Isaiah 43 - 44 - Legacy Standard Bible

Isaiah 43 - 44

The Redemption of Israel

But now, thus says Yahweh, your Creator, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.

For I am Yahweh your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I have given Egypt as your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Since you are precious in My sight,

Since you are honored and I love you,

I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.

Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your seed from the east,

And gather you from the west.

I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring My sons from afar

And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

Everyone who is called by My name,

And whom I have created for My glory,

Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Israel Is Yahweh’s Witness

Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,

And the deaf, even though they have ears.

All the nations have gathered together

So that the peoples may be assembled.

Who among them can declare this

And make us hear the former things?

Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified,

Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”

“You are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,

“And My servant whom I have chosen,

So that you may know and believe Me

And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no god formed,

And there will be none after Me.

I, even I, am Yahweh,

And there is no savior besides Me.

It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard,

And there was no strange god among you;

So you are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,

“And I am God.

Even from eternity I am He,

And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;

I act and who can reverse it?”

Rivers in the Wasteland

14 Thus says Yahweh your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,

“For your sake I have sent to Babylon,

And will bring down those who fled—all of them,

Even the Chaldeans—into the ships in which they shouted for joy.

I am Yahweh, your Holy One,

The Creator of Israel, your King.”

16 Thus says Yahweh,

Who makes a way through the sea

And a path through the mighty waters,

Who brings forth the chariot and the horse,

The military force and the mighty man;

They will lie down together and not rise again;

They have been extinguished and quenched like a wick:

“Do not remember the former things,

Nor carefully consider things of the past.

Behold, I will do something new;

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not know it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the wasteland.

The beasts of the field will glorify Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because I have given waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the wasteland,

To give drink to My chosen people.

The people whom I formed for Myself

Will recount My praise.

“Yet you have not called on Me, O Jacob;

But you have become weary of Me, O Israel.

You have not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings,

Nor have you glorified Me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you with offerings,

Nor wearied you with frankincense.

You have not bought Me sweet cane with money,

Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;

Rather you have burdened Me with your sins;

You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,

And I will not remember your sins.

Bring Me to remembrance, let us enter into judgment together;

Recount your cause, that you may be proved right.

Your first father sinned,

And your spokesmen have transgressed against Me.

So I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,

And I will give Jacob to be devoted to destruction and Israel to revilement.

No God Besides Yahweh

“But now hear, O Jacob, My servant,

And Israel, whom I have chosen:

Thus says Yahweh who made you

And formed you from the womb, who will help you,

‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,

And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

For I will pour out water on the thirsty ground

And streams on the dry land;

I will pour out My Spirit on your seed

And My blessing on your offspring;

And they will spring up among the grass

Like poplars by streams of water.’

This one will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s’;

And this one will call on the name of Jacob;

And this one will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to Yahweh,’

And will name Israel’s name with honor.

6 “Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:

‘I am the first, and I am the last,

And there is no God besides Me.

Who is like Me? Let him call out and declare it;

And let him tell it to Me in order,

From the time that I established the ancient people.

And let them declare to them the things that are to come

And the events that are going to take place.

Do not be in dread and do not be afraid;

Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it?

And you are My witnesses.

Is there any God besides Me,

Or is there any other Rock?

I know of none.’”

The Futility of Idolatry

9 Those who form a graven image are all of them futile, and their desirable things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has formed a god or cast a graven image to no profit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame. The craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them be in dread, let them together be put to shame. 12 The man crafts iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, forming it with hammers and working it with his powerful arm. He also gets hungry and has no power; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 Another crafts wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a stylus. He makes it with planes and outlines it with a compass and makes it like the form of a man, like the glory of man, so that it may sit in a house. 14 In order to cut cedars for himself, he takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also kindles a fire to bake bread. He also works to produce a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm; I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” 18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they will have no insight. 19 No one causes this to return to his heart, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination; I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver his soul, and he cannot say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Yahweh Forgives and Redeems

“Remember these things, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are My servant;

I have formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud

And your sins like a cloud.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

Shout for joy, O heavens, for Yahweh has done it!

Make a loud shout, you lower parts of the earth;

Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it;

For Yahweh has redeemed Jacob

And in Israel He shows forth His beautiful glory.

24 Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,

“I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things,

Stretching out the heavens by Myself

And spreading out the earth all alone,

Causing the omens of boasters to be annulled,

And making fools out of diviners,

Causing wise men to turn back,

And making foolishness out of their knowledge,

Confirming the word of His servant—

And the counsel of His messengers He will complete—

And being the One who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’

And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’

And I will raise up her waste places again.

It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’

And I will make your rivers dry.

It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!

And all My good pleasure he will complete.’

And saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’

And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

John 8:12 - 9:41

I Am the Light of the World

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your witness is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. 16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in your law it has been written that the witness of two men is true. 18 I am He who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. 21 Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” 25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I am saying to the world.” 27 They did not know that He had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing from Myself, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He was speaking these things, many believed in Him.

The Son Will Make You Free

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s seed; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” 48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death—ever.” 52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death—ever.’ 53 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not known Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be manifested in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, made clay of the saliva, and rubbed the clay on his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. 8 Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” 10 So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and rubbed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so when I went away and washed, I received sight.” 12 And they said to him, “Where is He?” He *said, “I do not know.”

Controversy over the Man Born Blind

13 They *brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 So then some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 Therefore, they *said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” 18 Then, the Jews did not believe it of him that he was blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, 19 and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 So his parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 Therefore, a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to listen again? Do you want to become His disciples too?” 28 And they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from, and He opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. 32 Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered and said to him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.

Jesus Affirms His Deity

35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and after finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Psalm 71

O God, Do Not Forsake Me

In You, O Yahweh, I have taken refuge;

Let me never be ashamed.

In Your righteousness deliver me and protect me;

Incline Your ear to me and save me.

Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;

You have given the command to save me,

For You are my rock and my fortress.

Protect me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man,

For You are my hope;

O Lord Yahweh, You are my trust from my youth.

By You I have been sustained from my birth;

You are He who took me from my mother’s womb;

My praise is continually of You.

I have become a marvel to many,

For You are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with Your praise

And with Your beauty all day long.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

For my enemies have spoken against me;

And those who watch my life have counseled together,

Saying, “God has forsaken him;

Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

O God, do not be far from me;

O my God, hasten to my help!

Let those who accuse my soul be ashamed and consumed;

Let them be wrapped up with reproach and dishonor, who seek to do me evil.

But as for me, I will wait continually,

And will praise You yet more and more.

My mouth shall recount Your righteousness

And Your salvation all day long;

For I do not know the sum of them.

I will come with the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh;

I will bring to remembrance Your righteousness, Yours alone.

O God, You have taught me from my youth,

And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your might to all who are to come.

For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,

You who have done great things;

O God, who is like You?

You, who have shown me many troubles and evils,

Will revive me again,

And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

May You increase my greatness

And turn to comfort me.

I will also praise You with a harp,

Even Your truth, O my God;

To You I will sing praises with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will sing for joy when I sing praises to You;

And my soul, which You have redeemed.

My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;

For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek to do me evil.