God Is Lord of the Future
1 Listen to this, people of Israel,
you that are descended from Judah:
You swear by the name of the Lord
and claim to worship the God of Israel—
but you don't mean a word you say.
2 And yet you are proud to say
that you are citizens of the holy city
and that you depend on Israel's God,
whose name is the Lord Almighty.
3 The Lord says to Israel,
“Long ago I predicted what would take place;
then suddenly I made it happen.
4 I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,
as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.
5 And so I predicted your future long ago,
announcing events before they took place,
to keep you from claiming
that your idols and images made them happen.
6 “All I foretold has now taken place;
you have to admit my predictions were right.
Now I will tell you of new things to come,
events that I did not reveal before.
7 Only now am I making them happen;
nothing like this took place in the past.
If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.
8 I knew that you couldn't be trusted,
that you have always been known as a rebel.
That is why you never heard of this at all,
why no word of it ever came to your ears.
9 “In order that people will praise my name,
I am holding my anger in check;
I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.
10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering,
as silver is refined in a furnace.
But I have found that you are worthless.
11 What I do is done for my own sake—
I will not let my name be dishonored
or let anyone else share the glory
that should be mine and mine alone.”
Cyrus, the Lord's Chosen Leader
12 The Lord says,
“Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called!
I am God, the first, the last, the only God!
13 My hands made the earth's foundations
and spread the heavens out.
When I summon earth and sky,
they come at once and present themselves.
14 “Assemble and listen, all of you!
None of the gods could predict
that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon;
he will do what I want him to do.
15 I am the one who spoke and called him;
I led him out and gave him success.
16 “Now come close to me and hear what I say.
From the beginning I have spoken openly
and have always made my words come true.”
(Now the Sovereign Lord has given me his power and sent me.)
The Lord's Plan for His People
17 The holy God of Israel,
the Lord who saves you, says:
“I am the Lord your God,
the one who wants to teach you for your own good
and direct you in the way you should go.
18 “If only you had listened to my commands!
Then blessings would have flowed for you
like a stream that never goes dry.
Victory would have come to you
like the waves that roll on the shore.
19 Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand,
and I would have made sure they were never destroyed.”
20 Go out from Babylon, go free!
Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere:
“The Lord has saved his servant Israel!”
21 When the Lord led his people through a hot, dry desert,
they did not suffer from thirst.
He made water come from a rock for them;
he split the rock open, and water flowed out.
22 “There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.
الرب سيد المصير
1 إسمَعوا هذا يا بَيتَ يَعقوبَ،
أيُّها المَدعوّونَ باسمِ إِسرائيلَ،
الخارِجونَ مِنْ صُلبِ يَهوذا،
الحالِفونَ باسمِ الرّبِّ،
الذَّاكِرونَ إلهَ إِسرائيلَ
بغَيرِ حَقٍّ ولا صِدْقٍ،
2 الدَّاعونَ أنفُسَهُم مِنْ مدينةِ القُدْسِ،
المُعتَمِدونَ على إلهِ إِسرائيلَ،
الرّبُّ القديرُ اسمُهُ.
وقالَ الرّبُّ:
3 «أخبَرتُ مِنَ القديمِ بما حدَثَ،
مِنْ فَمي أخرَجتُهُ وأسمَعتُ بهِ،
وبَغتَةً أحدَثـتُهُ فحدَثَ.
4 كنتُ عالِما أنَّكَ قاسٍ
ورَقبَتُكَ عَضَلٌ مِنْ حديدٍ
وجَبهَتُكَ مَصنوعةٌ مِنْ نُحاسٍ،
5 فأخبَرتُكَ مِنَ القديمِ بما حدَثَ،
وقَبلَ حُدوثِهِ أسمَعتُكَ
لِئلاَّ تقولَ: صَنَمي هوَ الٍذي صنَعَهُ،
وما نَحتُّهُ أو سَبَكتُهُ أمَرَ بهِ.
6 سَمِعتُم ونَظَرتُم هذا كُلَّهُ،
أفما كانَ علَيكُم أن تُعلِنوهُ؟
«واليومَ أُسمِعُكَ بِما سيَحدُثُ
وبأُمورٍ مَخفيَّةٍ لا تَعرِفُها،
7 أُبدِعُها الآنَ لا في القديمِ،
وقَبلَ اليومِ لم تَسمَعْ بها.
لِئلاَّ تقولَ: أنا عَرَفتُها.
8 وأنتَ لا سَمِعتَ ولا عَرَفتَ،
فمِنَ القديمِ لم أفتَحْ أُذُنَكَ،
لأنِّي عَرَفتُ أنَّكَ غادِرٌ
ومِنَ الرَّحِمِ سُمِّيتَ عاصيا.
9 «لكرامةِ اسمي أُبطِـئُ غضَبـي
وأرُدُّ عَنكَ لِئلاَّ أقطَعَكَ.
10 مَحَّصتُكَ تَمحيصا كالفِضَّةِ
وامتَحَنتُكَ في كُورِ العَناءِ.
11 مِنْ أجلي أفعَلُ هذا.
لِئلاَّ يتَدَنَّسَ اسمي
أو يأخُذَهُ أحدٌ غيري.
12 «إسمَعْ لي يا يَعقوبُ،
يا إِسرائيلُ الّذي دَعَوتُهُ.
أنا هوَ، أنا الأوَّلُ والآخِرُ،
13 ويَدي أسَّسَتِ الأرضَ.
يَميني قاسَتِ السَّماواتِ
أدعوهُنَّ فيَقِفْنَ جميعا.
14 «إجتَمِعوا كُلُّكُم واسمَعوا!
مَنْ مِنكُم أخبَرَ بهذا؟
الرَّجُلُ الّذي أحَبَّهُ الرّبُّ
سيَفعَلُ مشيئَتَهُ ببابِلَ
ويرفَعُ ذِراعَهُ على شعبِها.
15 أنا أنا تكلَّمتُ ودَعَوتُهُ.
جِئتُ بهِ وسَتَنجَحُ طريقُهُ».
16 تقَدَّموا واسمَعوا ما أقولُ،
فمِنَ الأوَّلِ لم أتكلَّمْ في الخِفيةِ.
أنا كُنتُ موجودا هُناكَ
مِنْ قَبلِ أنْ يحدُثَ ما حدَثَ.
والآنَ أرسَلَني السَّيِّدُ الرّبُّ،
وروحُهُ تـتكلَّمُ فيَّ.
17 وهذا ما قالَ الرّبُّ،
قُدُّوسُكَ يا إِسرائيلُ وفاديكَ:
«أنا الّذي يُعَلِّمُكَ ما يَنفَعُ
ويَهديكَ طريقا تَسلُكُهُ.
18 لو أصغَيتَ إلى وصايايَ،
لكانَ كالنَّهرِ سَلامُكَ
وكأمواجِ البحرِ عَدلُكَ،
19 ولَكانَ نَسلُكَ كالرَّملِ
وذُرِّيَّتُكَ عدَدَ الحَصى.
فلا يَنقَطِـعُ اسمُهُم أبدا،
ولا يُبادُ ذِكرُهُم مِنْ أمامي».
20 مِنْ أرضِ بابِلَ اخرُجوا،
مِنَ الكَلدانيِّينَ اهرُبوا مُرَنِّمينَ
أعلِنوا هذا ونادوا بهِ.
أذيعوهُ إلى أقاصي الأرضِ.
قولوا افتَدى الرّبُّ شعبَهُ.
21 سَيَّرَهُم في القِفارِ مِنْ قَبلُ،
وشَقَّ الصَّخرَ ففاضَتِ المياهُ.
فجَّرها مِنَ الصَّخرِ فلم يَعطَشوا.
22 أمَّا الأشرارُ فلا سلامَ لهُم.
هكذا يقولُ الرّبُّ.