Isaiah 51:9-52

Other Translations of Isaiah 51:9-52

New International Version

⁹ Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? ¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? ¹¹ Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. ¹² "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, ¹³ that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? ¹⁴ The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. ¹⁵ For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar- the Lord Almighty is his name. ¹⁶ I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.' "

¹⁷ Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lordthe cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger. ¹⁸ Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand. ¹⁹ These double calamities have come upon you- who can comfort you?- ruin and destruction, famine and sword- who canDead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text "/ how can I" console you? ²⁰ Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God. ²¹ Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk, but not with wine. ²² This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: "See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again. ²³ I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, 'Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.' And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked on."

English Standard Version

⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? ¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? ¹¹ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. ¹² "I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, ¹³ and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? ¹⁴ He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking. ¹⁵ I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the Lord of hosts is his name. ¹⁶ And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishingOr planting the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'"

¹⁷ Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. ¹⁸ There is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne; there is none to take her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up. ¹⁹ These two things have happened to you-- who will console you?-- devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you?Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text how shall I comfort you ²⁰ Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the Lord, the rebuke of your God. ²¹ Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: ²² Thus says your Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: "Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; ²³ and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, 'Bow down, that we may pass over'; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over."

The Message

⁹ Wake up, wake up, flex your muscles, God! Wake up as in the old days, in the long ago. Didn't you once make mincemeat of Rahab, dispatch the old chaos-dragon? ¹⁰ And didn't you once dry up the sea, the powerful waters of the deep, And then made the bottom of the ocean a road for the redeemed to walk across? ¹¹ In the same way God's ransomed will come back, come back to Zion cheering, shouting, Joy eternal wreathing their heads, exuberant ecstasies transporting them - and not a sign of moans or groans. What Are You Afraid of - or Who? ¹² "I, I'm the One comforting you. What are you afraid of - or who? Some man or woman who'll soon be dead? Some poor wretch destined for dust? ¹³ You've forgotten me, God, who made you, who unfurled the skies, who founded the earth. And here you are, quaking like an aspen before the tantrums of a tyrant who thinks he can kick down the world. But what will come of the tantrums? ¹⁴ The victims will be released before you know it. They're not going to die. They're not even going to go hungry. ¹⁵ For I am God, your very own God, who stirs up the sea and whips up the waves, named God-of-the-Angel-Armies. ¹⁶ I teach you how to talk, word by word, and personally watch over you, Even while I'm unfurling the skies, setting earth on solid foundations, and greeting Zion: 'Welcome, my people!'"

¹⁷ So wake up! Rub the sleep from your eyes! Up on your feet, Jerusalem! You've drunk the cup God handed you, the strong drink of his anger. You drank it down to the last drop, staggered and collapsed, dead-drunk. ¹⁸ And nobody to help you home, no one among your friends or children to take you by the hand and put you in bed. ¹⁹ You've been hit with a double dose of trouble - does anyone care? Assault and battery, hunger and death - will anyone comfort? ²⁰ Your sons and daughters have passed out, strewn in the streets like stunned rabbits, Sleeping off the strong drink of God's anger, the rage of your God. ²¹ Therefore listen, please, you with your splitting headaches, You who are nursing the hangovers that didn't come from drinking wine. ²² Your Master, your God, has something to say, your God has taken up his people's case: "Look, I've taken back the drink that sent you reeling. No more drinking from that jug of my anger! ²³ I've passed it over to your abusers to drink, those who ordered you, 'Down on the ground so we can walk all over you!' And you had to do it. Flat on the ground, you were the dirt under their feet."

New King James Version

⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent? ¹⁰ Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over? ¹¹ So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. ¹² "I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? ¹³ And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? ¹⁴ The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, That he should not die in the pit, And that his bread should not fail. ¹⁵ But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared-- The Lord of hosts is His name. ¹⁶ And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, 'You are My people.' "

¹⁷ Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out. ¹⁸ There is no one to guide her Among all the sons she has brought forth; Nor is there any who takes her by the hand Among all the sons she has brought up. ¹⁹ These two things have come to you; Who will be sorry for you?-- Desolation and destruction, famine and sword-- By whom will I comfort you? ²⁰ Your sons have fainted, They lie at the head of all the streets, Like an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the Lord, The rebuke of your God. ²¹ Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine. ²² Thus says your Lord, The Lord and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: "See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. ²³ But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, 'Lie down, that we may walk over you.' And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over."

New Living Translation

⁹ Wake up, wake up, O Lord ! Clothe yourself with strength! Flex your mighty right arm! Rouse yourself as in the days of old when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile. ¹⁰ Are you not the same today, the one who dried up the sea, making a path of escape through the depths so that your people could cross over? ¹¹ Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness. ¹² "I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear? ¹³ Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator, the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth. Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors? Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies? Where is their fury and anger now? It is gone! ¹⁴ Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate! ¹⁵ For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies. ¹⁶ And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand. I stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth. I am the one who says to Israel, 'You are my people!'"

¹⁷ Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk the cup of the Lord 's fury. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops. ¹⁸ Not one of your children is left alive to take your hand and guide you. ¹⁹ These two calamities have fallen on you: desolation and destruction, famine and war. And who is left to sympathize with you? Who is left to comfort you? ²⁰ For your children have fainted and lie in the streets, helpless as antelopes caught in a net. The Lord has poured out his fury; God has rebuked them. ²¹ But now listen to this, you afflicted ones who sit in a drunken stupor, though not from drinking wine. ²² This is what the Sovereign Lord, your God and Defender, says: "See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands. You will drink no more of my fury. ²³ Instead, I will hand that cup to your tormentors, those who said, 'We will trample you into the dust and walk on your backs.'"