Isaiah 43 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

The Savior of Israel

Isa 43:1But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.

Isa 43:2

Isa 43:2When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

Isa 43:3

Isa 43:3For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia[fn] and Seba in your place.

Isa 43:4

Isa 43:4Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.

Isa 43:5

Isa 43:5“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.

Isa 43:6

Isa 43:6I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.

Isa 43:7

Isa 43:7Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”

Isa 43:8

Isa 43:8Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.

Isa 43:9

Isa 43:9Gather the nations together!
Assemble the peoples of the world!
Which of their idols has ever foretold such things?
Which can predict what will happen tomorrow?
Where are the witnesses of such predictions?
Who can verify that they spoke the truth?

Isa 43:10

Isa 43:10“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the LORD.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
there never has been, and there never will be.

Isa 43:11

Isa 43:11I, yes I, am the LORD,
and there is no other Savior.

Isa 43:12

Isa 43:12First I predicted your rescue,
then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.
No foreign god has ever done this.
You are witnesses that I am the only God,”
says the LORD.

Isa 43:13

Isa 43:13“From eternity to eternity I am God.
No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
No one can undo what I have done.”

The LORD’s Promise of Victory

Isa 43:14

Isa 43:14This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon,
forcing the Babylonians[fn] to flee in those ships they are so proud of.

Isa 43:15

Isa 43:15I am the LORD, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator and King.

Isa 43:16

Isa 43:16I am the LORD, who opened a way through the waters,
making a dry path through the sea.

Isa 43:17

Isa 43:17I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

Isa 43:18

Isa 43:18“But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

Isa 43:19

Isa 43:19For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isa 43:20

Isa 43:20The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
the jackals and owls, too,
for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed.

Isa 43:21

Isa 43:21I have made Israel for myself,
and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

Isa 43:22

Isa 43:22“But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.
You have grown tired of me, O Israel!

Isa 43:23

Isa 43:23You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings.
You have not honored me with sacrifices,
though I have not burdened and wearied you
with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.

Isa 43:24

Isa 43:24You have not brought me fragrant calamus
or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your faults.

Isa 43:25

Isa 43:25“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.

Isa 43:26

Isa 43:26Let us review the situation together,
and you can present your case to prove your innocence.

Isa 43:27

Isa 43:27From the very beginning, your first ancestor sinned against me;
all your leaders broke my laws.

Isa 43:28

Isa 43:28That is why I have disgraced your priests;
I have decreed complete destruction[fn] for Jacob
and shame for Israel.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(43:3)

Hebrew Cush.

(43:14)

Or Chaldeans.

(43:28)

The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.