Isaiah 42
1 Behold, my seruaunt: I will stay vpon him: mine elect, in whom my soule deliteth: I haue put my Spirit vpon him: he shall bring forth iudgement to the Gentiles.
[Yahweh says, “I want you people to know about] my servant, whom I encourage. I have chosen him, and I am pleased with him. I have given him my Spirit, and he will make certain that all the people-groups do what is right/just.
2 He shall not crie, nor lift vp, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streete.
He will not [show his power by] shouting [DOU] or by talking very loudly.
3 A bruised reede shall hee not breake, and the smoking flaxe shall he not quench: he shall bring foorth iudgement in trueth.
He will not get rid of [anyone who is weak like] [MET] a smashed reed, and he will not [end the life of anyone who is helpless like] [MET] someone would extinguish a dimly burning wick [of an oil lamp]. He will faithfully/continually make sure that judges decide cases justly.
4 He shall not faile nor be discouraged till he haue set iudgement in the earth: and the yles shall waite for his lawe.
He will not become exhausted or discouraged all during the time that he is causing things to be done justly throughout the earth. Even [people living on the islands in] [MTY] the oceans will confidently wait for [him to teach them] his laws.”
5 Thus sayeth God the Lord (he that created the heauens and spred them abroad: he that stretched foorth the earth, and the buddes thereof: he that giueth breath vnto the people vpon it, and spirit to them that walke therein)
Yahweh our God created the sky and spread it out. He also created the earth and everything on it. He gives breath to all the people on the earth; he causes them to live [DOU]. [And he is the one who says to his special servant],
6 I the Lord haue called thee in righteousnesse, and will hold thine hand, and I will keepe thee, and giue thee for a couenant of the people, and for a light of the Gentiles,
“I, Yahweh, have chosen you to show people that I always act righteously/fairly. I will grasp your hand and protect you, and I will present you to [my Israeli] people to be the one who will put into effect my agreement with them. [You will be like] a light to the [other] nations.
7 That thou maist open the eyes of the blind, and bring out the prisoners from the prison: and them that sitte in darkenesse, out of the prison house.
You will enable blind [IDM] people to see, you will free those who are in prison (OR, who are bound [by the guilt of their sins]) [MET] and release those who are in dark dungeons.
8 I am the Lord, this is my Name, and my glory wil I not giue to another, neither my praise to grauen images.
I am Yahweh; that is my name. I will not allow anyone else to receive the honor that only I deserve. And I will not allow idols to be praised like only I should be praised.
9 Beholde, the former thinges are come to passe, and newe things doe I declare: before they come foorth, I tell you of them.
Everything that I have prophesied has happened, and now I will tell about other things that will happen. I will tell you things that will happen before they happen.”
10 Sing vnto the Lord a newe song, and his praise from the ende of the earth: yee that goe downe to the sea, and all that is therein: the yles and the inhabitants thereof.
Sing a new song to Yahweh! Sing to praise him throughout the world! All you people who sail across the oceans, and all you creatures that live in the oceans, and all you people who live on islands far away, sing!
11 Let the wildernesse and the cities thereof lift vp their voyce, the townes that Kedar doeth inhabite: let the inhabitants of the rocks sing: let them shoute from the toppe of the mountaines.
You people who live in towns in the desert, sing loudly! You people who live in the Kedar [area in the north of Arabia], you rejoice also! You people in Sela [city in Edom], you also should sing joyfully; shout [to praise him] from the tops of your mountains!
12 Let them giue glorie vnto the Lord, and declare his praise in the ylands.
Even people who live on distant islands should honor Yahweh and sing to praise him.
13 The Lord shall go forth as a gyant: he shall stirre vp his courage like a man of warre: he shall shout and crie, and shall preuaile against his enemies.
[It will be as though] Yahweh will march out like [SIM] a mighty soldier; he will show that he is very angry. He will shout a battle-cry, and [then] he will defeat all his enemies.
14 I haue a long time holden my peace: I haue beene still and refrained my selfe: nowe will I crie like a trauailing woman: I will destroy and deuoure at once.
[He will say], “I have remained silent [DOU] for a long time; I have restrained myself [from doing what I need to do]. But now, like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby, I will cry out and gasp and pant.
15 I will make waste mountaines, and hilles, and drie vp all their herbes, and I will make the floods ylands, and I will drie vp the pooles.
I will level off the hills and mountains, and I will cause all the plants and trees to dry up. I will cause the rivers to become small streams, and little islands will appear in them, and I will cause all the pools to become dry.
16 And I will bring the blinde by a way, that they knewe not, and lead them by paths that they haue not knowen: I will make darkenesse light before them, and crooked thinges straight. These thinges will I doe vnto them, and not forsake them.
[My people who have been taken to Babylonia are like] [MET] blind people, [but] I will lead them along a road on which they have not walked before, on a road that they have not seen before. They have felt [very helpless, as though] they were walking in the darkness, but I will take away that darkness and I will make smooth the road that is in front of them. Those are the things that I will do for them; I will not abandon them.
17 They shall be turned backe: they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in grauen images, and say to the molten images, Yee are our gods.
But those who trust in carved idols, and say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be completely humiliated/disgraced.”
18 Heare, ye deafe: and ye blinde, regarde, that ye may see.
You [Israeli people who have acted toward God like] deaf [people], listen [to what Yahweh says]! “You [who have been like] [MET] blind [people], look!
19 Who is blinde but my seruaunt? or deafe as my messenger, that I sent? who is blind as the perfit, and blinde as the Lordes seruant?
No people are [RHQ] as blind as my people, who [should have been] serving me. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] deaf people as [the Israelis, who should have been] my messengers. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] blind people as those whom I chose to serve me.
20 Seeing many things, but thou keepest them not? opening the eares, but he heareth not?
You see and know what are the right things to do, but you do not do them. You hear [what I say to you], but you do not pay attention.”
21 The Lord is willing for his righteousnesse sake that he may magnifie the Lawe, and exalt it.
Because Yahweh is righteous, he has honored his glorious laws.
22 But this people is robbed and spoiled, and shalbe all snared in dungeons, and they shalbe hid in prison houses: they shall be for a pray, and none shall deliuer: a spoile, and none shall say, Restore.
But [the armies of Babylon have destroyed Jerusalem] and have completely (plundered/taken away) [DOU] all the valuable things, and they have captured Yahweh’s people and taken them away and put them in prison. They have been captured easily, because there was no one to protect them; there was no one to say that they should be allowed to return home.
23 Who among you shall hearken to this, and take heede, and heare for afterwardes?
Who among you will listen carefully to these things? Who will pay attention from now on?
24 Who gaue Iaakob for a spoyle, and Israel to the robbers? Did not ye Lord, because we haue sinned against him? for they woulde not walke in his waies, neither be obedient vnto his Lawe.
Who allowed the valuable possessions of the people of Israel to be stolen [RHQ, DOU]? It was Yahweh, because he is he one against whom we had sinned; we did not conduct our lives like he wanted us to, and we did not obey his laws.
25 Therefore hee hath powred vpon him his fierce wrath, and the strength of battell: and it set him on fire round about, and he knewe not, and it burned him vp, yet he considered not.
Therefore, he was extremely angry with us, and he caused our soldiers to be destroyed in battles. [It was as though] [MET] he lit a fire around us, but we did not understand [what he was trying to tell us]. [His being angry with us was like] a fire that would burn us up, but we did not pay attention [IDM].
