1Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. 2He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” 4But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”
5And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am⚓ honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength— 6he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
7This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Restoration of Israel
8This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, 9to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. 10They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. 11I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. 12See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.⚓ ”
13Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
14But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
15“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. 17Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. 18Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.
19“Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away. 20The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’ 21Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’ ” 22This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips. 23Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
24Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce⚓ ? 25But this is what the Lord says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. 26I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
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Tus TSWV Tus Tubtxib
1Txhua lub tebchaws uas nyob deb, cia li mloog kuv hais. Cov neeg uas nyob deb, tus TSWV twb xaiv kuv thaum tseem tsis tau yug kuv, thiab nws yeej tis kuv lub npe thaum kuv tseem nyob hauv kuv niam plab lawm. 2Nws ua rau kuv tej lus ntse ib yam li hniav ntaj, nws muab nws txhais tes thaiv kuv. Nws ua rau kuv zoo ib yam li xibxub uas ntse heev thiab npaj rawv tos tua lawm xwb. 3Nws hais rau kuv tias, “Cov Yixalayees, nej yog kuv cov tubtxib, nej yuav ua rau kuv tau koob meej.”
4Kuv hais tias, “Kuv twb ua haujlwm hnyav heev tiamsis tsis muaj qabhau! Kuv twb siv kuv lub zog tiamsis tsis muaj dabtsi tiav.” Txawm li ntawd los kuv tseem tso siab rau tus TSWV, thiab kuv tus TSWV yuav coj nqi zog los rau kuv.
5Tus TSWV twb tsa kuv ua nws tus tubtxib thaum kuv tseem nyob hauv kuv niam plab, tus TSWV tsa kuv ua nws tus tubtxib coj nws haivneeg Yixalayees uas tawg ua sab ua sua lawm rov qab los cuag nws. Tus TSWV yuav pub kuv tau ntsejmuag, thiab Vajtswv yog kuv lub zog, 6tus TSWV hais rau kuv tias, “Kuv tus tubtxib, kuv muab tes haujlwm tseemceeb dua yav tas los lawm rau koj ua; koj yuav ua rau cov Yixalayees uas tseem seem nyob rov vammeej tshaj qub. Tsis yog li ntawd xwb, kuv tseem yuav cia koj ua lub teeb ci rau txhua haivneeg kom neeg ntiajteb thiaj yuav dim.”
8Tus TSWV hais rau nws haivneeg hais tias, “Thaum txog lub sijhawm uas kuv cawm nej, kuv yuav hlub nej, kuv yuav tsomkwm nej, kuv yuav teb nej tej lus thov thiab nej yuav yog kuv lo lus cog tseg rau lwm haivneeg. Kuv yuav cia nej rov mus nyob hauv nej lub tebchaws uas nimno fab hnyo. 9Kuv yuav hais rau cov neeg uas raug luag ntes hais tias, ‘Cia li tawm mus!’ thiab hais rau cov neeg uas nyob hauv qhov tsaus ntuj nti hais tias, ‘Cia li los rau ntawm qhov pom kev!’ Lawv yuav nrhiav noj saum tej roob ib yam li tej yaj; 10lawv yuav tsis raug kev tshaib kev nqhis. Lub hnub thiab tej cua sov tom tiaj suabpuam yuav tsis kub lawv, vim tus uas hlub lawv yuav coj lawv kev mus. Nws yuav coj lawv mus rau ntawm qhov uas muaj dej txhawv.
11“Kuv yuav rhawv ib txoj niamkev saum tej roob rau kuv haivneeg taug. 12Kuv haivneeg yuav los deb deb los, lawv yuav los sab qaumteb, sab hnubpoob thiab los hauv lub nroog Axavas uas nyob sab qabteb los.”
13Lub ntuj, cia li hu nkauj! Lub ntiajteb, cia li qw zoo siab! Tej toj roob hauv pes, cia li tsa suab hu nkauj! Tus TSWV yuav nplig nws haivneeg siab; nws yuav hlub nws haivneeg uas raug kev txomnyem.
14Tiamsis cov neeg uas nyob hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees hais tias, “Tus TSWV twb tso peb tseg lawm! Peb tus TSWV tsis nco qab peb lawm.” 15Yog li ntawd, tus TSWV teb hais tias, “Puas muaj ib leej niam twg uas tsis nco qab nws tus menyuam mos, thiab tsis hlub tus menyuam uas nws yug? Txawm yog leej niam tsis nco qab nws tus menyuam los xij, kuv yuav nco ntsoov nej thiab tsis tso nej tseg ib zaug li. 16Yeluxalees, kuv yeej nco ntsoov koj! Kuv muab koj lub npe sau rau hauv kuv ob lub xibteg, kuv saib ntsoov koj mus li.
17“Tshuav tsis ntev cov neeg uas yuav txhim kho lub nroog Yeluxalees twb yuav los thiab cov neeg uas rhuav tshem koj yuav khiav mus. 18Cia li tsa qhovmuag ntsia ibncig saib tej xwm ntawd, koj haivneeg tabtom sib sau ua ke, lawv yuav los cuag koj. Tus TSWV hais tias, kuv yog tus uas muaj sia nyob, koj yuav zoo siab rau koj haivneeg ib yam li tus nkauj nyab zoo siab rau nws tej npauj nyiag npauj kub.
19“Nej lub tebchaws raug puastsuaj nyob do cuas cia, nimno lub tebchaws yuav tsis txaus cov neeg uas tabtom los ntawd nyob. Thiab cov neeg uas muab koj ua puas tas lawm, yuav raug luag raws kom khiav mus deb heev. 20Muaj ib hnub nej cov menyuam uas yug thaum nej raug luag ntes mus, yuav hais rau nej tias, ‘Lub tebchaws no nqaim rau peb heev, peb xav kom tau lub tebchaws uas dav dua lub no thiaj txaus peb nyob!’ 21Ces koj yuav xav hais tias, ‘Leejtwg yug cov menyuam no rau kuv? Kuv tej menyuam twb tuag tas thiab kuv muaj tsis taus menyuam lawm. Kuv raug luag ntes coj mus nyob rau lwm lub tebchaws uas deb heev, tiamsis leejtwg tu cov menyuam no loj hlob? Kuv twb nyob do cuas cia lawm, es tej menyuam no tseem los qhov twg los thiab?’ ”
22Tus TSWV uas muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus hais rau nws haivneeg hais tias, “Kuv yuav co tes rau txhua haivneeg, thiab qhia rau cov neeg sawvdaws kom puag nej cov tub ntawm lawv xubntiag thiab ris nej cov ntxhais los tsev. 23Tej vajntxwv yuav zoo li nej txiv, tej poj vajntxwv yuav zoo li nej niam. Lawv yuav khoov ntshis hawm nej thiab txo hwjchim qis kawg nkaus li. Ces nej thiaj yuav paub hais tias kuv yog tus TSWV; cov neeg uas tos rawv kuv pab yuav tsis nkim lawv lub zog li.”
24Nej puas muaj peevxwm mus muab tej khoom uas cov tubrog huab tau los? nej puas muaj peevxwm mus tso cov neeg uas tus neeg limhiam ntes lawm?
25Tus TSWV teb hais tias, “Txawm yog cov neeg uas raug cov tubrog ntes los yuav coj mus, thiab tej khoom uas cov neeg limhiam huab tau los yuav coj mus. Kuv yuav tawmtsam cov neeg uas tawmtsam nej, thiab kuv yuav cawm nej cov menyuam kom dim. 26Kuv yuav ua kom cov neeg uas tsimtxom nej rov sib tua ua lwj ua liam ib yam li cov neeg qaug cawv. Ces thaum ntawd txhua haivneeg thiaj paub hais tias kuv yog tus TSWV tus uas yog nej tus Cawmseej thiab tus uas txhiv nej dim; kuv yog Yakhauj tus Vajtswv tus uas muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus.”