43
Israel's only Savior
1 But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation.
The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this:
“Do not be afraid,
because I previously rescued you.
I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.
2 When you experience dangerous situations,
and you feel like [MET] you are crossing deep rivers,
I will be with you.
When you have very big troubles/difficulties,
you will [LIT] be able to endure them.
When people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel's three friends by throwing them in a fire,
you will not die, just like Daniel's three friends were not burned up,
3 because I am Yahweh, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you.
I will enable the army of the emperor of Persia to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you;
similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia and Seba in Arabia in order that you can be saved.
4 I will cause other countries to be conquered instead of your country;
I will trade them for you,
in order that you will not be killed,
because you are very precious [DOU] to me
and because I love you.
5 Do not be afraid, because I am with you.
Some day I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.
6 I will command the rulers of the nations to the north and to the south,
‘Allow all the people of Israel to return to their country,
from the most distant places on the earth.
7 Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return,
because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me;
I am the one who has done that [DOU].’
8 Summon the people who have eyes but it is as though they are blind;
summon those who have ears but because they do not listen to me, it is as though they are deaf.
9 Gather people of all nations together,
ones from all people-groups,
and ask them this: ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now?
And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’
Tell them to bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things,
and what they predicted was correct.’
10 But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel are my witnesses,
and the ones who serve me.
I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me,
and understand that I am the only one who is God.
There is no other God.
There was no other God previously,
and there will never be another God.
11 I, only I, am Yahweh,
and there is no other one who can save you.
12 I said that I would rescue your ancestors from Egypt,
and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed that I had done it.
No foreign god among you did that!
And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.
13 I am God, the one who has existed forever;
no one can snatch people from my hand,
and no one can alter what I have done.”
God promises to rescue his people from Babylon
14 Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says:
“For your sake, I will send an army to attack Babylon.
They will force the people of the city to flee in ships.
15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One,
the one who established Israel and the one who is really their king.
16 I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water,
making a road through the Red Sea.
17 Then I summoned the great army of Egypt,
with all their chariots and horses.
But when they tried to pursue my people, I pulled them under the waves and they drowned;
their lives ended like the light of a candle ends when someone[MET] snuffs out the wick.
18 But do not think about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].
19 Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do.
In fact, I have already started to do it;
can you see it?
I am going to make a road through the desert.
And I will create streams in the wasteland/desert.
20 The jackals/wolves and other wild creatures will thank me
for giving them water in the desert.
I will create streams in the dry desert
in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;
21 I will do that for the people whom I have created to belong to me,
and some day they will cause many others to praise me.
22 But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to ask me for help.
It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of me.
23 You have not brought sheep or goats to me to be offerings that will be completely burned on the altar;
you have not honored me by bringing to me any sacrifices,
even though I have not burdened or wearied you by forcing you to bring me offerings of grain and incense.
24 You have not bought for me any fragrant reeds
or pleased me by bringing me the fat from your sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed,
and made me weary by all your iniquities.
25 I am the one who can forgive you for all your sins;
I am the only one who can do that,
with the result that I will never think about them again.
26 But perhaps you should tell me what you are complaining about.
Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you ◄are innocent/have done nothing wrong► [IRO]?
27 No, you Israelis' first ancestor sinned against me,
and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.
28 That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced;
and I have allowed others to destroy the people of Israel
and caused them to be despised.
Note: The Old Testament in this translation is still being worked on, and is in draft form. Updates will be posted at eBible.org/t4t/.