle.
Do what you did long ago.
Didn’t you destroy Rahab [3] the dragon,
Killing that monster of the sea?
10Did you dry the ocean, down to the mud,
Did you pave a trail for the people you saved?
11Let the people you save
Come to Jerusalem
Joyfully singing their thanks.
Let sadness and sorrow leave this place.

I’m the one who reassures you.
So why do these people scare you?
They’re here for a while then dead and gone,
Like dried up grass in the field.
13You’ve forgotten who I am,
Your LORD and creator.
I raised the sky above you.
I dropped the earth beneath you.
Yet you live in a state of constant fear [4]
Because of how badly they treat you.
14You’re kneeling to them now,
But you’ll be free of them soon.
They’re not going to kill you.
And you’re not going to starve.
15I’m the LORD your God.
I’m the one who stirs the sea
And sets the waves in motion.
LORD of Everyone, that’s my name.
16I’ll give you words when you need them.
I’ll hold you tight and keep you safe.
I put the sky above and the earth below
And I say to those in Jerusalem
“I chose you. You’re my people.”

Wake up, Jerusalem.
Wake up, my people.
You suffered the punishment of God
Staggering loss and wrenching pain.
18You lost all your leaders.
There’s no one in charge.
No one to take your hand.
Not a single soul among you.
19You’re double-dipped in trouble,
Decimated and ruined.
Defeated and starved.
Who will comfort you with kindness?
20Your people are passing out.
Their bodies litter the streets.
They’re trapped in their troubles
Like a deer in a net.
They feel the full impact,
The punishing blow of God.
21Now listen, wounded people,
Staggering through your pain.
22Listen to the LORD your God,
Champion and hero of his people:
From now on you’re in my hands.
The tormented life you’ve lived
As punishment from God
Is finished now and always.
You’ll never suffer it again.
23God will pass the cup of punishment
To people who treated you like dirt.
They said, “Drop to the ground when we pass by.”
You were dirt on their path through the day.