Isa 51 | NASB1995 | STEP | “ Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness , Who seek the Lord : Look to the rock from which you were hewn And to the quarry from which you were dug .

Isaiah 51

Israel Exhorted

1 ^a“Listen to me, you who ^bpursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the ^crock from which you were hewn
And to the ^{▼▼ Lit excavation of a pit}quarry from which you were dug.
2 “Look to ^eAbraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he ^f was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, ^gthe Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her ^hwaste places.
And her ⁱwilderness He will make like ^jEden,
And her desert like the ^kgarden of the Lord;
^lJoy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

4 ^m“Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My ^{▼▼ Or people}nation;
For a ^olaw will go forth from Me,
And I will ^{▼▼ Lit cause to rest}set My ^qjustice for a ^rlight of the peoples.
5 “My ^srighteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My ^tarms will judge the peoples;
The ^ucoastlands will wait for Me,
And for My ^varm they will wait expectantly.
6 ^w“Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the ^xsky will vanish like smoke,
And the ^yearth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die ^{▼▼ Or like gnats}in like manner;
But My ^aasalvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not ^{▼▼ Lit be broken}wane.
7 ^ac“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose ^adheart is My law;
Do not fear the ^aereproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 “For the ^afmoth will eat them like a garment,
And the ^aggrub will eat them like wool.
But My ^ahrighteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”

9 ^aiAwake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the ^ajdays of old, the generations of long ago.
^akWas it not You who cut Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the ^aldragon?
10 Was it not You who ^amdried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the ^anredeemed to cross over?
11 So the ^aoransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And ^apeverlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And ^aqsorrow and sighing will flee away.

12 “I, even I, am He who ^arcomforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of ^asman who dies
And of the son of man who is made ^atlike grass,
13 That you have ^auforgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who ^avstretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you ^awfear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,
As he makes ready to destroy?
But where is the fury of the ^axoppressor?

14 “The ^{▼▼ Lit one in chains
,} ^azexile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, ^banor will his bread be lacking. 15 “For I am the Lord your God, who ^bbstirs up the sea and its waves roar (the Lord of hosts is His name). 16 “I have ^bcput My words in your mouth and have ^bdcovered you with the shadow of My hand, to ^{▼▼ Lit plant
,} ^bfestablish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” 17 ^bgRouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have ^bhdrunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of His anger;
The ^{▼▼ Lit bowl of the cup of reeling}chalice of reeling you have ^{▼▼ Lit drunk}drained to the dregs.
18 There is ^bknone to guide her among all the sons she has borne,
Nor is there one to take her by the hand among all the sons she has reared.
19 These two things have befallen you;
Who will mourn for you?
The ^bldevastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They ^bmlie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an ^bnantelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord,
The ^borebuke of your God.

21 Therefore, please hear this, you ^bpafflicted,
Who are ^bqdrunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord, even your God
Who ^brcontends for His people,
“Behold, I have taken out of your hand the ^bscup of reeling,
The ^{▼▼ Lit bowl of the cup of}chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 “I will ^buput it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to ^{▼▼ Lit your soul}you, ‘ ^bwLie down that we may walk over you.’
You have even made your back like the ground
And like the street for those who walk over it.”