HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1010
IS A IA H 4 3
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He will say, “I have long been silent;
yes, I have restrained myself.
But now, like a woman in labor,
I will cry and groan and pant.
I will level the mountains and hills
and blight all their greenery.
I will turn the rivers into dry land
and will dry up all the pools.
I will lead blind Israel down a new path,
guiding them along an unfamiliar way.
I will brighten the darkness before them
and smooth out the road ahead of them.
Yes, I will indeed do these things;
I will not forsake them.
But those who trust in idols,
who say, ‘You are our gods,’
will be turned away in shame.
— promises —
from God
“When you go
through deep waters,
I will be with you.”
I SA I A H 43:2
Israel’s Failure to Listen and See
18 “Listen, you who are deaf!
Look and see, you blind!
19 Who is as blind as my own people,
my servant?
Who is as deaf as my messenger?
Who is as blind as my chosen people,
the servant of the Lord?
20 You see and recognize what is right
but refuse to act on it.
You hear with your ears,
but you don’t really listen.”
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Because he is righteous,
the Lord has exalted his glorious law.
But his own people have been robbed and
plundered,
enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped.
They are fair game for anyone
and have no one to protect them,
no one to take them back home.
Who will hear these lessons from the past
and see the ruin that awaits you in the
future?
Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt?
It was the Lord, against whom we sinned,
for the people would not walk in his path,
nor would they obey his law.
Therefore, he poured out his fury on them
and destroyed them in battle.
They were enveloped in flames,
but they still refused to understand.
They were consumed by fire,
but they did not learn their lesson.
The Savior of Israel
1 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord
who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of
oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia* and Seba in your place.
4 Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
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“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children
from east and west.
I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back
to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
Bring out the people who have eyes but
are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.
Gather the nations together!
Assemble the peoples of the world!
Which of their idols has ever foretold
such things?
Which can predict what will happen
tomorrow?
Where are the witnesses of such predictions?
Who can verify that they spoke the truth?
“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says
the Lord.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me,
believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
there never has been, and there never
will be.
I, yes I, am the Lord,
and there is no other Savior.
43:3 Hebrew Cush.