Study Desk

^(a)Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For He grew up before Him like a ^(b)tender ^[a]shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has ^(c)no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should ^[b]be attracted to Him.

He was ^(d)despised and forsaken of men, A man of ^[c]sorrows and ^(e)acquainted with ^[d]grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was ^(f)despised, and we did not ^(g)esteem Him.

Surely our ^[e]griefs He Himself ^(h)bore, And our ^[f]sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, ^[g]Smitten of ⁽ⁱ⁾God, and afflicted.

But He was ^[h]pierced through for ^(j)our transgressions, He was crushed for ^(k)our iniquities; The ^(l)chastening for our ^[i]well-being fell upon Him, And by ^(m)His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To ^[j]fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not ⁽ⁿ⁾open His mouth; ^(o)Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the ^[k]living ^(p)For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a ^(q)rich man in His death, ^(r)Because He had ^(s)done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the Lord was pleased To ^(t)crush Him, ^[l](u)putting Him to grief; If ^[m]He would render Himself as a guilt ^(v)offering, He will see ^(w)His ^[n]offspring, He will prolong His days, And the ^[o]good ^(x)pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the ^[p]anguish of His soul, He will ^(y)see ^[q]it and be satisfied; By His ^(z)knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will ^(aa)bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a ^(ab)portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out ^[r](ac)Himself to death, And was ^(ad)numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself ^(ae)bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

"^(a)Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the ^(b)desolate one will be ^(c)more numerous Than the sons of the married woman," says the Lord .

"^(d)Enlarge the place of your tent; ^[a]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your ^(e)cords And strengthen your ^(f)pegs.

"For you will ^(g)spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your ^[b]descendants will ^(h)possess nations And will ⁽ⁱ⁾resettle the desolate cities.

"Fear not, for you will ^(j)not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the ^(k)shame of your youth, And the ^(l)reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

"For your ^(m)husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your ⁽ⁿ⁾Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the ^(o)God of all the earth.

"For the Lord has called you, Like a wife ^(p)forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God.

"^[c]For a ^(q)brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will ^(r)gather you.

"In an ^[d](s)outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting ^(t)lovingkindness I will ^(u)have compassion on you," Says the Lord your ^(v)Redeemer.

"For ^[e]this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that the waters of Noah Would ^(w)not ^[f]flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will ^(x)not be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you.

"For the ^(y)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My ^(z)covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says ^(aa)the Lord who has compassion on you.

"O ^(ab)afflicted one, storm-tossed, and ^(ac)not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will ^(ad)lay in ^[g](ae)sapphires.

"Moreover, I will make your battlements of ^[h]rubies, And your gates of ^[i]crystal, And your entire ^[j]wall of precious stones.

"^(af)All your sons will be ^[k]taught of the Lord ; And the well-being of your sons will be ^(ag)great.

"In ^(ah)righteousness you will be established; You will be far from ^(ai)oppression, for you will ^(aj)not fear; And from ^(ak)terror, for it will not come near you.

"If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. ^(al)Whoever assails you will fall because of you.

"Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the destroyer to ruin.

"^(am)No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And ^(an)every tongue that ^[l]accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord , And their ^(ao)vindication is from Me," declares the Lord .