But they were silent and did not answer him a word, for the command of the king was, "You must not answer him."

And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day [is] a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to [the] cervical opening, and there is no strength to give birth.

Maybe Yahweh your God heard [the] words of Rabshakeh whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to taunt [the] living God, and he will rebuke the words that Yahweh your God hears. And you must lift up a prayer for the benefit of the remnant that is found.'"

And Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that he had left from Lachish.

to {set} their gods in the fire, for they [were] not gods, but [the] work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them.

this [is] the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him: She shows contempt for you; she derides you, virgin daughter of Zion; she shakes [her] head behind you, daughter of Jerusalem.

Have you not heard from {a long time ago}? I have made it from days of primeval time, and I formed it. Now I have brought it [about], and it is for fortified cities to collapse into heaps of destroyed stones.

And this [shall be] the sign for you: the eating of volunteer plants this year, and in the second year self-seeded plants, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.

For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem and survivors from mountain Zion. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.'

'And I will defend this city, to save it for my sake and for the sake of David, my servant.'"

In those days, Hezekiah became sick to death, and Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: 'Order your house, for you [are] about to die, and you shall not recover.'"

I was the one who said, "I must go in the quiet of my days; I am summoned through the gates of Sheol [for] the rest of my years."

What can I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done [it]. I will walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

Look! Bitterness was bitter to me for peace. And you were the one who loved my life from [the] pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

For Sheol cannot praise you; death [cannot] praise you. Those who go down [to the] pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

At that time, Merodach-Baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and recovered.

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of Yahweh that you have spoken [is] good," for he {thought}, "Surely there will be peace and security in my days."

"Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, that her compulsory labor is fulfilled, that her sin is paid for, that she has {received} from the hand of Yahweh double for all her sins."

A voice [is] calling in the wilderness, "Clear the way of Yahweh! Make a highway smooth in the desert for our God!

And the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed, and all {humankind} together shall see [it], for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

{Get yourself} up to a high mountain, Zion, bringer of good news! Lift up your voice with strength, Jerusalem, bringer of good news! Lift [it] up; you must not fear! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here [is] your God!"

Look! The Lord Yahweh comes with {strength}, and his arm rules for him. Look! His reward [is] with him, and his recompense {in his presence}.

And Lebanon [is] not enough to light a fire, and its animals not enough for a burnt offering.

The one who is [too] impoverished [for] a gift chooses wood [that] will not rot; he seeks a skillful artisan for himself to set up an image [that] will not be knocked over.

[He] gives power to the weary, and he increases power for {the powerless}.

But those who wait for Yahweh shall renew [their] strength. They shall go up [with] wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.

Listen to me in silence, coastlands, and let nations renew [their] strength. Let them approach, then let them speak; let us draw near together for judgment.

You must not fear, for I [am] with you; you must not be afraid, for I [am] your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.

For I, Yahweh your God, [am] grasping your right hand; {it is I who say} to you, "You must not fear; I myself, I will help you.

You must not fear, O worm of Jacob; people of Israel, I myself, I will help you," {declares} Yahweh, "and your redeemer [is] the holy one of Israel.

He will not grow faint, and he will not be broken until he has established justice in the earth. And [the] coastlands wait for his teaching.

Let [the] desert and its towns lift up their voice, [the] villages [that] Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy; let them shout loudly from [the] {top} of [the] mountains.

I have been silent for a long time; I have kept silent; I have restrained myself like one giving birth; I will moan, pant, and gasp together.

Yahweh was willing for the sake of his righteousness; he showed [his] teaching to be great and proved [it] to be glorious.

Who among you will heed this, will listen attentively and listen, for {the time to come}?

But now thus says Yahweh, he who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "You must not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called [you] by your name; {you are mine}.

When you pass through the waters, I [will be] with you, and through the rivers, they shall not flow over you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and [the] flame shall not scorch you.

For I [am] Yahweh, your God, the holy one of Israel, your savior. I give you Egypt [as] ransom, Cush and Seba in place of you.

You must not fear, for I [am] with you. I will bring your {offspring} from [the] east, and I will gather you from [the] west.

I will say to the north, 'Give!' and to [the] south, 'You must not withhold!' Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the end of the earth--

everyone who is called by my name, and whom I created for my glory, whom I formed, indeed whom I made."

Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel: "For your sake I will send [to] Babylon, and I will cause all of them to fall down [as] fugitives, and {the Chaldeans}, their rejoicing on the ships.

The animals of the field will honor me, jackals and daughters of [the] ostrich, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in [the] desert, to give a drink [to] my chosen people,

this people whom I formed for myself, so they might {make known} my praise.

But you did not call me, Jacob; for you have become weary of me, Israel.

You have not brought me your sheep for a burnt offering nor honored me [with] your sacrifice. I have not made you serve with offerings, nor have I made you weary with frankincense.

I, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Thus says Yahweh, who made you, and who formed you in [the] womb and will help you: you must not fear, my servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

For I will pour out water on a thirsty [land] and streams on dry ground. I will pour my spirit out on your descendants and my blessing on your offspring.

And who [is] like me? Let him proclaim [it]! And let him declare it and set it in order for me {since I established an eternal people} and things that are to come, and let them tell them [the things] that are coming.

You must not tremble, and you must not be paralyzed with fear. Have I not made you hear from of old and declared [it], and you [are] my witnesses? Is there a god besides me? And there is no rock! I know none!"

Cutting down cedars for himself, he {chooses} a holm tree and an oak, and he lets it grow strong for him among [the] trees of [the] forest. He plants a cedar, and [the] rain makes [it] grow.

And it {becomes fuel for a human}, and he takes some of it and grows warm; also, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also, he makes a god and bows in worship; he makes himself an image and bows down to it!

He burns half of it in [the] fire; he eats meat over half of it; he roasts a roast and is satisfied. Also he grows warm and says, "Ah! I am warm! I see [the] fire!"

And he makes the remainder of it into a god! He bows down to his idol, and he bows in worship and prays to him, and he says, "Save me, for you [are] my god!"

They do not know, and they do not understand, for their eyes [are] besmeared {so that they cannot see}, their {minds} {so that they have no insight}.

And {no one takes it to heart}, and [there is] no knowledge and no understanding to say, "I burned half of it in [the] fire and also I baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat, and I have eaten. And I shall make [the] rest of it into an abomination! I shall bow down to a block of wood!"

"Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you [are] my servant: I formed you; you [are] my servant; Israel, you will not be forgotten by me!

I have wiped your transgressions out like cloud and your sins like mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you!"

Sing for joy, heavens, for Yahweh has done [it]! Shout, depths of [the] earth! Break forth, mountains, [in] rejoicing, forest and every tree in it, for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob, and he will show his glory in Israel!

for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one. And I call you by your name; I give you a name of honor, though you do not know me.

I myself have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his paths smooth. He himself shall build my city, and he shall set my exiles free, not for price or a gift," says Yahweh of hosts.

For thus says Yahweh, {who created} the heavens, he [is] God, {who formed} the earth and {who made} it. He himself established it; he did not create it [as] emptiness-- he formed it for inhabiting. "I [am] Yahweh and there is none besides [me].

Turn to me and be saved, all [the] ends of [the] earth, for I [am] God and there is none besides [me].

Remember [the] former things from {a long time ago}, for I [am] God and there is none besides [me], God and [there is] none like me,

Listen to me, strong of heart, far from righteousness!

I bring my righteousness near; [it is] not far. And my salvation will not delay; and I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory."

Come down and sit on [the] dust, virgin daughter of Babylon! Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of Chaldea! For {they shall no longer call} you tender and delicate.

Sit silently and go into the darkness, daughter of Chaldea, for {they shall no longer call} you mistress of kingdoms.

And evil shall come upon you, you will not know; it will be on the lookout for her. And disaster shall fall upon you; you will not be able to {avert} it. And ruin shall come on you suddenly; you do not know.

Look! They are like stubble; [the] fire burns them completely. They cannot deliver {themselves} from [the] {power} of [the] flame; there is no coal {for warming oneself}, [no] fire before which to sit.

For they call themselves {after the holy city}, and they lean on the God of Israel-- Yahweh of hosts [is] his name.

Neither have you heard, nor have you known, nor from {of old} has your ear been opened. For I knew you would deal treacherously, very treacherously, and you [are] called a rebel from [the] womb.

For the sake of my name I {refrain from} my anger, and [for] my praise I restrain [it] for you [so as] not to cut you off.

For my own sake, for my own sake I do [it]; for why should it be defiled? And I will not give my glory to another."

And [when] he led them through the deserts, they were not thirsty; he made water flow from [the] rock for them, and he split [the] rock, and [the] water gushed out.

"There is no peace," says Yahweh, "for the wicked."

Listen to me, coastlands, and listen attentively, peoples from far away! Yahweh called me from [the] womb; from the {body} of my mother he made my name known.

But I myself said, "I have labored in vain; I have used up my strength for nothing and vanity! Nevertheless, my justice [is] with Yahweh, and my reward [is] with my God."

And now Yahweh says, who formed me from [the] womb as a servant for him, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might not be gathered, for I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh, and my God has become my strength.

And he says, "It is trivial {for you to be} a servant for me, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will give you as a light [to the] nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth."

Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one, to the one who despises life, to the one who abhors [the] nation, to [the] slave of rulers: "Kings shall see and stand up; princes, and they shall bow down, for the sake of Yahweh, who [is] faithful, the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you."

They shall not be hungry or thirsty, and heat and sun shall not strike them, for he who takes pity on them will lead them, and he will guide them to springs of water.

Sing for joy, heavens, and rejoice, earth! Mountains must break forth [in] rejoicing! For Yahweh has comforted his people, and he will take pity on his afflicted ones.

Surely your sites of ruins and desolate [places] and land of ruins, surely now you will be {too cramped for your} inhabitants, and those who engulfed you will be far away.

Yet the children {born when you were bereaved} will say in your {hearing}, "The place is [too] cramped for me; {make room} for me so that I can dwell."

But thus says Yahweh: "Indeed a captive of [the] mighty shall be taken, and [the] war-booty [of] [the] tyrant shall be rescued, for I myself will dispute [with] your opponent, and I myself will save your children.

The Lord Yahweh has given me [the] tongue of pupil, to know how to help [the] weary [with] a word. He awakens {morning by morning}, awakens an ear for me to listen as [do] the pupils.

The Lord Yahweh has opened an ear for me, and I, I was not rebellious. I did not turn backwards;

he who obtains rights for me [is] near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who [is] the master of my judgment? Let him approach me.

Who among you [is] in fear of Yahweh, obeys the voice of his servant? Who walks [in] darkness and has no light, trusts in the name of Yahweh and depends on his God?

Look! All of you [are] kindlers of fire, who gird yourselves with flaming arrows. Walk in the light of your fire, and among [the] flaming arrows you have kindled! You shall have this from my hand: you shall lie down in a place of torment.

Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah; she brought you forth. For I called him {alone}, but I blessed him and made him numerous."

For Yahweh will comfort Zion; he will comfort all its sites of ruins. And he will {make} its wilderness like Eden, and its desert like the garden of Yahweh. Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and [the] {sound} of song.

"Listen attentively to me, my people, and my nation, listen to me! For a teaching will go out from me, and I will cause my justice to rest for a light to [the] peoples.

My righteousness [is] near; my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge [the] peoples. [The] coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they wait.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look to the earth beneath, for [the] heavens will be torn to pieces like smoke, and the earth will be worn out like garment, and those who inhabit her will die like gnats. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be broken to pieces.

Listen to me, you who know righteousness, people [who have] my teaching in their heart; you must not fear [the] reproach of men, or be terrified because of their abuse.

For a moth will eat them like garments; a moth will devour them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation for {generation after generation}."

Are you not the one who dried up [the] sea, [the] waters of [the] great deep, the one who {made} [the] depths of [the] sea a way for those who are redeemed to cross over?