Isaiah 53:1-12

  • The suffering, death, and burial of Jehovah’s servant (1-12)

    • Despised and avoided (3)

    • Carries sicknesses and pains (4)

    • “Like a sheep to the slaughter” (7)

    • Sin of many carried by him (12)

53  Who has put faith in the thing heard from us?*+ And as for the arm of Jehovah,+ to whom has it been revealed?+  2  He will come up like a twig+ before him,* like a root out of parched land. No stately form does he have, nor any splendor;+And when we see him, his appearance does not draw us to him.*  3  He was despised and was avoided by men,+A man who was meant for* pains and was familiar with sickness. It was as if his face were hidden from us.* He was despised, and we held him as of no account.+  4  Truly he himself carried our sicknesses,+And he bore our pains.+ But we considered him as plagued, stricken by God and afflicted.  5  But he was pierced+ for our transgression;+He was crushed for our errors.+ He bore the punishment for our peace,+And because of his wounds we were healed.+  6  Like sheep we have all wandered about,+Each has turned his own way,And Jehovah has caused the error of us all to meet up with him.+  7  He was oppressed+ and he let himself be afflicted,+But he would not open his mouth. He was brought like a sheep to the slaughter,+Like a ewe that is silent before its shearers,And he would not open his mouth.+  8  Because of restraint* and judgment he was taken away;And who will concern himself with the details of his generation?* For he was cut off from the land of the living;+Because of the transgression of my people he received the stroke.*+  9  And he was given a burial place* with the wicked,+And with the rich* in his death,+Although he had done no wrong*And there was no deception in his mouth.+ 10  But it was Jehovah’s will* to crush him, and he let him become sick. If you will present his life* as a guilt offering,+He will see his offspring,* he will prolong his days,+And through him the delight* of Jehovah will have success.+ 11  Because of his anguish,* he will see and be satisfied. By means of his knowledge the righteous one, my servant,+Will bring a righteous standing to many people,+And their errors he will bear.+ 12  For that reason I will assign him a portion among the many,And he will apportion the spoil with the mighty,Because he poured out his life* even to death+And was counted among the transgressors;+He carried the sin of many people,+And he interceded for the transgressors.+

Footnotes

^ Or possibly, “in what we heard?”
^ “Him” could refer to an observer in general or to God.
^ Or “there is no special appearance that we should desire him.”
^ Or “who understood.”
^ Or possibly, “He was like someone from whom people turned their faces.”
^ Or “was struck dead.”
^ Or “his manner of life?”
^ Or “oppression.”
^ Or “And one will give his burial place.”
^ Lit., “a rich man.”
^ Or “no violence.”
^ Or “soul.”
^ Or “will; good pleasure.”
^ Lit., “seed.”
^ Or “But Jehovah took delight.”
^ Or “the trouble of his soul.”
^ Or “soul.”