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Isaiah Chapter 49

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asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM

1 I have raised up one from the north, and he is come; from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name: and he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.
2 Who hath declared it from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say,
3 He is right? yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that showeth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.
4 I am the first
5 that saith unto Zion, Behold, behold them; and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
6 And when I look, there is no man: even among them there is no counsellor, that, when I ask of them, can answer a word.
7 Behold, all of them, their works are vanity
8 and nought; their molten images are wind and confusion.
9 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
10 He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.
11 A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth.
12 He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.
13 Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
14 I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
15 to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
16 I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images.
17 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.
18 Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
19 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up
20 their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
21 Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.
22 Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man; he will stir up
23 his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies.
24 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself:
25 now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
26 I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye peoples from afar. Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hath concealed me under the shadow of his hand, and he hath made me a polished shaft: in his quiver hath he hidden me.
3 And he said unto me, Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will glorify myself.
4 — And I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and in vain; nevertheless my judgment is with Jehovah, and my work with myGod.
5 And now, saith Jehovah, that formed me from the womb to be his servant, that I should bring Jacob again to him; (though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorified in the eyes of Jehovah, and myGod shall be my strength;)
6 — and he saith, It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I have even given thee for a light of the nations, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes, and they shall worship, because of Jehovah who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee.
8 Thus saith Jehovah: In a time of acceptance have I answered thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the land, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 saying to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pasture shall be on all bare hills.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them will lead them, and by the springs of water will he guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Behold, these shall come from afar; and behold, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
13 Shout, ye heavens; and be joyful, thou earth; and break forth into singing, ye mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted ones.
14 But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Even these forget, but I will not forget thee.
16 Lo, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy sons shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that laid thee waste shall go forth from thee.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt indeed clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and bind them on as a bride doth.
19 For [in] thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy destroyed land, thou shalt even now be too straitened by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
20 The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too narrow for me: make room for me, that I may dwell.
21 And thou shalt say in thy heart, Who hath borne me these, seeing I had lost my children and was desolate, an exile, and driven about? and who hath brought up these? behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?
22 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my banner to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in [their] bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon the shoulder.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their princesses thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with the face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I [am] Jehovah; for they shall not be ashamed who wait on me.
24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty? and shall he that is rightfully captive be delivered?
25 For thus saith Jehovah: Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; and I will strive with him that striveth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with new wine. And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Hearken to me, ye islands; and attend, ye Gentiles; after a long time it shall come to pass, saith the Lord: from my mother's womb he has called my name:
2 and he has made my mouth as a sharp sword, and he has hid me under the shadow of his hand; he has made me as a choice shaft, and he has hid me in his quiver;
3 and said to me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, and in thee I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have given my strength for vanity and for nothing: therefore is my judgment with the Lord, and my labour before my God.
5 And now, thus saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his own servant, to gather Jacob to him and Israel. I shall be gathered and glorified before the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said to me, [It is] a great thing for thee to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel: behold, I have given thee for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the Lord that delivered thee, the God of Israel, Sanctify him that despises his life, him that is abhorred by the nations that are the servants of princes: kings shall behold him, and princes shall arise, and shall worship him, for the Lord's sake: for the Holy One of Israel is faithful, and I have chosen thee.
8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee: and I have formed thee, and given thee for a covenant of the nations, to establish the earth, and to cause to inherit the desert heritages:
9 saying to them that are in bonds, Go forth; and [bidding] them that are in darkness shew themselves. They shall be fed in all the ways, and in all the paths [shall be] their pasture.
10 They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst; neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; but he that has mercy on them shall comfort [them], and by fountains of waters shall he lead them.
11 And I will make every mountain a way, and every path a pasture to them.
12 Behold, these shall come from far: [and] these from the north and the west, and others from the land of the Persians.
13 Rejoice, ye heavens; and let the earth be glad: let the mountains break forth [with] joy; for the Lord has had mercy on his people, and has comforted the lowly ones of his people.
14 But Sion said, The Lord has forsaken me, and, The Lord has forgotten me.
15 Will a woman forget her child, so as not to have compassion upon the offspring of her womb? but if a woman should even forget these, yet I will not forget thee, saith the Lord.
16 Behold, I have painted thy walls on my hands, and thou art continually before me.
17 And thou shalt soon be built by those by whom thou wert destroyed, and they that made thee desolate shall go forth of thee.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and look on them all; behold, they are gathered together, and are come to thee. [As] I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt clothe thyself with them all as with an ornament, and put them on as a bride her attire.
19 For thy desert and marred and ruined [places] shall now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that devoured thee shall be removed far from thee.
20 For thy sons whom thou hast lost shall say in thine ears, The place [is too] narrow for me: make room for me that I may dwell.
21 And thou shalt say in thine heart, Who has begotten me these? whereas I [was] childless, and a widow; but who has brought up these for me? and I was left alone; but whence came these to me?
22 Thus saith the Lord, [even] the Lord, Behold, I lift up mine hand to the nations, and I will lift up my signal to the islands: and they shall bring thy sons in [their] bosom, and shall bear thy daughters on [their] shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their princesses thy nurses, they shall bow down to thee on the face of the earth, and shall lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and they that wait on me shall not be ashamed.
24 Will any one take spoils from a giant? and if one should take [a man] captive unjustly, shall he be delivered?
25 For thus saith the Lord, If one should take a giant captive, he shall take spoils, and he who takes [them] from a mighty [man] shall be delivered: for I will plead thy cause, and I will deliver thy children.
26 And they that afflicted thee shall eat their own flesh; and they shall drink their own blood as new wine, and shall be drunken: and all flesh shall perceive that I am the Lord that delivers thee, and that upholds the strength of Jacob.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Audite insulæ, et attendite populi de longe: Dominus ab utero vocavit me, de ventre matris meæ recordatus est nominis mei.
2 Et posuit os meum quasi gladium acutum: in umbra manus suæ protexit me, et posuit me sicut sagittam electam: in pharetra sua abscondit me.
3 Et dixit mihi: Servus meus es tu Israel, quia in te gloriabor.
4 Et ego dixi: In vacuum laboravi, sine causa, et vane fortitudinem meam consumpsi: ergo iudicium meum cum Domino, et opus meum cum Deo meo.
5 Et nunc dicit Dominus, formans me ex utero servum sibi, ut reducam Iacob ad eum, et Israel non congregabitur: et glorificatus sum in oculis Domini, et Deus meus factus est fortitudo mea.
6 Et dixit: Parum est ut sis mihi servus ad suscitandas tribus Iacob, et fæces Israel convertendas: Ecce dedi te in lucem Gentium, ut sis salus mea usque ad extremum terræ.
7 Hæc dicit Dominus redemptor Israel, sanctus eius, ad contemptibilem animam, ad abominatam gentem, ad servum dominorum: Reges videbunt, et consurgent principes, et adorabunt propter Dominum, quia fidelis est, et sanctum Israel qui elegit te.
8 Hæc dicit Dominus: In tempore placito exaudivi te, et in die salutis auxiliatus sum tui: et servavi te, et dedi te in fœdus populi, ut suscitares terram, et possideres hereditates dissipatas:
9 ut diceres his, qui vincti sunt: Exite: et his, qui in tenebris: Revelamini. Super vias pascentur, et in omnibus planis pascua eorum.
10 Non esurient, neque sitient, et non percutiet eos æstus et sol: quia miserator eorum reget eos, et ad fontes aquarum potabit eos.
11 Et ponam omnes montes meos in viam, et semitæ meæ exaltabuntur.
12 Ecce isti de longe venient, et ecce illi ab Aquilone et mari, et isti de terra australi.
13 Laudate cæli, et exulta terra, iubilate montes laudem: quia consolatus est Dominus populum suum, et pauperum suorum miserebitur.
14 Et dixit Sion: Dereliquit me Dominus, et Dominus oblitus est mei.
15 Numquid oblivisci potest mulier infantem suum, ut non misereatur filio uteri sui? et si illa oblita fuerit, ego tamen non obliviscar tui.
16 Ecce in manibus meis descripsi te: muri tui coram oculis meis semper.
17 Venerunt structores tui: destruentes te, et dissipantes a te exibunt.
18 Leva in circuitu oculos tuos, et vide, omnes isti congregati sunt, venerunt tibi: vivo ego, dicit Dominus, quia omnibus his velut ornamento vestieris, et circumdabis tibi eos quasi sponsa.
19 Quia deserta tua, et solitudines tuæ, et terra ruinæ tuæ nunc angusta erunt præ habitatoribus, et longe fugabuntur qui absorbebant te.
20 Adhuc dicent in auribus tuis filii sterilitatis tuæ: Angustus est mihi locus, fac spatium mihi ut habitem.
21 Et dices in corde tuo: Quis genuit mihi istos? ego sterilis, et non pariens, transmigrata, et captiva: et istos quis enutrivit? ego destituta et sola: et isti ubi erant?
22 Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce levabo ad Gentes manum meam, et ad populos exaltabo signum meum. Et afferent filios tuos in ulnis, et filias tuas super humeros portabunt.
23 Et erunt reges nutritii tui, et reginæ nutrices tuæ: vultu in terram demisso adorabunt te, et pulverem pedum tuorum lingent. Et scies quia ego Dominus, super quo non confundentur qui expectant eum.
24 Numquid tolletur a forti præda? aut quod captum fuerit a robusto, salvum esse poterit?
25 Quia hæc dicit Dominus: Equidem, et captivitas a forti tolletur: et quod ablatum fuerit a robusto, salvabitur. Eos vero, qui iudicaverunt te, ego iudicabo, et filios tuos ego salvabo.
26 Et cibabo hostes tuos carnibus suis: et quasi musto, sanguine suo inebriabuntur: et sciet omnis caro, quia ego Dominus salvans te, et redemptor tuus fortis Iacob.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Listen, islands, to me. Listen, you peoples, from afar: the LORD has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother, he has mentioned my name.
2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. He has made me a polished shaft. He has kept me close in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength in vain for nothing; yet surely the justice due to me is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.”
5 Now the LORD, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, says to bring Jacob again to him, and to gather Israel to him, for I am honorable in the LORD’s eyes, and my God has become my strength.
6 Indeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.”
7 The LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
8 The LORD says, “I have answered you in an acceptable time. I have helped you in a day of salvation. I will preserve you and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage,
9 saying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’; to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ “They shall feed along the paths, and their pasture shall be on all treeless heights.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them, for he who has mercy on them will lead them. He will guide them by springs of water.
11 I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.”
13 Sing, heavens, and be joyful, earth! Break out into singing, mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me.
17 Your children hurry. Your destroyers and those who devastated you will leave you.
18 Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live,” says the LORD, “you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride.
19 “For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now that land will be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 The children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’
21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’”
22 The Lord GOD says, “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and lift up my banner to the peoples. They shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; and those who wait for me won’t be disappointed.”
24 Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?
25 But the LORD says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the plunder retrieved from the fierce, for I will contend with him who contends with you and I will save your children.
26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Hearken, O isles, unto me, And attend, O peoples, from afar, Jehovah from the womb hath called me, From the bowels of my mother He hath made mention of my name.
2 And he maketh my mouth as a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He hath hid me, And He maketh me for a clear arrow, In His quiver He hath hid me.
3 And He saith to me, `My servant Thou art, O Israel, In whom I beautify Myself.'
4 And I said, `For a vain thing I laboured, For emptiness and vanity my power I consumed, But my judgment <FI>is<Fi> with Jehovah, And my wage with my God.
5 And now, said Jehovah, who is forming me from the belly for a servant to Him, To bring back Jacob unto Him, (Though Israel is not gathered, Yet I am honoured in the eyes of Jehovah, And my God hath been my strength.)
6 And He saith, `It hath been a light thing That thou art to Me for a servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And the preserved of Israel to bring back, And I have given thee for a light of nations, To be My salvation unto the end of the earth.'
7 Thus said Jehovah, Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, To the despised in soul, To the abominated of a nation, To the servant of rulers: `Kings see, and have risen, princes, and worship, For the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful, The Holy of Israel, and He chooseth thee.'
8 Thus said Jehovah: `In a time of good pleasure I answered thee, And in a day of salvation I helped thee, And I keep thee, and give thee, For a covenant of the people, To establish the earth, To cause to inherit desolate inheritances.
9 To say to the bound, Go out, To those in darkness, Be uncovered. On the ways they feed, And in all high places is their pasture.
10 They do not hunger, nor thirst, Nor smite them doth mirage and sun, For He who is pitying them doth lead them, And by fountains of waters doth tend them.
11 And I have made all My mountains for a way, And My highways are lifted up.
12 Lo, these from afar come in, And lo, these from the north, and from the sea, And these from the land of Sinim.
13 Sing, O heavens, and joy, O earth, And break forth, O mountains, with singing, For comforted hath Jehovah His people, And His afflicted ones He doth pity.
14 And Zion saith, `Jehovah hath forsaken me, And my Lord hath forgotten me.'
15 Forget doth a woman her suckling, The loved one--the son of her womb? Yea, these forget--but I--I forget not thee.
16 Lo, on the palms of the hand I have graven thee, Thy walls <FI>are<Fi> before Me continually.
17 Hastened have those building thee, Those destroying thee, and laying thee waste, go out from thee.
18 Lift up round about thine eyes and see, All of them have been gathered, They have come to thee. I live, an affirmation of Jehovah! Surely all of them as an ornament thou puttest on, And thou bindest them on like a bride.
19 Because thy wastes, and thy desolate places, And the land of thy ruins, Surely now are straitened because of inhabitants, And far off have been those consuming thee.
20 Again do the sons of thy bereavement say in thine ears: `The place is too strait for me, Come nigh to me--and I dwell.'
21 And thou hast said in thy heart: `Who hath begotten for me--these? And I bereaved and gloomy, A captive, and turned aside, And these--who hath nourished? Lo, I--I was left by myself, these--whence <FI>are<Fi> they?
22 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: `Lo, I lift up unto nations My hand, And unto peoples I raise up Mine ensign, And they have brought thy sons in the bosom, And thy daughters on the shoulder are carried.
23 And kings have been thy nursing fathers, And their princesses thy nursing mothers; Face to the earth--they bow down to thee, And the dust of thy feet they lick up, And thou hast known that I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah, That those expecting Me are not ashamed.
24 Is prey taken from the mighty? And the captive of the righteous delivered?
25 For thus said Jehovah: Even the captive of the mighty is taken, And the prey of the terrible is delivered, And with thy striver I strive, and thy sons I save.
26 And I have caused thine oppressors to eat their own flesh, And as new wine they drink their own blood, And known have all flesh that I, Jehovah, Thy saviour, and thy redeemer, <FI>Am<Fi> the Mighty One of Jacob!'

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).