Study Desk

Listen to Me, you ^(C1)islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. ^(C2)The LORD called Me from the womb; From the ^(F1)body of My mother He named Me.

He has made My ^(C1)mouth like a sharp sword, In the ^(C2)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a sharpened ^(C3)arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.

He said to Me, "^(C1)You are My Servant, Israel, ^(C2)In whom I will show My glory."

But I said, "I have ^(C1)labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and futility; Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My ^(C2)reward is with My God."

And now says ^(C1)the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that ^(C2)Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am ^(C3)honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My ^(C4)strength),

He says, "It is too ^(F1)small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ^(C1)protected ones of Israel; I will also make You a ^(C2)light ^(F2)of the nations So that My salvation may ^(F3)reach to the ^(C3)end of the earth."

This is what the LORD, the ^(C1)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, Says to the ^(F1)(C2)despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers: "^(C3)Kings will see and arise, Princes will also ^(C4)bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

This is what the LORD says: "At a ^(C1)favorable time I answered You, And on a day of salvation I helped You; And I will ^(C2)watch over You and ^(C3)make You a covenant of the people, To ^(F1)(C4)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;

Saying to those who are ^(C1)bound, '^(F1)Go free,' To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' They will feed along the roads, And their pasture will be on all ^(C2)bare heights.

-"They will ^(C1)not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching ^(C2)heat or sun strike them down; For ^(C3)He who has compassion on them will ^(C4)lead them, And He will guide them to ^(C5)springs of water.

-"I will make all ^(C1)My mountains a road, And My ^(C2)highways will be raised up.

-"Behold, these will come ^(C1)from afar; And behold, these will come from the ^(C2)north and from the west, And these from the land of Aswan."

^(C1)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains! For the ^(C2)LORD has comforted His people And will ^(C3)have compassion on His afflicted.

But Zion said, "The LORD has abandoned me, And the Lord has forgotten me."

"Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but ^(C1)I will not forget you.

-"Behold, I have ^(C1)inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your ^(C2)walls are continually before Me.

-"Your ^(F1)builders hurry; Your ^(C1)destroyers and devastators Will leave you.

-"^(C1)Raise your eyes and look around; ^(C2)All of them gather together, ^(C3)they come to you. ^(C4)As I live," declares the LORD, "You will certainly ^(C5)put them all on as ^(F1)jewelry and bind them on as a bride.

-"For ^(C1)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land— Now you will certainly be ^(C2)too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who ^(C3)swallowed you will be far away.

-"The ^(C1)children ^(F1)you lost will yet say in your ears, 'The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.'

-"Then you will ^(C1)say in your heart, 'Who has fathered these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And ^(C2)cannot conceive, and I am an ^(C3)exile, and a wanderer? And who has raised these? Behold, I was ^(C4)left alone; ^(F1)(C5)Where are these from?'"

This is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And set up My ^(C1)flag to the peoples; And they will ^(C2)bring your sons ^(F2)in their arms, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

-"^(C1)Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will ^(C2)bow down to you with their faces to the ground And ^(C3)lick the dust from your feet; And you will ^(C4)know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully ^(C5)wait for Me will ^(C6)not be put to shame.

"^(C1)Can the prey be taken from a mighty man, Or the captives of ^(F1)a tyrant be rescued?"

Indeed, this is what the LORD says: "Even the ^(C1)captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will ^(C2)save your sons.

-"I will feed your ^(C1)oppressors with their ^(C2)own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And ^(F1)(C3)humanity will know that I, the LORD, am your ^(C4)Savior And your ^(C5)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."