Good News Translation (GNT)

1 “This is the end for Babylon’s gods!

Bel and Nebo once were worshiped,

but now they are loaded on donkeys,

a burden for the backs of tired animals.

2 The idols cannot save themselves;

they are captured and carried away.

This is the end for Babylon’s gods!

3 “Listen to me, descendants of Jacob,

all who are left of my people.

I have cared for you from the time you were born.

4 I am your God and will take care of you

until you are old and your hair is gray.

I made you and will care for you;

I will give you help and rescue you.

5 “To whom will you compare me?” says the Lord.

“Is there anyone else like me?

6 People open their purses and pour out gold;

they weigh out silver on the scales.

They hire a goldsmith to make a god;

then they bow down and worship it.

7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;

they put it in place, and there it stands,

unable to move from where it is.

If any pray to it, it cannot answer

or save them from disaster.

8 “Remember this, you sinners;

consider what I have done.

9 Remember what happened long ago;

acknowledge that I alone am God

and that there is no one else like me.

10 From the beginning I predicted the outcome;

long ago I foretold what would happen.

I said that my plans would never fail,

that I would do everything I intended to do.

11 I am calling a man to come from the east;

he will swoop down like a hawk

and accomplish what I have planned.

I have spoken, and it will be done.

12 “Listen to me, you stubborn people

who think that victory is far away.

13 I am bringing the day of victory near—

it is not far away at all.

My triumph will not be delayed.

I will save Jerusalem

and bring honor to Israel there.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/46-a3165b3c0dec0c593fe122045fcd05ea.mp3?version_id=68—

Judgment on Babylon

1 The Lord says,

“Babylon, come down from your throne,

and sit in the dust on the ground.

You were once like a virgin, a city unconquered,

but you are soft and delicate no longer!

You are now a slave!

2 Turn the millstone! Grind the flour!

Off with your veil! Strip off your fine clothes!

Lift up your skirts to cross the streams!

3 People will see you naked;

they will see you humbled and shamed.

I will take vengeance, and no one will stop me.”

4 The holy God of Israel sets us free—

his name is the Lord Almighty.

5 The Lord says to Babylon,

“Sit in silence and darkness;

no more will they call you the queen of nations!

6 I was angry with my people;

I treated them as no longer mine:

I put them in your power,

and you showed them no mercy;

even the aged you treated harshly.

7 You thought you would always be a queen,

and did not take these things to heart

or think how it all would end.

8 “Listen to this, you lover of pleasure,

you that think you are safe and secure.

You claim you are as great as God—

that there is no one else like you.

You thought that you would never be a widow

or suffer the loss of your children.

9 But in a moment, in a single day,

both of these things will happen.

In spite of all the magic you use,

you will lose your husband and children.

10 “You felt sure of yourself in your evil;

you thought that no one could see you.

Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray,

and you said to yourself, ‘I am God—

there is no one else like me.’

11 Disaster will come upon you,

and none of your magic can stop it.

Ruin will come on you suddenly—

ruin you never dreamed of!

12 Keep all your magic spells and charms;

you have used them since you were young.

Perhaps they will be of some help to you;

perhaps you can frighten your enemies.

13 You are powerless in spite of the advice you get.

Let your astrologers come forward and save you—

those people who study the stars,

who map out the zones of the heavens

and tell you from month to month

whatis going to happen to you.

14 “They will be like bits of straw,

and a fire will burn them up!

They will not even be able to save themselves—

the flames will be too hot for them,

not a cozy fire to warm themselves by.

15 That is all the good they will do you—

those astrologers you’ve consulted all your life.

They all will leave you and go their own way,

and none will be left to save you.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/47-13eaf152de3c692ad6a7b3d5f70a8177.mp3?version_id=68—

God Is Lord of the Future

1 Listen to this, people of Israel,

you that are descended from Judah:

You swear by the name of the Lord

and claim to worship the God of Israel—

but you don’t mean a word you say.

2 And yet you are proud to say

that you are citizens of the holy city

and that you depend on Israel’s God,

whose name is the Lord Almighty.

3 The Lord says to Israel,

“Long ago I predicted what would take place;

then suddenly I made it happen.

4 I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,

as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.

5 And so I predicted your future long ago,

announcing events before they took place,

to keep you from claiming

that your idols and images made them happen.

6 “All I foretold has now taken place;

you have to admit my predictions were right.

Now I will tell you of new things to come,

events that I did not reveal before.

7 Only now am I making them happen;

nothing like this took place in the past.

If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.

8 I knew that you couldn’t be trusted,

that you have always been known as a rebel.

That is why you never heard of this at all,

why no word of it ever came to your ears.

9 “In order that people will praise my name,

I am holding my anger in check;

I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.

10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering,

as silver is refined in a furnace.

But I have found that you are worthless.

11 What I do is done for my own sake—

I will not let my name be dishonored

or let anyone else share the glory

that should be mine and mine alone.”

Cyrus, the Lord’s Chosen Leader

12 The Lord says,

“Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called!

I am God, the first, the last, the only God!

13 My hands made the earth’s foundations

and spread the heavens out.

When I summon earth and sky,

they come at once and present themselves.

14 “Assemble and listen, all of you!

None of the gods could predict

that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon;

he will do what I want him to do.

15 I am the one who spoke and called him;

I led him out and gave him success.

16 “Now come close to me and hear what I say.

From the beginning I have spoken openly

and have always made my words come true.”

(Now the Sovereign Lord has given me his power and sent me.)

The Lord’s Plan for His People

17 The holy God of Israel,

the Lord who saves you, says:

“I am the Lord your God,

the one who wants to teach you for your own good

and direct you in the way you should go.

18 “If only you had listened to my commands!

Then blessings would have flowed for you

like a stream that never goes dry.

Victory would have come to you

like the waves that roll on the shore.

19 Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand,

and I would have made sure they were never destroyed.”

20 Go out from Babylon, go free!

Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere:

“The Lord has saved his servant Israel!”

21 When the Lord led his people through a hot, dry desert,

they did not suffer from thirst.

He made water come from a rock for them;

he split the rock open, and water flowed out.

22 “There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/48-785eff59424550a0f9b7df5cc838dea4.mp3?version_id=68—

Israel, A Light to the Nations

1 Listen to me, distant nations,

you people who live far away!

Before I was born, the Lord chose me

and appointed me to be his servant.

2 He made my words as sharp as a sword.

With his own hand he protected me.

He made me like an arrow,

sharp and ready for use.

3 He said to me, “Israel, you are my servant;

because of you, people will praise me.”

4 I said, “I have worked, but how hopeless it is!

I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing.”

Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause;

he will reward me for what I do.

5 Before I was born, the Lord appointed me;

he made me his servant to bring back his people,

to bring back the scattered people of Israel.

The Lord gives me honor;

he is the source of my strength.

6 The Lord said to me,

“I have a greater task for you, my servant.

Not only will you restore to greatness

the people of Israel who have survived,

but I will also make you a light to the nations—

so that all the world may be saved.”

7 Israel’s holy God and savior says

to the one who is deeply despised,

who is hated by the nations

and is the servant of rulers:

“Kings will see you released

and will rise to show their respect;

princes also will see it,

and they will bow low to honor you.”

This will happen because the Lord has chosen his servant;

the holy God of Israel keeps his promises.

The Restoration of Jerusalem

8 The Lord says to his people,

“When the time comes to save you, I will show you favor

and answer your cries for help.

I will guard and protect you

and through you make a covenant with all peoples.

I will let you settle once again

in your land that is now laid waste.

9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Go free!’

and to those who are in darkness,

‘Come out to the light!’

They will be like sheep that graze on the hills;

10 they will never be hungry or thirsty.

Sun and desert heat will not hurt them,

for they will be led by one who loves them.

He will lead them to springs of water.

11 “I will make a highway across the mountains

and prepare a road for my people to travel.

12 My people will come from far away,

from the north and the west,

and from Aswanin the south.”

13 Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth!

Let the mountains burst into song!

The Lord will comfort his people;

he will have pity on his suffering people.

14 But the people of Jerusalem said,

“The Lord has abandoned us!

He has forgotten us.”

15 So the Lord answers,

“Can a woman forget her own baby

and not love the child she bore?

Even if a mother should forget her child,

I will never forget you.

16 Jerusalem, I can never forget you!

I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

17 “Those who will rebuild you are coming soon,

and those who destroyed you will leave.

18 Look around and see what is happening!

Your people are assembling—they are coming home!

As surely as I am the living God,

you will be proud of your people,

as proud as a bride is of her jewels.

19 “Your country was ruined and desolate—

but now it will be too small

for those who are coming to live there.

And those who left you in ruins

will be far removed from you.

20 Your people who were born in exile

will one day say to you,

‘This land is too small—

we need more room to live in!’

21 Then you will say to yourself,

‘Who bore all these children for me?

I lost my children and could have no more.

I was exiled and driven away—

who brought these children up?

I was left all alone—

where did these children come from?’”

22 The Sovereign Lord says to his people:

“I will signal to the nations,

and they will bring your children home.

23 Kings will be like fathers to you;

queens will be like mothers.

They will bow low before you and honor you;

they will humbly show their respect for you.

Then you will know that I am the Lord;

no one who waits for my help will be disappointed.”

24 Can you take away a soldier’s loot?

Can you rescue the prisoners of a tyrant?

25 The Lord replies,

“That is just what is going to happen.

The soldier’s prisoners will be taken away,

and the tyrant’s loot will be seized.

I will fight against whoever fights you,

and I will rescue your children.

26 I will make your oppressors kill each other;

they will be drunk with murder and rage.

Then all people will know that I am the Lord,

the one who saves you and sets you free.

They will know that I am Israel’s powerful God.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/49-abd0d1f8384673a3374dabd0ed9f40ea.mp3?version_id=68—

1 The Lord says,

“Do you think I sent my people away

like a man who divorces his wife?

Where, then, are the papers of divorce?

Do you think I sold you into captivity

like a man who sells his children as slaves?

No, you went away captive because of your sins;

you were sent away because of your crimes.

2 “Why did my people fail to respond

when I went to them to save them?

Why did they not answer when I called?

Am I too weak to save them?

I can dry up the sea with a command

and turn rivers into a desert,

so that the fish in them die for lack of water.

3 I can make the sky turn dark,

as if it were in mourning for the dead.”

The Obedience of the Lord’s Servant

4 The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say,

so that I can strengthen the weary.

Every morning he makes me eager

to hear what he is going to teach me.

5 The Lord has given me understanding,

and I have not rebelled

or turned away from him.

6 I bared my back to those who beat me.

I did not stop them when they insulted me,

when they pulled out the hairs of my beard

and spit in my face.

7 But their insults cannot hurt me

because the Sovereign Lord gives me help.

I brace myself to endure them.

I know that I will not be disgraced,

8 for God is near,

and he will prove me innocent.

Does anyone dare bring charges against me?

Let us go to court together!

Let him bring his accusation!

9 The Sovereign Lord himself defends me—

who, then, can prove me guilty?

All my accusers will disappear;

they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth.

10 All of you that honor the Lord

and obey the words of his servant,

the path you walk may be dark indeed,

but trust in the Lord, rely on your God.

11 All of you that plot to destroy others

will be destroyed by your own plots.

The Lord himself will make this happen;

you will suffer a miserable fate.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/50-e98cc87649cb90fb11bfb18494381697.mp3?version_id=68—

Words of Comfort to Jerusalem

1 The Lord says,

“Listen to me, you that want to be saved,

you that come to me for help.

Think of the rock from which you came,

the quarry from which you were cut.

2 Think of your ancestor, Abraham,

and of Sarah, from whom you are descended.

When I called Abraham, he was childless,

but I blessed him and gave him children;

I made his descendants numerous.

3 “I will show compassion to Jerusalem,

to all who live in her ruins.

Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden,

like the garden I planted in Eden.

Joy and gladness will be there,

and songs of praise and thanks to me.

4 “Listen to me, my people,

listen to what I say:

I give my teaching to the nations;

my laws will bring them light.

5 I will come quickly and save them;

the time of my victory is near.

I myself will rule over the nations.

Distant lands wait for me to come;

they wait with hope for me to save them.

6 Look up at the heavens; look at the earth!

The heavens will disappear like smoke;

the earth will wear out like old clothing,

and all its people will die like flies.

But the deliverance I bring will last forever;

my victory will be final.

7 “Listen to me, you that know what is right,

who have my teaching fixed in your hearts.

Do not be afraid when people taunt and insult you;

8 they will vanish like moth-eaten clothing!

But the deliverance I bring will last forever;

my victory will endure for all time.”

9 Wake up, Lord, and help us!

Use your power and save us;

use it as you did in ancient times.

It was you that cut the sea monster Rahabto pieces.

10 It was you also who dried up the sea

and made a path through the water,

so that those you were saving could cross.

11 Those whom you have rescued

will reach Jerusalem with gladness,

singing and shouting for joy.

They will be happy forever,

forever free from sorrow and grief.

12 The Lord says,

“I am the one who strengthens you.

Why should you fear mortals,

who are no more enduring than grass?

13 Have you forgotten the Lord who made you,

who stretched out the heavens

and laid the earth’s foundations?

Why should you live in constant fear

of the fury of those who oppress you,

of those who are ready to destroy you?

Their fury can no longer touch you.

14 Those who are prisoners will soon be set free;

they will live a long life

and have all the food they need.

15 “I am the Lord your God;

I stir up the sea

and make its waves roar.

My name is the Lord Almighty!

16 I stretched outthe heavens

and laid the earth’s foundations;

I say to Jerusalem, ‘You are my people!

I have given you my teaching,

and I protect you with my hand.’”

The End of Jerusalem’s Suffering

17 Jerusalem, wake up!

Rouse yourself and get up!

You have drunk the cup of punishment

that the Lord in his anger gave you to drink;

you drank it down, and it made you stagger.

18 There is no one to lead you,

no one among your people

to take you by the hand.

19 A double disaster has fallen on you:

your land has been devastated by war,

and your people have starved.

There is no one to show you sympathy.

20 At the corner of every street

your people collapse from weakness;

they are like deer caught in a hunter’s net.

They have felt the force of God’s anger.

21 You suffering people of Jerusalem,

you that stagger as though you were drunk,

22 the Lord your God defends you and says,

“I am taking away the cup

that I gave you in my anger.

You will no longer have to drink

the wine that makes you stagger.

23 I will give it to those who oppressed you,

to those who made you lie down in the streets

and trampled on you as if you were dirt.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/51-3bdda3d576a5e0ffacba12f77a806f56.mp3?version_id=68—

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

1 Jerusalem, be strong and great again!

Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor!

The heathen will never enter your gates again.

2 Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!

Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!

Undo the chains that bind you,

captive people of Zion!

3 The Sovereign Lord says to his people, “When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free.

4 When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you.

5 And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me.

6 In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you.”

7 How wonderful it is to see

a messenger coming across the mountains,

bringing good news, the news of peace!

He announces victory and says to Zion,

“Your God is king!”

8 Those who guard the city are shouting,

shouting together for joy.

They can see with their own eyes

the return of the Lord to Zion.

9 Break into shouts of joy,

you ruins of Jerusalem!

The Lord will rescue his city

and comfort his people.

10 The Lord will use his holy power;

he will save his people,

and all the world will see it.

11 Be sure to leave Babylonia,

all you that carry the Temple equipment.

Touch no forbidden thing;

keep yourselves holy and leave.

12 This time you will not have to leave in a hurry;

you will not be trying to escape.

The Lord your God will lead you

and protect you on every side.

The Suffering Servant

13 The Lord says,

“My servant will succeed in his task;

he will be highly honored.

14 Many people were shocked when they saw him;

he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human.

15 But now many nations will marvel at him,

and kings will be speechless with amazement.

They will see and understand

something they had never known.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/52-4eb3a58bae941843fec3a70b3d1a45e2.mp3?version_id=68—

1 The people reply,

“Who would have believed what we now report?

Who could have seen the Lord’s hand in this?

2 It was the will of the Lord that his servant

grow like a plant taking root in dry ground.

He had no dignity or beauty

to make us take notice of him.

There was nothing attractive about him,

nothing that would draw us to him.

3 We despised him and rejected him;

he endured suffering and pain.

No one would even look at him—

we ignored him as if he were nothing.

4 “But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,

the pain that we should have borne.

All the while we thought that his suffering

was punishment sent by God.

5 But because of our sins he was wounded,

beaten because of the evil we did.

We are healed by the punishment he suffered,

made whole by the blows he received.

6 All of us were like sheep that were lost,

each of us going his own way.

But the Lord made the punishment fall on him,

the punishment all of us deserved.

7 “He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;

he never said a word.

Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,

like a sheep about to be sheared,

he never said a word.

8 He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,

and no one cared about his fate.

He was put to death for the sins of our people.

9 He was placed in a grave with those who are evil,

he was buried with the rich,

even though he had never committed a crime

or ever told a lie.”

10 The Lord says,

“It was my will that he should suffer;

his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.

And so he will see his descendants;

he will live a long life,

and through him my purpose will succeed.

11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;

he will know that he did not suffer in vain.

My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,

will bear the punishment of many

and for his sake I will forgive them.

12 And so I will give him a place of honor,

a place among the great and powerful.

He willingly gave his life

and shared the fate of evil men.

He took the place of many sinners

and prayed that they might be forgiven.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/53-143e345c6de23294c244f04914d431cd.mp3?version_id=68—

The Lord’s Love for Israel

1 Jerusalem, you have been like a childless woman,

but now you can sing and shout for joy.

Now you will have more children

than a woman whose husband never left her.

2 Make the tent you live in larger;

lengthen its ropes and strengthen the pegs!

3 You will extend your boundaries on all sides;

your people will get back the land

that the other nations now occupy.

Cities now deserted will be filled with people.

4 Do not be afraid—you will not be disgraced again;

you will not be humiliated.

You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife,

and your desperate loneliness as a widow.

5 Your Creator will be like a husband to you—

the Lord Almighty is his name.

The holy God of Israel will save you—

he is the ruler of all the world.

6 Israel, you are like a young wife,

deserted by her husband and deeply distressed.

But the Lord calls you back to him and says:

7 “For one brief moment I left you;

with deep love I will take you back.

8 I turned away angry for only a moment,

but I will show you my love forever.”

So says the Lord who saves you.

9 “In the time of Noah I promised

never again to flood the earth.

Now I promise not to be angry with you again;

I will not reprimand or punish you.

10 The mountains and hills may crumble,

but my love for you will never end;

I will keep forever my promise of peace.”

So says the Lord who loves you.

The Future Jerusalem

11 The Lord says,

“O Jerusalem, you suffering, helpless city,

with no one to comfort you,

I will rebuild your foundations with precious stones.

12 I will build your towers with rubies,

your gates with stones that glow like fire,

and the wall around you with jewels.

13 “I myself will teach your people

and give them prosperity and peace.

14 Justice and right will make you strong.

You will be safe from oppression and terror.

15 Whoever attacks you,

does it without my consent;

whoever fights against you will fall.

16 “I create the blacksmith,

who builds a fire and forges weapons.

I also create the soldier,

who uses the weapons to kill.

17 But no weapon will be able to hurt you;

you will have an answer for all who accuse you.

I will defend my servants

and give them victory.”

The Lord has spoken.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/54-adea75df1800254c2754c746976c998d.mp3?version_id=68—

God’s Offer of Mercy

1 The Lord says,

“Come, everyone who is thirsty—

here is water!

Come, you that have no money—

buy grain and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk—

it will cost you nothing!

2 Why spend money on what does not satisfy?

Why spend your wages and still be hungry?

Listen to me and do what I say,

and you will enjoy the best food of all.

3 “Listen now, my people, and come to me;

come to me, and you will have life!

I will make a lasting covenant with you

and give you the blessings I promised to David.

4 I made him a leader and commander of nations,

and through him I showed them my power.

5 Now you will summon foreign nations;

at one time they did not know you,

but now they will come running to join you!

I, the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel,

will make all this happen;

I will give you honor and glory.”

6 Turn to the Lord and pray to him,

now that he is near.

7 Let the wicked leave their way of life

and change their way of thinking.

Let them turn to the Lord, our God;

he is merciful and quick to forgive.

8 “My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours,

and my ways are different from yours.

9 As high as the heavens are above the earth,

so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.

10 “My word is like the snow and the rain

that come down from the sky to water the earth.

They make the crops grow

and provide seed for planting and food to eat.

11 So also will be the word that I speak—

it will not fail to do what I plan for it;

it will do everything I send it to do.

12 “You will leave Babylon with joy;

you will be led out of the city in peace.

The mountains and hills will burst into singing,

and the trees will shout for joy.

13 Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers;

myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns.

This will be a sign that will last forever,

a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/55-43a4700ef3388243a07e2848cf0ca23f.mp3?version_id=68—