Isaiah 49:1-13

1Listen to Me, you 1islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. 2The Lord called Me from the womb; From the 3body of My mother He named Me.2He has made My 4mouth like a sharp sword, In the 5shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a sharpened 6arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.3He said to Me, “7You are My Servant, Israel, 8In whom I will show My glory.”4But I said, “I have 9labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and futility; Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord, And My 10reward is with My God.”

5And now says 11the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that 12Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am 13honored in the sight of the Lord, And My God is My 14strength),6He says, “It is too 15small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the 16protected ones of Israel; I will also make You a 17light 18of the nations So that My salvation may 19reach to the 20end of the earth.”7This is what the Lord, the 21Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, Says to the 2223despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers: “24Kings will see and arise, Princes will also 25bow down, Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

8This is what the Lord says: “At a 26favorable time I answered You, And on a day of salvation I helped You; And I will 27watch over You and 28make You a covenant of the people, To 2930restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;9Saying to those who are 31bound, ‘32Go free,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the roads, And their pasture will be on all 33bare heights.10They will 34not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching 35heat or sun strike them down; For 36He who has compassion on them will 37lead them, And He will guide them to 38springs of water.11I will make all 39My mountains a road, And My 40highways will be raised up.12Behold, these will come 41from afar; And behold, these will come from the 42north and from the west, And these from the land of Aswan.”1343Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains! For the 44Lord has comforted His people And will 45have compassion on His afflicted.