2. Post-Exile: The Blessing & Judgment Cycles ( 40:1 - 66:24 ) - 701-681 B.C., Israel

(These 8 groups of prophecies alternate between blessings on Israel and judgment on God's enemies.)

A. Cycle 1 (40:1 - 48:22)

1. Blessing: On God's Chastised People (40:1 - 45:25)

d. Blessing for God's People Through their Return from Exile (43:1-28)

¹ But now thus saith the LORD
that created thee, O Jacob,
and he that formed thee, O Israel,
Fear not:
for I have redeemed thee,
I have called thee by thy name;
thou art mine.
² When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee;
and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
³ For I am the LORD thy God,
the Holy One of Israel,
thy Saviour:
I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
⁴ Since thou wast precious in my sight,
thou hast been honourable,
and I have loved thee:
therefore will I give men for thee,
and people for thy life.
⁵ Fear not:
for I am with thee:
I will bring thy seed from the east,
and gather thee from the west;
⁶ I will say to the north,
Give up;
and to the south,
Keep not back [Restrain not]:
bring my sons from far,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
⁷ Even every one that is called by my name:
for created him for my glory,
I have formed him;
yea,
I have made him.

⁸ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes,
and the deaf that have ears.
⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together,
and let the people be assembled:
who among them can declare this,
and shew us former things?
let them bring forth their witnesses,
that they may be justified:
or let them hear,
and say,
It is truth.
¹⁰ Ye are my witnesses,
saith the LORD,
and my servant whom I have chosen:
that ye may know and believe me,
and understand that I am he:
before me there was no God formed,
neither shall there be after me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD;
and beside me [from except me] there is no saviour.
¹² I have declared,
and have saved,
and I have shewed,
when there was no strange god among you:
therefore ye are my witnesses,
saith the LORD,
that I am God.
¹³ Yea,
before the day was I am he;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand:
I will work,
and who shall let it?

¹⁴ Thus saith the LORD,
your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel;
For your sake I have sent to Babylon,
and have bought down all their nobles,
and the Chaldeans,
whose cry is in the ships.
¹⁵ I am the LORD,
your Holy One,
the creator of Israel,
your King.

¹⁶ Thus saith the LORD,
which maketh a way in the sea,
and a path in the mighty waters;
¹⁷ Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse,
the army and the power;
they shall lie down together,
they shall not rise:
they are extinct,
they are quenched as tow.
¹⁸ Remember ye not the former things,
neither consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold,
I will do a new thing;
now it shall spring forth;
shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert.
²⁰ The beast of the field shall honour me,
the dragons and the owls [daughters of owls]:
because I give waters in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my people,
my chosen.
²¹ This people have I formed for myself;
they shall shew forth my praise.

²² But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob;
but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
²³ Thou hast not bought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings;
neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices.
I have not caused thee to serve with an offering,
nor wearied thee with incense.
²⁴ Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money,
neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices:
but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins,
thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

²⁵ I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake,
and will not remember thy sins.
²⁶ Put me in remembrance:
let us plead together:
declare thou,
that thou mayest be justified.
²⁷ Thy first father hath sinned,
and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
²⁸ Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary,
and have given Jacob to the curse,
and Israel to reproaches.