1 ¶ Listen, to me, O isles; and pay attention, you people far away; The LORD called me when I was still in the womb; before my mother gave birth to me he mentioned my name.

2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword, and hidden me in the shadow of his hand; he prepared me a like polished arrow, and has hidden me in his quiver;

3 And said to me, You are my servant, to Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength uselessly, and for nothing: but surely the LORD will vindicate me, and reward my effort.

5 And now, the LORD who formed me from the womb to be his servant, and to bring Jacob back to him, says, Though Israel is not gathered, I will still be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God will be my strength.

6 And he says, It is not enough that you are my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and bring back those of Israel who have been preserved: I have also made you a light for the Gentiles, that you might be my salvation to the most distant parts of the earth.

7 ¶ This is what the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says, to him whom people despise, and nations abhor, to a servant of rulers, When kings see you they will get up, and princes will bow down, because the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, is faithful, and he chose you.

8 Thus says the LORD, I will answer you in a time of favor, and will help you in a day of salvation: and I will preserve you, and designate you to be a covenant for the people, to renew the earth, and allot again the possessions that have been laid waste;

9 That you may say to the prisoners, Come out; to those who are in darkness, Come into the light. They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the high places.

10 They will not hunger or thirst; nor will the heat or sun strike them: for he who has mercy on them will lead them, and guide them to the springs of water.

11 And I will make all my mountains into a road, and my highways will be lifted up.

12 Behold, some will come from far away: and others from the north and from the west; and some from the land of Sinim.

13 ¶ Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD has comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

14 But Zion will say, The LORD has forsaken me, and my God has forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, so that she has no compassion for the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, but will I not forget you.

16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

17 Your builders will hurry; your destroyers and those who destroy and devastate will leave you.

18 ¶ Look around, and see: they all gather together, and come to you. As I live, said the LORD, you will wear all of them, as ornaments, and fasten them on yourself, as does a bride.

19 For your land which is a desolate waste, and is in ruins, will now be too small for those who want to live there, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

20 Then you will hear the children you lost say to you, This place is too small for me: make room for me to live here.

21 Then you will say in your heart, Who has fathered these for me, seeing that I have lost my children, and was barren, a captive, wandering to and fro? and who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone; so where do they come from?

22 Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and raise my standard before the nations: and they will bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

23 Then kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: they will bow down to you with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet; then you will realize that I am the LORD: and those who depend on me will not be disappointed.

24 ¶ Can spoil be taken from the mighty, can the captives of a tyrant be rescued?

25 The LORD says this, Yes the spoil of the mighty will be taken away, and the tyrant’s captives will be freed: for I will fight with him who fights with you, and I will save your children.

26 And I will make those who oppress you eat their own flesh; and they will be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and everyone will know that I Jahweh am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.