Isaiah 42
1 “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
Lo! my Servant, I will uphold him, My chosen, well-pleased is my soul, —I have put my spirit upon him, Justice—to the nations, will he bring forth:
2 He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.
He will not cry out nor will he speak loud, —Nor cause to be heard, in the street, his voice:
3 A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
Cane that is crushed, will he not break, And wick that is fading, will he not quench, —Faithfully, will he bring forth justice:
4 He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”
He will not fade, nor will he be crushed, Until he establish, in the earth, justice, And for his instruction, Coastlands, wait.
5 This is what God the LORD says— He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:
Thus, saith GOD himself—Yahweh, —Creator of the heavens that stretched them forth, Out-spreader of earth, and the products thereof, —Giver of breath to the people thereon, And of spirit to them who walk therein,
6 “I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
I—Yahweh, have called thee in righteousness, And will firmly grasp thy hand, —And will keep thee And give thee—As the covenant of a people, As the light of nations:
7 to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.
To open eyes that are blind, —To bring forth Out of the dungeon the captive Out of the prison, the dwellers in darkness.
8 I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
I, am Yahweh, that, is my Name, And, my glory, to another, will I not give, Nor my praise to images.
9 Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
Things told in advance, lo! they have come to pass, —And new things, am I telling, Ere yet they spring forth, I let, you, hear them.
10 Sing to the LORD a new song— His praise from the ends of the earth— you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.
Sing to Yahweh, a song that is new, His praise, from the end of the earth, —Ye that go down to the sea, and the fulness thereof, The Coastlands and ye who dwell therein.
11 Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
Let the wilderness shout, and the cities thereof, The villages wherein dwelleth Kedar, —Let the inhabitants of the crag, raise shouts of triumph, From the top of the mountains, let them cry aloud:
12 Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.
Let them render unto Yahweh, glory, —And, his praise, in the Coastlands let them tell.
13 The LORD goes forth like a mighty one; He stirs up His zeal like a warrior. He shouts; yes, He roars in triumph over His enemies:
Yahweh, as a hero, goeth forth, As a man of war, he stirreth up jealousy, —He giveth a cry, yea he raiseth a war-cry, Over his foes, he showeth his strength.
14 “I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
I have held my peace from age-past times, I kept still, I restrained myself, —As a travailing woman, I pant, I breathe hard and gasp, all at once!
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.
I will lay waste mountains, and hills, And all their vegetation, will I wither, —And I will make rivers to be shores, And lakes, will I dry up:
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.
Thus will I lead the blind, by a way they know not, In paths they know not, will I guide them, —I will make the place that was dark before them to be, light. And crooked ways, to be, straight, These things, have I done unto them, And have not forsaken them.
17 But those who trust in idols and say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be turned back in utter shame.
They have drawn back They turn very pale Who have been trusting in a graven image, —Who have been saying to a molten image, Ye, are our gods!
18 Listen, you deaf ones; look, you blind ones, that you may see!
Ye deaf hear! And ye blind look around that ye may see,
19 Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?
Who is blind if not my Servant? Or deaf, like, my messenger whom I send? Who is, blind, like an intimate friend? Or blind like the Servant of Yahweh?
20 Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”
Seeing many things, yet thou heedest not, Opening the ears yet he heareth not,
21 The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.
Yahweh, is well-pleased for his own righteousness’ sake, He magnifieth instruction and maketh it majestic.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted, all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them, and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”
But, that, is a people preyed upon and plundered, Snared in holes, all of them, And, in houses of restraint, concealed, —They have become a prey, and there is none to deliver, —A booty, and there is none to say—Restore!
23 Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen and obey hereafter?
Who among you, will give ear to this, —Let him hearken and hear, for an aftertime?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways, and they would not obey His law.
Who gave, as a booty, Jacob. And, Israel, to them who were ready to take prey? Was it not, Yahweh? He against whom we have sinned, And they were not willing, in his ways, to walk, Neither hearkened they to his instruction?
25 So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
So he hath poured out, upon him, the glow of his anger, and the strength of battle; And it hath set him aflame round about, yet he knoweth it not, And it hath kindled upon him yet he layeth it not to heart.
