¶ Listen¹, O isles, unto me; and hearken², ye people, from far; The LORD³ hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

And he hath made⁴ my mouth like a sharp sword; in the⁵ shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me⁶ a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

⁷And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Then I said, I have laboured⁸ in vain, I have spent⁹ my strength for nought, and in vain: yet¹⁰ surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work¹¹ with my God.

And now, saith the LORD that formed¹² me from the womb to be his servant, to bring¹³ Jacob again to him, Though¹⁴ Israel be not gathered, yet¹⁵ shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

And he said, It is a light thing that¹⁶ thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved¹⁷ of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest¹⁸ be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

¶ Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer¹⁹ of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth²⁰, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a²¹ servant of rulers, Kings²² shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he²³ shall choose thee.

Thus saith the LORD, In an²⁴ acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped²⁵ thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee²⁶ for a covenant of the people, to establish²⁷ the earth, to cause²⁸ to inherit the desolate heritages;

That thou mayest say to the²⁹ prisoners, Go forth; to them³⁰ that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed³¹ in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high³² places.

¶ They shall not³³ hunger nor thirst; neither³⁴ shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that³⁵ hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

³⁶And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

Behold, these shall³⁷ come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

¶ Sing, O heavens³⁸; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD³⁹ hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

But Zion said, The LORD⁴⁰ hath forsaken me, and my Lord⁴¹ hath forgotten me.

Can a woman⁴² forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion⁴³ on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet⁴⁴ will I not forget thee.

Behold, I have⁴⁵ graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls⁴⁶ are continually before me.

Thy children⁴⁷ shall make haste⁴⁸; thy destroyers⁴⁹ and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

¶ Lift up⁵⁰ thine eyes round about, and behold: all these⁵¹ gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live⁵², saith the LORD, thou shalt⁵³ surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride⁵⁴ doeth⁵⁵.

For thy waste⁵⁶ and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that⁵⁷ swallowed thee up shall be far away.

¶ The children⁵⁸ which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place⁵⁹ is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing⁶⁰ I have lost my children, and am desolate⁶¹, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold,⁶² I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms⁶³, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

And kings⁶⁴ shall be thy nursing fathers⁶⁵, and their queens⁶⁶ thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up⁶⁷ the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they⁶⁸ shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

¶ Shall⁶⁹ the prey⁷⁰ be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive⁷¹ delivered?

But thus saith the LORD, Even⁷² the captives⁷³ of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save⁷⁴ thy children.

And I will feed⁷⁵ them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken⁷⁶ with their own blood, as with sweet wine⁷⁷: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.