Isaiah 49

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Coasts and islands, listen to me, pay attention, distant peoples. Yahweh cal ed me when I was in thewomb, before my birth he had pronounced my name.	1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into asharpened arrow and concealed me in his quiver.	2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 He said to me, 'Israel, you are my servant, through whom I shal manifest my glory.'	3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 But I said, 'My toil has been futile, I have exhausted myself for nothing, to no purpose.' Yet al the whilemy cause was with Yahweh and my reward with my God.	4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.
5 And now Yahweh has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back tohim and to re-unite Israel to him;-I shal be honoured in Yahweh's eyes, and my God has been my strength.-	5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
6 He said, 'It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back thesurvivors of Israel; I shal make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts ofearth.'	6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, to the one who is despised, detested by thenation, to the slave of despots: Kings wil stand up when they see, princes wil see and bow low, because ofYahweh who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.	7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus says Yahweh: At the time of my favour I have answered you, on the day of salvation I havehelped you. I have formed you and have appointed you to be the covenant for a people, to restore the land, toreturn ravaged properties,	8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 to say to prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' Along the roadwaythey will graze, and any bare height wil be their pasture.	9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
10 They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pitiesthem wil lead them, wil guide them to springs of water.	10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
11 I shal turn all my mountains into a road and my highways wil be raised aloft.	11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 Look! Here they come from far away, look, these from the north and the west, those from the land ofSinim.	12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
13 Shout for joy, you heavens; earth, exult! Mountains, break into joyful cries! For Yahweh has consoledhis people, is taking pity on his afflicted ones.	13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
14 Zion was saying, 'Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.'	14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if thesewere to forget, I shal not forget you.	15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Look, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your ramparts are ever before me.	16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Your rebuilders are hurrying, your destroyers and despoilers wil soon go away.	17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18 Raise your eyes and look around you: all are assembling, coming to you. By my life, declaresYahweh, you will put them al on like jewels, like a bride, you wil fasten them on.	18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
19 For your desolate places and your ruins and your devastated country from now on wil be too crampedfor your inhabitants, and your devourers wil be far away.	19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
20 Once more they will say in your hearing, the children of whom you were bereft, 'The place is toocramped for me, make room for me to live.'	20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21 Then you wil think to yourself, 'Who has borne me these? I was bereft and barren, exiled, turned outof my home; who has reared these? I was left all alone, so where have these come from?'	21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22 Thus says Lord Yahweh: Look, I am beckoning to the nations and hoisting a signal to the peoples:they will bring your sons in their arms and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.	22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 Kings will be your foster-fathers and their princesses, your foster-mothers. They will fal prostratebefore you, faces to the ground, and lick the dust at your feet. And you wil know that I am Yahweh; those whohope in me wil not be disappointed.	23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
24 Can the body be snatched from the warrior, can the tyrant's captive be set free?	24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
25 But thus says Yahweh: The warrior's captive wil indeed be snatched away and the tyrant's booty willindeed be set free; I myself shall fight those who fight you and I myself shal save your children.	25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 I shal make your oppressors eat their own flesh, they wil be as drunk on their own blood as on newwine. And al humanity wil know that I am Yahweh, your Saviour, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.	26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.