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.

"Look, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have 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 shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.

3 The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoldering wick he will not extinguish. He will lead forth judgment unto truth.

He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't extinguish a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring 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 dim or be crushed, until he has established justice on the earth, and in his name the coastlands will 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.

Thus says God, YHWH, he who created the heavens and stretched them out, he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it, he who gives breath to its people and spirit 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, YHWH, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for 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 blind eyes, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.

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 YHWH. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.

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.

Look, the former things have happened, and I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up."

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 YHWH a new song, and his praise from the remotest parts of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, the islands and their inhabitants.

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 cry out, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains.

12 They will give glory to the Lord, and they will announce his praise to the islands.

Let them give glory to YHWH, 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.

YHWH will go out like a mighty man. He will stir up zeal like a man of war. He will raise a war cry. Yes, he will shout aloud. He will 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 been silent a long time. I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing woman. I will both 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 destroy mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs. I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools.

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 bring the blind by a way that they do not know. I will lead them in paths that they do not know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, 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.”

"Those who trust in engraved images, who tell molten images, 'You are our gods' will be turned back. They will be utterly disappointed.

18 You who are deaf, hear! You who are blind, turn your gaze and see!

"Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, 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 who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as he who is at peace, and as blind as YHWH's servant?

20 You who see many things, will you not keep them? You who have open ears, will you not listen?

You see many things, but do not observe. His ears are open, but he doesn't listen.

21 And the Lord was willing to sanctify him, and to magnify the law, and to exalt him.

It pleased YHWH, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify the law, and make it honorable.

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 robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become a prey, and no one delivers; and a spoil, and no one says, 'Restore them.'

23 Who is there among you who will hear this, who will listen closely and heed this in the future?

Who is there among you who will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?

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 as plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Did not YHWH, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, and they disobeyed 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.

Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire all around, but he did not know; and it burned him, but he did not take it to heart."