Isaiah 49

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1 Listen to me, islands, and hearken, ye people from afar: The Lord called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother calling my name;
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; shadow of his hand he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver kept me;
3 and he said to me: Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 And I said, I have labored in vain, no matter what vain and spent my strength. But my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
5 And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to turn to Him and Jacob to Israel gathered to him; I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God - my strength.
6 And He said, moreover, that you should be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee light to the nations, that my salvation to the ends of the earth.

7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, despised, abhorred by the people, the servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.
8 Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I heard you, 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 earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages,
9 say to the prisoners 'go', and those who are in darkness: 'Show yourselves'. They shall feed in the ways, and on all the hills will be their pasture;
10 They shall not hunger, and thirst, and not slay them, and the heat of the sun; For who has mercy on them will guide them and lead them to springs of water.
eleven And all my mountains will make way, and my highways will be raised.
12 Here, these shall come from afar; and behold, these from the north and the sea, and others from the land of the Blue.

13 Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, the earth, and shout, mountains, joy; for the LORD hath comforted his people, and have compassion on His afflicted.
14 But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me'!
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that no compassion on the son of her womb? but if she forget, I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy children shall make haste [to you] destroyers and waste shall go forth from you.

18 Lift up your eyes and look around, --All they are going to come to you. As I live! Saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe --vsemi them as an ornament, and bind them on as a bride.
19 For thy ruins and thy deserts, and thy land shall be devastated is now too small for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be of thee.
20 Children who will be at your bereavement will say in your ears: `closely for me; Give this to me, that I may live. "
21 And thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these? I was barren and desolate, a captive, and removing; who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; where were they?
22 Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my standard families, and will bring your sons in their arms and your daughters on their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; face to the earth will bow down to you and lick the dust of your feet, and know that I am the Lord, that wait for me shall not be ashamed.

24 Can it be taken away from the strong production, and can it be taken away from the winner taken prisoner?
25 Yes! 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 thee, and thy sons I will save;
26 and I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will upoeny with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I am the Lord thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

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