1 Listen to me, you distant islands, and pay attention, you faraway nations: The Lord called me from the womb; even before I was born, He mentioned my name.

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; in the shadow of His hand, He hid me. He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.

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, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my glory.'

And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 But I said, 'I have worked in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and futility. Yet surely my vindication is with the Lord, and my reward is with my God.'

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 this is what the Lord says—He who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself. For I have been honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has been my strength.

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 says, 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the preserved ones of Israel. I will also make you a light to the nations so that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.'

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 This is what the Lord, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: To the one despised and abhorred by the nations, to the servant of rulers: Kings will see you and stand to attention, and princes will bow down because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.

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 This is what the Lord says: 'In the time of favor, I answered you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you. I will preserve you and make you a covenant to the people to restore the land and to distribute its desolate inheritances.'

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 the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' They will feed along the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.

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 neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down. For He who has compassion on them will guide them, and He will lead them beside springs of water.

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 will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.

And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

12 Look, these will come from far away, and look, these from the north and the west, and others from the land of Sinim.

Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

13 Sing, O heavens, rejoice, O earth, and break out into singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

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 But Zion said, 'The Lord has abandoned me, and my Lord has forgotten me.'

But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her nursing child or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, I will not forget you.

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 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

17 Your children hurry back, and those who laid you waste and devastated you will depart from you.

Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 Lift up your eyes and look around: They all gather and come to you. As surely as I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as ornaments and put them on like a bride.

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 Your ruins, desolate places, and devastated land will now be too small for your inhabitants, and those who devoured you will be far away.

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 The children you thought you had lost will say in your hearing, 'This place is too small for us. Make room for us to live here.'

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 will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these children? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and rejected. Who raised these? I was left all alone—where have these come from?'

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 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I will lift up my hand to the nations and raise my banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.'

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 queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.

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 plunder be taken from the mighty, or can captives of a righteous man be freed?

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

25 But this is what the Lord says: 'Yes, the captives of the mighty will be taken, and the prey of the ruthless will be rescued. I will contend with those who oppose you, and I will save your children.'

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 will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they will be drunk on their own blood as with new wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

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.