Isaiah 49

1 to hear: hear coastland to(wards) me and to listen people from distant LORD from belly: womb to call: call to me from belly mother my to remember name my

Listen to me, you people of the islands! Pay attention, you who live far away! The Lord called me before I was born; he gave me my name while I was still in my mother's womb.

2 and to set: make lip my like/as sword sharp in/on/with shadow hand his to hide me and to set: make me to/for arrow to purify in/on/with quiver his to hide me

The words he gave me to speak are like a sharp sword. He has protected me by covering me with his hand. He put me in his quiver like a sharp arrow, keeping me safe there.

3 and to say to/for me servant/slave my you(m. s.) Israel which in/on/with you to beautify

He told me, “You are my servant, Israel, and I will reveal my glory through you.”

4 and I to say to/for vain be weary/toil to/for formlessness and vanity strength my to end: expend surely justice my with LORD and wages my with God my

But I replied, “I've worked for nothing! I've exhausted myself, and for what? Even so, I leave it with the Lord to do what's right, and my reward is with my God.”

5 and now to say LORD to form: formed me from belly: womb to/for servant/slave to/for him to/for to return: return Jacob to(wards) him and Israel (to/for him *QK) to gather and to honor: honour in/on/with eye LORD and God my to be strength my

Now my Lord is going to speak, the one who formed me in the womb as his servant to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to himself. I am honored in the Lord's sight, and my God has given me strength.

6 and to say to lighten from to be you to/for me servant/slave to/for to arise: establish [obj] tribe Jacob (and to watch *QK) Israel to/for to return: return and to give: make you to/for light nation to/for to be salvation my till end [the] land: country/planet

He says, “It's nothing much for you to be my servant to bring back the tribes of Jacob, those people of Israel that I've preserved. I'm also going to make you a light for the foreigners so that my salvation may reach everybody.”

7 thus to say LORD to redeem: redeem Israel holy his to/for to despise soul: person to/for to abhor nation to/for servant/slave to rule king to see: see and to arise: rise ruler and to bow because LORD which be faithful holy Israel and to choose you

This is what the Lord says, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to the one who was despised and detested by the nation, to the one who is the servant of rulers: Kings will see you and stand up, and princes will bow down to you, because the Lord, who is trustworthy, the Holy One of Israel, has chosen you.

8 thus to say LORD in/on/with time acceptance to answer you and in/on/with day salvation to help you and to watch you and to give: give you to/for covenant people to/for to arise: establish land: country/planet to/for to inherit inheritance be desolate: destroyed

This is what the Lord says: I will answer you at the proper time; I will help you on the day of salvation. I will take care of you, and I will give you to the people as my agreement with them, to restore the land and to reassign the parts that have been abandoned.

9 to/for to say to/for to bind to come out: come to/for which in/on/with darkness to reveal: uncover upon way: road to pasture and in/on/with all bareness pasturing their

Tell the prisoners, “Come out!” Tell those living in darkness, “Come into the light!” Like sheep they will feed along the roads and in the pastures on hills that once were barren.

10 not be hungry and not to thirst and not to smite them scorching and sun for to have compassion them to lead them and upon spring water to guide them

They won't be hungry or thirsty, and they won't get hot in the sun, for the one who loves them will lead them to springs, and guide them to water.

11 and to set: make all mountain: mount my to/for way: road and highway my to exalt [emph?]

I will turn all my mountains into a road; my highways will be really high!

12 behold these from distant to come (in): come and behold these from north and from sea: west and these from land: country/planet Syene

Look at these people coming from far away! Look at these people coming from the north, and from the west, and from Upper Egypt.

13 to sing heaven and to rejoice land: country/planet (and to break out *QK) mountain: mount cry for to be sorry: comfort LORD people his and afflicted his to have compassion

Heavens, shout for joy! Earth, celebrate! Mountains, sing out in happiness! The Lord has come to care for his people, and he will treat his suffering people kindly.

14 and to say Zion to leave: forsake me LORD and Lord to forget me

But Zion said, “The Lord has given up on me; the Lord has forgotten about me.”

15 to forget woman infant her from to have compassion son: child belly: womb her also these to forget and I not to forget you

Really? Can a mother forget her nursing baby? Can she forget to be kind to the child she carried in her womb? Even if she could forget, I will never forget you!

16 look! upon palm to decree you wall your before me continually

Look at your names I've written on the palms of my hands! I'm always thinking about your walls.

17 to hasten son: child your to overthrow you and to destroy you from you to come out: come

Soon your children will come running back. Your destroyers, those that devastated your land, will be gone.

18 to lift: look around eye your and to see: see all their to gather to come (in): come to/for you alive I utterance LORD for all their like/as ornament to clothe and to conspire them like/as daughter-in-law: bride

Take a look around. See all your children gathering and coming back to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as jewelry, proudly putting them on like a bride.

19 for desolation your and be desolate: destroyed your and land: country/planet ruins your for now be distressed from to dwell and to remove to swallow up you

Your ruined towns and abandoned places and devastated lands will be crowded with people, while those who took over your country will be long gone.

20 still to say in/on/with ear your son: child bereavement your narrow to/for me [the] place to approach: approach [emph?] to/for me and to dwell

The children born during your time of mourning in exile will say, “This place is too crowded for me! Make room so I have a place to live!”

21 and to say in/on/with heart your who? to beget to/for me [obj] these and I childless and solitary to reveal: remove and to turn aside: remove and these who? to magnify look! I to remain to/for alone me these where? they(masc.)

Then you will say to yourself, “Who gave birth to all these children for me? My children were killed and I was unable to have more; I was exiled and thrown aside—so who brought these children up? Look, I was abandoned, so where did they come from?”

22 thus to say Lord YHWH/God behold to lift: raise to(wards) nation hand my and to(wards) people to exalt ensign my and to come (in): bring son: child your in/on/with bosom and daughter your upon shoulder to lift: bear

This is what the Lord God says, Watch as I give the signal to the nations, as I raise my flag to let everyone know. They will bring them back, carrying your sons in their arms, and lifting your daughters onto their shoulders.

23 and to be king be faithful you and princess their to suckle your face land: soil to bow to/for you and dust foot your to lick and to know for I LORD which not be ashamed to await me

Kings will be your child-minders; queens will be your nurses. They will bow low before you, and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, and that those who put their trust in me will never be ashamed.

24 to take: take from mighty man prey and if captivity righteous to escape

Can loot be taken from a warrior? Can prisoners be rescued from a dictator?

25 for thus to say LORD also captivity mighty man to take: take and prey ruthless to escape and with opponent your I to contend and [obj] son: child your I to save

But this is what the Lord says: Even the prisoners of warriors will be won back; even loot will be recovered from a dictator. I will fight with your enemies, and I will rescue your children.

26 and to eat [obj] to oppress you [obj] flesh their and like/as sweet blood their be drunk [emph?] and to know all flesh for I LORD to save you and to redeem: redeem your mighty Jacob

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh and drink their own blood like wine. Then everyone will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.