Israel delivered and redeemed
  Nubia and Seba are your price.
4   You are more precious to me than the Assyrians,
  you are honoured and I have loved you,
  I would give the Edomites in exchange for you,
  and the Leummim for your life.


     5   Have no fear; for I am with you;
  I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you all from the west.
   6   I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.
  Bring my sons and daughters from afar,
    bring them from the ends of the earth;
   7   bring every one who is called by my name,
    all whom I have created, whom I have formed,
  all whom I have made for my glory.’
     8   Bring out this people,
    a people who have eyes but are blind,
  who have ears but are deaf.
   9   All the nations are gathered together
    and the peoples assembled.
  Who amongst them can expound this thing
    and interpret for us all that has gone before?
  Let them produce witnesses to prove their case,
  or let them listen and say, ‘That is the truth.’
10   My witnesses, says the Lord, are you, my servants,
  you whom I have chosen
  to know me and put your faith in me
  and understand that I am He.
  Before me there was no god fashioned
  nor ever shall be after me.
   11   I am the Lord, I myself,
  and none but I can deliver.
   12   I myself have made it known in full, and declared it,
  I and no alien god amongst you,
  and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
   13   I am God; from this very day I am He.
  What my hand holds, none can snatch away;
  what I do, none can undo.


14   Thus says the Lord your ransomer, the Holy One of Israel:
  For your sakes I have sent to Babylon;
  I will lay the Chaldaeans prostrate as they flee,
  and their cry of triumph will turn to groaning.

Israel delivered and redeemed
   15   I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    your creator, Israel, and your King.


   16   Thus says the Lord,
  who opened a way in the sea
  and a path through mighty waters,
   17   who drew on chariot and horse to their destruction,
  a whole army, men of valour;
  there they lay, never to rise again;
they were crushed, snuffed out like a wick:
   18   Cease to dwell on days gone by
  and to brood over past history.
   19   Here and now I will do a new thing;
    this moment it will break from the bud.
    Can you not perceive it?
I will make a way even through the wilderness
    and paths ^note in the barren desert;
     20   the wild beasts shall do me honour,
    the wolf and the ostrich;
  for I will provide water in the wilderness
    and rivers in the barren desert,
    where my chosen people may drink.
   21   I have formed this people for myself
    and they shall proclaim my praises.
   22   Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
much less did you weary yourself in my service, O Israel.
   23   You did not bring me sheep as whole-offerings
    or honour me with sacrifices;
    I asked you for no burdensome offerings
    and wearied you with no demands for incense.
24   You did not buy me sweet-cane with your money
  or glut me with the fat of your sacrifices;
  rather you burdened me with your sins
    and wearied me with your iniquities.
   25   I alone, I am He,
  who for his own sake wipes out your transgressions,
  who will remember your sins no more. ^note
   26   Cite me by name, let us argue it out;
  set forth your pleading and justify yourselves.
   27   Your first father transgressed,
  your spokesmen rebelled against me,

Israel delivered and redeemed
   28   and your princes profaned my sanctuary; ^note
  so I sent Jacob to his doom ^note
    and left Israel to execration.

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