Isaiah 42
1 Behold my servant, I will uphold him, my elect, with him my soul is well-pleased. I have sent my Spirit upon him. He will offer judgment to the nations.
“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.
2 He will not cry out, and he will not show favoritism to anyone; neither will his voice be heard abroad.
He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.
3 The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoldering wick he will not extinguish. He will lead forth judgment unto truth.
A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not be saddened or troubled, until he establishes judgment on earth. And the islands will await his law.
He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”
5 Thus says the Lord God, who created the heavens and expanded it, who formed the earth and all that springs from it, who gives breath to the people in it, and spirit to those walking on it.
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:
6 I, the Lord, have called you in justice, and I have taken your hand and preserved you. And I have presented you as a covenant of the people, as a light to the Gentiles,
“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,
7 so that you may open the eyes of the blind, and lead out the prisoner from confinement and those sitting in darkness from the house of incarceration.
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord; this is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to graven things.
I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
9 The things that were first, behold, they have arrived. And I also announce what is new. Before these things arise, I will cause you to hear about them.
Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
10 Sing to the Lord a new canticle, sing his praise from the ends of the earth, you who descend into the sea and all its fullness, the islands and their inhabitants.
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.
11 Let the desert and its cities be lifted up. Kedar will dwell in houses. O inhabitants of the rock, give praise! They will cry out from the top of the mountains.
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.
12 They will give glory to the Lord, and they will announce his praise to the islands.
Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.
13 The Lord will go forth like a strong man; like a man of battle, he will stir up zeal. He will shout and cry out. He will prevail against his enemies.
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:
14 I have always been quiet; I have been silent; I have been patient. I will speak like a woman giving birth. I will destroy and consume, all at once.
“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.
15 I will desolate the mountains and the hills, and I will wither all their grass. And I will turn rivers into islands, and I will dry up the pools of water.
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.
16 And I will lead the blind along a way which they do not know. And I will cause them to walk along paths with which they were unfamiliar. I will turn darkness into light before them, and crooked into straight. These things I have done for them. For I have not abandoned them.
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.
17 They have been converted again. Let those who trust in graven idols be greatly confounded, for they say to a molten thing, “You are our god.”
But those who trust in idols and say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be turned back in utter shame.
18 You who are deaf, hear! You who are blind, turn your gaze and see!
Listen, you deaf ones; look, you blind ones, that you may see!
19 Who is blind, except my servant? Who is deaf, except the one to whom I have sent my messengers? Who is blind, except the one who has been sold? And who is blind, except the servant of the Lord?
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?
20 You who see many things, will you not keep them? You who have open ears, will you not listen?
Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”
21 And the Lord was willing to sanctify him, and to magnify the law, and to exalt him.
The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.
22 But this same people has robbed and laid waste. All their youth are a snare, and they have been hidden in houses of confinement. They have become victims; there is no one who may rescue them. They have been plundered; there is no one who may say, “Restore.”
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!”
23 Who is there among you who will hear this, who will listen closely and heed this in the future?
Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen and obey hereafter?
24 Who has handed over Jacob into plunder, and Israel into devastation? Is it not the Lord himself, against whom we have sinned? And they were not willing to walk in his ways, and they have not listened to his law.
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.
25 And so, he poured out over him the indignation of his fury and a strong battle. And he burned him all around, and he did not realize it. And he set him on fire, and he did not understand it.
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.
