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Isaiah · Bible in Basic English

Isaiah 53 Bible in Basic English

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About BBE
  • Scholarly edition
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew (not verified)
  • NT: Critical text (not verified)
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Simplified language
  • 1965
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

BBE Bible in Basic English
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Who would have had faith in the word which has come to our ears, and to whom had the arm of the Lord been unveiled?
1 Who has believed our message? To whom has Yahweh’s arm been revealed?
2 For his growth was like that of a delicate plant before him, and like a root out of a dry place: he had no grace of form, to give us pleasure;
2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 Men made sport of him, turning away from him; he was a man of sorrows, marked by disease; and like one from whom men's faces are turned away, he was looked down on, and we put no value on him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
4 But it was our pain he took, and our diseases were put on him: while to us he seemed as one diseased, on whom God's punishment had come.
4 Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.
5 But it was for our sins he was wounded, and for our evil doings he was crushed: he took the punishment by which we have peace, and by his wounds we are made well.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all went wandering like sheep; going every one of us after his desire; and the Lord put on him the punishment of us all.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 Men were cruel to him, but he was gentle and quiet; as a lamb taken to its death, and as a sheep before those who take her wool makes no sound, so he said not a word.
7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth.
8 They took away from him help and right, and who gave a thought to his fate? for he was cut off from the land of the living: he came to his death for the sin of my people.
8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment. As for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people?
9 And they put his body into the earth with sinners, and his last resting-place was with the evil-doers, though he had done no wrong, and no deceit was in his mouth.
9 They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 And the Lord was pleased ... see a seed, long life, ... will do well in his hand. ...
10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
11 ... made clear his righteousness before men ... had taken their sins on himself.
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities.
12 For this cause he will have a heritage with the great, and he will have a part in the goods of war with the strong, because he gave up his life, and was numbered with the evil-doers; taking on himself the sins of the people, and making prayer for the wrongdoers.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
Cross references (12)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 John 12:38; Romans 10:16–17; 1 Corinthians 1:18; John 1:12; Matthew 16:17
  2. 2 Philippians 2:6–7; Isaiah 52:14; Isaiah 11:1; John 1:10–14; Mark 6:3
  3. 3 John 1:10–11; Matthew 26:67; Hebrews 12:2–3; Isaiah 53:10; Isaiah 49:7
  4. 4 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 8:17; Galatians 3:13; 1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18
  5. 5 1 Peter 2:24–25; 1 Peter 3:18; Matthew 20:28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:6–10
  6. 6 1 Peter 2:25; 1 Peter 3:18; Psalm 119:176; Isaiah 55:7; Romans 4:25
  7. 7 Acts 8:32–33; Matthew 26:63; 1 Peter 2:23; Mark 14:61; John 19:9
  8. 8 Acts 8:33; 1 Peter 3:18; Matthew 26:65–66; John 19:7; Psalm 22:12–21
  9. 9 Matthew 27:57–60; 1 Peter 2:22; Mark 15:43–46; 1 John 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21
  10. 10 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:32; Galatians 3:13; Zechariah 13:7; Ephesians 1:5
  11. 11 Romans 5:18–19; Isaiah 53:4–6; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 5:9–10; Isaiah 53:12
  12. 12 Luke 22:37; Hebrews 9:28; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32–34; 1 John 2:12

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 53:8–12 Justin Martyr, First Apology (Chapters XLIX–LII)

    Therefore He shall inherit many, and He shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sins of many, and He was delivered up for their transgressions." Hear, too, how He was to ascend into heaven according to prophecy.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 53:7 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter XXI)

    … the eunuch of the Ethiopians' queen reading these words which had been written: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb is dumb before the shearer, so He opened not His mouth: in His humiliation His judgment was taken away;" and all the rest which the prophet proceeded to relate in regard to His passion …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  3. Quotes verse 53:7 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XX, Chapters 22–24)

    … of judgment, who before, when he came hiddenly, was silent before His judge when He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and, as a lamb before the shearer, opened not His mouth as we read that it was prophesied of Him by Isaiah, and as we see it fulfilled in the Gospel.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  4. Quotes verse 53:12 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XIX)

    For one saith, "Thou hast gone up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and hast received gifts amongst men." And, "The Lord strong and mighty in battle." And another saith, "He shall divide the spoils of the strong." For indeed to this purpose He came, that He might "preach deliverance to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind." …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  5. Quotes verse 53:1 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture XIII)

    And the Prophet greatly wondering, says, Lord, who hath believed our report?

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)