There was no one to lead her among all the children she bore; there was no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.

For you will not go out in a hurry [as when you left Egypt],
Nor will you go in flight [fleeing, as you did from the Egyptians];
For the Lord will go before you,
And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

(just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man;

his form was so marred he no longer looked human -- so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about.

Who would have believed what we just heard? When was the Lord's power revealed through him?

When he came up as a sapling before him. And as a root-sprout out of dry ground, He had neither beauty nor majesty, - When we beheld him, there was nothing to behold, that we should desire him;

He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.

But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.

He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed.

He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth.

He was led away after an unjust trial -- but who even cared? Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded.

And, appointed with lawless men, was his grave, And with the wicked, his tomb, - Though no violence, had he done, Nor was guile in his mouth.

And the Lord was pleased ... see a seed, long life, ... will do well in his hand. ...

So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death and was numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels."

For, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, hath Yahweh caned thee, - Even the wife of youthful days, in that thou wast rejected saith thy God.

In overflowing wrath my face was veiled from you for a minute, but I will have pity on you for ever, says the Lord who takes up your cause.

Behold, the alien that was far from thee shall dwell with thee: and he that was sometime a stranger unto thee, shall be joined with thee.

Instead of the thorn-hedge shall come up the cypress; of the briar shall come up the myrtle: and it was to Jehovah for a name for an eternal sigh; it shall not be cut off.

The just one perished and none put upon the heart: men of kindness being taken away, for none understanding that the just one was taken away from the face of evil

With the length of thy journey, thou wast wearied, Thou didst not say, Hopeless! The reviving of thy power, thou didst find, For this cause, hast thou not become sick.

“Of whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did not remember Me
Nor give Me a thought?
Was I not silent even for a long time
So you do not fear Me?

For I will not give punishment for ever, or be angry without end: for from me breath goes out; and I it was who made the souls.

I was angry because of their sinful greed; I attacked them and angrily rejected them, yet they remained disobedient and stubborn.

And from thee the old wastes were built; the foundations of generation and generation thou shalt raise them up, and it was called to thee, Walling the breach, Turning back the beaten paths to dwell in.

Behold, the hand of Jehovah was not shortened from saving, and his ear heavy from hearing:

For this judgment was far off from us, and justice shall not overtake us: we shall wait for light, and behold, darkness; for brightness, and we shall walk in thick darkness.

We go on our way, like blind men feeling for the wall, even like those who have no eyes: we are running against things in daylight as if it was evening; our place is in the dark like dead men.

We shall growl as bears all of us, and murmuring we shall murmur as doves: we shall wait for judgment, and none; for salvation, it was far from us.

And judgment was turned away behind, and justice shall stand from far off: for truth fainted in the street, and right will not be able to come in.

Yes, truth is missing;
And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey.
Now the Lord saw it,
And it displeased Him that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man,
And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right];
Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His own righteousness sustained Him.

For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor,
And salvation like a helmet on His head;
He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

And from the west they shall fear the name of Jehovah, and from the rising of the sun, his glory. When the adversary shall come in as a river, the spirit of Jehovah was lifted up against him.

The sun shall be no more to thee for light by day, and for brightness the moon shall not shine to thee: and Jehovah was to thee for an eternal light, and thy God for thy glory.

Because your shame was double,
and they cried out, “Disgrace is their portion,”
therefore, they will possess double in their land,
and eternal joy will be theirs.

And their seed was known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples: all seeing them shall recognise them, for they the seed Jehovah blessed.

“I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And of the peoples there was no one with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My clothes.

“For the day of vengeance [against ungodliness] was in My heart,
And My year of redemption [of those who put their trust in Me—the year of My redeemed] has come.

“I looked, but there was no one to help,
And I was amazed and appalled that there was no one to uphold [truth and right].
So My own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath sustained Me.

For He said, “Be assured, they are My people,
Sons who will not be faithless.”
So He became their Savior [in all their distresses].

In all their distress He was distressed,
And the angel of His presence saved them,
In His love and in His compassion He redeemed them;
And He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.

We have become as those who were never ruled by you, on whom your name was not named.

As the fire of meltings was kindled the fire will cause the water to boil, to cause thy name to be known to thine adversaries; from thy face shall the nations be moved.

Although from age-past times It was never heard, It was not perceived by the ear, - Neither did, the eye, ever see - That, a god besides thee, could work for the man who waited for him,

Yet didst thou meet Him who was rejoicing and working righteousness, Even them who in thy ways, remembered thee, - Lo! thou, hast been vexed, And truly we had sinned, Among them, was the prospect of an age to come , That we might be saved.

And there was none To call upon thy Name, To rouse himself to lay firm hold on thee, - For thou hadst hidden thy face from us, And hadst made us despond, by means of our iniquity.

The cities of thy holy place were desert; Zion was a desert., Jerusalem a desolation.

The house of our holy place and our glory where our fathers praised thee, was for a burning of fire, and all our precious things were for desolation.

“I let Myself be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name.

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

Saying, Come near to thyself; thou shalt not touch upon me, for I was clean to thee. These a smoke in my wrath, a fire burning all the day.

And Sharon was for a dwelling of sheep, and the valley of Achor for a resting place of the herd, for my people who sought me.

I will destine you for the sword, [says the Lord],
And all of you will bow down to the slaughter,
Because when I called, you did not answer;
When I spoke, you did not listen or obey.
But you did [what was] evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”

“And you will leave your name behind to My chosen ones [who will use it] as a curse,
And the Lord God will put you to death,
But He will call His servants by another name [a much greater name, just as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob].

And I rejoiced in Jerusalem, and was glad in my people; and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, and the voice of crying.

And it was before they shall call, I will answer; they yet speaking, and I will hear.

So I will choose their punishments,
And will bring the things they dread upon them
Because I called, but no one answered;
I spoke, but they did not listen or obey.
But they did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye trembling at his word: Your brethren hating you, excluding you for sake of my name, said, Jehovah shall be honored: and he was seen to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

“Before she (Zion) was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her labor pain came, she gave birth to a boy.

“Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Or can a nation be brought forth in a moment?
As soon as Zion was in labor, she also brought forth her sons.

Will I by whom the birth was started, not make it complete? says the Lord. Will I who make children come to birth, let them be kept back? says your God.

And ye saw, and your heart rejoiced, and your bones shall break forth as the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah was known with his servants, and his wrath to his enemies.

And it was as often as the new moon in its new moon, and as often as the Sabbath in its Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says Jehovah.