Isaiah 42

1 Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect [in whom] my soul delighteth! I will put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the nations.

Jacob is my servant, I will help him: Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him; I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

He shall not cry, nor lift up [his voice], nor shall his voice be heard without.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment according to truth.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench; but he shall bring forth judgment to truth.

4 He shall not faint nor be in haste, till he have set justice in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

He shall shine out, and shall not be discouraged, until he have set judgment on the earth: and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

5 Thus saith God, Jehovah, he that created the heavens and stretched them out, he that spread forth the earth and its productions, he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

Thus saith the Lord God, who made the heaven, and established it; who settled the earth, and the things in it, and gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to them that tread on it:

6 I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will take hold of thy hand; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations,

I the Lord God have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will strengthen thee: and I have given thee for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles:

7 to open the blind eyes, to bring forth the prisoner from the prison, them that sit in darkness out of the house of restraint.

to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the bound and them that sit in darkness out of bonds and the prison-house.

8 I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

I am the Lord God: that is my name: I will not give my glory to another, nor my praises to graven images.

9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth will I cause you to hear them.

Behold, the ancient things have come to pass, and [so will] the new things which I tell you: yea, before I tell [them] they are made known to you.

10 Sing unto Jehovah a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles and their inhabitants.

Sing a new hymn to the Lord: ye [who are] his dominion, glorify his name from the end of the earth: ye that go down to the sea, and sail upon it; the islands, and they that dwell in them.

11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up [their voice], the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains:

Rejoice, thou wilderness, and the villages thereof, the hamlets, and the dwellers in Kedar: the inhabitants of the rock shall rejoice, they shall shout from the top of the mountains.

12 let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.

They shall give glory to God, [and] shall proclaim his praises in the islands.

13 Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man, he will stir up jealousy like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout; he will shew himself mighty against his enemies.

The Lord God of hosts shall go forth, and crush the war: he shall stir up jealousy, and shall shout mightily against his enemies.

14 Long time have I holden my peace; I have been still, I have restrained myself: I will cry like a woman that travaileth; I will blow and pant at once.

I have been silent: shall I also always be silent and forbear: I have endured like a travailing [woman]: I will [now] amaze and wither at once.

15 I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.

I will make desolate mountains and hills, and will dry up all their grass; and I will make the rivers islands, and dry up the pools.

16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not, in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, and I will cause them to tread paths which they have not known: I will turn darkness into light for them, and crooked things into straight. These things will I do, and will not forsake them.

17 They shall be turned back, they shall be covered with shame, that confide in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

But they are turned back: be ye utterly ashamed that trust in graven [images], who say to the molten [images], Ye are our gods.

18 — Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

Hear, ye deaf, and look up, ye blind, to see.

19 Who is blind, but my servant? and deaf, as my messenger whom I sent? Who is blind as he in whom I have trusted, and blind as Jehovah's servant,

And who is blind, but my servants? and deaf, but they that rule over them? yea, the servants of God have been made blind.

20 — seeing many things, and thou observest not? With opened ears, he heareth not.

Ye have often seen, and have not taken heed; [your] ears have been opened, and ye have not heard.

21 Jehovah had delight [in him] for his righteousness' sake: he hath magnified the law, and made it honourable.

The Lord God has taken counsel that he might be justified, and might magnify [his] praise.

22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and hidden in prison-houses; they are become a prey, and none delivereth, — a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

And I beheld, and the people were spoiled and plundered: for [there is] a snare in the secret chambers everywhere, and in the houses also, where they have hidden them: they became a spoil, and there was no one that delivered the prey, and there was none who said, Restore.

23 Who among you will give ear to this, [who] will hearken and hear what is to come?

Who [is there] among you that will give ear to these things? hearken ye to the things which are coming to pass.

24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not Jehovah, he against whom we have sinned? And they would not walk in his ways, neither did they hearken unto his law.

For what did he give to Jacob up to spoil, and Israel to them that plundered him? Did not God [do it] against whom they sinned? [and] they would not walk in his ways, nor hearken to his law.

25 And he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he took it not to heart.

So he brought upon them the fury of his wrath; and the war, and those that burnt round about them, prevailed against them; yet no one of them knew [it], neither did they lay [it] to heart.