206 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
206 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
The Savior of Israel
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# Chapter 43
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1. But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you.
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O Israel, the one who formed you says,
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"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
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I have called you by name; you are mine.
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2. When you go through deep waters,
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I will be with you.
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When you go through rivers of difficulty,
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you will not drown.
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When you walk through the fire of oppression,
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you will not be burned up;
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the flames will not consume you.
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3. For I am the LORD, your God,
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the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
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I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
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I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
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4. Others were given in exchange for you.
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I traded their lives for yours
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because you are precious to me.
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You are honored, and I love you.
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5. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
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I will gather you and your children from east and west.
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6. I will say to the north and south,
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'Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
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from the distant corners of the earth.
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7. Bring all who claim me as their God,
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for I have made them for my glory.
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It was I who created them.'"
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8. Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind,
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who have ears but are deaf.
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9. Gather the nations together!
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Assemble the peoples of the world!
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Which of their idols has ever foretold such things?
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Which can predict what will happen tomorrow?
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Where are the witnesses of such predictions?
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Who can verify that they spoke the truth?
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10. "But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD.
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"You are my servant.
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You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
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and understand that I alone am God.
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There is no other God--
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there never has been, and there never will be.
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11. I, yes I, am the LORD,
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and there is no other Savior.
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12. First I predicted your rescue,
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then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.
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No foreign god has ever done this.
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You are witnesses that I am the only God,"
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says the LORD.
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13. "From eternity to eternity I am God.
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No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
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No one can undo what I have done."The LORD's Promise of Victory
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14. This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
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"For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon,
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forcing the Babylonians to flee in those ships they are so proud of.
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15. I am the LORD, your Holy One,
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Israel's Creator and King.
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16. I am the LORD, who opened a way through the waters,
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making a dry path through the sea.
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17. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
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with all its chariots and horses.
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I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
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their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
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18. "But forget all that--
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it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
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19. For I am about to do something new.
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See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
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I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
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I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
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20. The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
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the jackals and owls, too,
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for giving them water in the desert.
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Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
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so my chosen people can be refreshed.
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21. I have made Israel for myself,
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and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
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22. "But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.
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You have grown tired of me, O Israel!
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23. You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings.
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You have not honored me with sacrifices,
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though I have not burdened and wearied you
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with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.
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24. You have not brought me fragrant calamus
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or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
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Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
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and wearied me with your faults.
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25. "I--yes, I alone--will blot out your sins for my own sake
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and will never think of them again.
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26. Let us review the situation together,
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and you can present your case to prove your innocence.
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27. From the very beginning, your first ancestor sinned against me;
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all your leaders broke my laws.
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28. That is why I have disgraced your priests;
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I have decreed complete destruction for Jacob
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and shame for Israel.
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