(KJV) Isaiah 49¹

⥃The Servant and Light to the Gentiles ^{[ Acts 13:42–52 ]}

[1] Listen², O isles, unto me; and hearken³, ye people, from far; The Lord⁴ hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. [2] And he hath made⁵ my mouth like a sharp sword; in the⁶ shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me⁷ a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; [3] And said unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.⁸ [4] Then I said, I have laboured⁹ in vain, I have spent¹⁰ my strength for nought, and in vain: [yet¹¹] surely my judgment [is] with the Lord, and my work¹² with my God.

[5] [¶]And now, saith the Lord that formed¹³ me from the womb [to be] his servant, to bring¹⁴ Jacob again to him, Though¹⁵ Israel¹⁶ be not gathered, yet¹⁷ shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. [6] And he said, It is a light thing that¹⁸ thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved¹⁹ of Israel: I will also²⁰ give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest²¹ be my salvation unto the end of the earth. [7] Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer²² of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth²³, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a²⁴ servant of rulers, Kings²⁵ shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, [and] the Holy One of Israel, and he²⁶ shall choose thee. [8] Thus saith the Lord, In an²⁷ acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped²⁸ thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee²⁹ for a covenant of the people, to establish³⁰ the earth, to cause³¹ to inherit the desolate heritages; [9] That thou mayest say to the³² prisoners, Go forth; to them³³ that [are] in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed³⁴ in the ways, and their pastures [shall be] in all high³⁵ places. [10] They shall not³⁶ hunger nor thirst; neither³⁷ shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that³⁸ hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. [11] And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.³⁹ [12] Behold, these shall⁴⁰ come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

[13] Sing, O heavens⁴¹; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord⁴² hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. [14] But Zion said, The Lord⁴³ hath forsaken me, and my Lord⁴⁴ hath forgotten me. [15] Can a woman⁴⁵ forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion⁴⁶ on the son of her womb? yea, they may⁴⁷ forget, yet⁴⁸ will I not forget thee. [16] Behold, I have⁴⁹ graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls⁵⁰ [are] continually before me. [17] Thy children⁵¹ shall make haste⁵²; thy destroyers⁵³ and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

[18] Lift up⁵⁴ thine eyes round about, and behold: all these⁵⁵ gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live⁵⁶, saith the Lord, thou shalt⁵⁷ surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride⁵⁸ [doeth⁵⁹]. [19] For thy waste⁶⁰ and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that⁶¹ swallowed thee up shall be far away. [20] The children⁶² which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place⁶³ [is] too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. [21] Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing⁶⁴ I have lost my children, and am desolate⁶⁵, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where [had] they [been]? [22] Thus saith the Lord God, Behold⁶⁶, 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] arms⁶⁷, and thy daughters shall be carried upon [their] shoulders. [23] And kings⁶⁸ shall be thy nursing fathers⁶⁹, and their queens⁷⁰ thy nursing mothers: they shall bow⁷¹ down to thee with [their] face toward the earth, and lick up⁷² the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I [am] the Lord: for they⁷³ shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

[24] Shall⁷⁴ the prey⁷⁵ be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive⁷⁶ delivered? [25] But thus saith the Lord, Even⁷⁷ the captives⁷⁸ of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend⁷⁹ with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save⁸⁰ thy children. [26] And I will feed⁸¹ them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken⁸² with their own blood, as with sweet wine⁸³: and all⁸⁴ flesh shall know that I the Lord [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.