XLIII. 1 And now thus saith the Lord, that created thee, O Jacob, and that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called (thee) by thy name, thou (art) mine.

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the ﬁre, thou shalt not be scorched, and the ﬂame shall not kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead.

4 Since thou art (become) precious in mine eyes, hast been honoured, and I have loved thee; therefore I will give man in thy stead, and people for thy life.

5 Fear not; for I am with thee: I Will bring thy seed from the East, and gather thee from the West:

6 I will say to the North, Give up; and to the South, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth:

4. ‘therefore,’ Heb. ‘and,’ marking principal clause: ‘thy ’ lit. ‘soul.’6. ‘Keep not back’: or, ‘restrain not,’

7 Everyone that is called by my name, and that I have created for my glory; that I have formed, yea, have made.

8 Bring forth a blind people, and they have eyes; and deaf ones, and they have ears.

9 All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled: who among them will tell this, and cause us to hear former things? let them produce their witnesses, and appear righteous, and let them hear, and say, (It is) truth

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant, whom I have chosen; that ye may know, and believe me, and discern that I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

11 I, I am the Lord, and beside me is no Saviour.

12 Myself have told, and have saved, and have caused it to be heard, and there was no stranger among you; and ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and I am God.

13 Yea, from the beginning I am he: and there is none that delivereth out of my hand: I will work, and who shall turn it back?

14 Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and will bring down all of them as fugitives, and the Chaldaeans in the ships of their shouting

15 I the Lord am your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

16 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters:

17 Which bringeth forth chariot and horse, force and warrior: they lie down together, they shall not rise: they are quenched, they are gone out like a wick:

9. ‘produce,’ lit. ‘give’: ‘appear righteous,’ or, ‘be justified.’ So xlv. 25, c.13. ‘from the beginning,’ lit. ‘from the day.

18 Remember ye not the ﬁrst things, neither consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I do a new thing; now is it springing forth; will ye not know it? Yea, I will set a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

20 The beast of the ﬁeld shall honour. me, jackals and (daughters of) ostriches : for I have given ’waters in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.