THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH
Isaiah 43 ©
The Lord comforts His people, promising to deliver and protect them, v. 1, etc. And to enlarge His church from among the Gentiles, 5. And He proves that the gods of the Gentiles are vain, 9. But that He is alone the true and almighty God, 10, etc. Who chose His people not because of their merits, but out of free grace, 21, etc.
BUT now thus saith the LORD 1that created thee, 2O Jacob, and he that formed thee, 3O Israel, 4Fear not: for 5I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
6When thou passest througha the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest 7through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
For I am the LORD thy God, 8the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave 9Egypt for 10thy ransom, Ethiopia and 11Seba 12for thee.
13Since thou wast 14precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and 15I have loved thee: therefore will I give 16men for thee, and people 17for thy life.
Fearb not: for I am with thee: I will 18bring 19thy seed 20from the east, and 21gather thee 22from the west;
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring 23my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Even 24every one that is called by my name: 25for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have 26made him.
¶Bring forth 27the blind people that have 28eyes, and 29the deaf that have 30ears.
31Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: 32who among them 33can declare this, 34and shew us 35former things? 36let them bring forth their witnesses, 37that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, 38It is truth.
Ye are 39my witnesses, saith the LORD, and 40my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: 41beforec me there was no God 42formed, neither shall there be after me.
I, even 43I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
44I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was 45no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
Yea, 46before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and whod shall 47let it?
¶Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I 48have sent to 49Babylon, and have brought down all their 50nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is 51in the ships.
I am the LORD, your Holy One, 52the creator of Israel, your King.
Thus saith the LORD, which 53maketh a way in the 54sea, and a path in 55the mighty waters;
56Which bringeth forth 57the chariot and horse, the army and the power; 58they shall lie down together, they shall 59not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as 60tow.
¶ 61Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do 62ae new thing; 63now it shall 64spring forth; 65shall ye not know it? 66I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
67The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and 68the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
Thisf people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
¶But 69thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; 70but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
Thou hast not brought 71me 72the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an 73offering, nor wearied thee 74with incense.
Thou hast bought me no 75sweet cane with money, neither hast thou 76filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast 77made me to serve 78with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
I, even I, am he that blotteth out 79thy transgressions 80forg mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
81Put me in remembrance: leth us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be 82justified.
83Thy first father hath sinned, and 84thy teachers have transgressed against me.
Therefore I 85have profaned 86the princes of the sanctuary, and have given 87Jacob to the curse, and 88Israel to reproaches.