Isaiah 49:1-16 ▼

1 Heare yee me, O yles, and hearken, yee people from farre. The Lorde hath called me from the wombe, and made mention of my name from my mothers bellie.

2 And hee hath made my mouth like a sharpe sworde: vnder the shadowe of his hande hath he hid mee, and made me a chosen shafte, and hid me in his quiuer,

3 And sayd vnto me, Thou art my seruaunt, Israel, for I will be glorious in thee.

4 And I said, I haue labored in vaine: I haue spent my strength in vaine and for nothing: but my iudgement is with the Lorde, and my woorke with my God.

5 And now sayeth the Lord, that formed me from the wombe to be his seruaunt, that I may bring Iaakob againe to him (though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I bee glorious in the eyes of the Lord: and my God shall be my strength)

6 And hee sayde, It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my seruaunt, to raise vp the tribes of Iaakob, and to restore the desolations of Israel: I will also giue thee for a light of the Gentiles, that thou maiest bee my saluation vnto the ende of the worlde.

7 Thus sayeth the Lorde the redeemer of Israel, and his Holie one, to him that is despised in soule, to a nation that is abhorred, to a seruaunt of rulers, Kinges shall see, and arise, and princes shall worship, because of the Lord, that is faithfull: and ye Holy one of Israel, which hath chosen thee.

8 Thus sayeth the Lorde, In an acceptable time haue I heard thee, and in a day of saluation haue I helped thee: and I will preserue thee, & wil giue thee for a couenant of ye people, that thou maiest raise vp the earth, and obtaine the inheritance of the desolate heritages:

9 That thou maiest say to the prisoners, Goe foorth: and to them that are in darkenesse, Shewe your selues: they shall feede in the waies, and their pastures shall bee in all the toppes of the hilles.

10 They shal not be hungrie, neither shal they be thirstie, neither shall the heat smite them, nor the sunne: for he that hath compassion on them, shall leade them: euen to the springs of waters shal he driue them.

11 And I will make all my mountaines, as a way, and my paths shalbe exalted.

12 Beholde, these shall come from farre: and loe, these from the North and from the West, and these from the land of Sinim.

13 Reioyce, O heauens: and bee ioyfull, O earth: brast foorth into praise, O mountaines: for God hath comforted his people, and will haue mercie vpon his afflicted.

14 But Zion saide, The Lorde hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her childe, & not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe? Though they should forget, yet wil I not forget thee.

16 Behold, I haue grauen thee vpon the palme of mine hands: thy walles are euer in my sight.