Isaiah 42
1 Behold, My servant, I take hold on Him, My Chosen One—My soul has accepted, I have put My Spirit on Him, He brings forth judgment to nations.
Behold my servant, whom I will uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my spirit upon him, that he may bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He does not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
He shall not cry, nor call out aloud, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He does not break, And faded flax He does not quench, He brings forth judgment to truth.
A cracked reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: unto truth shall he bring forth justice.
4 He does not become weak nor bruised, Until He sets judgment in the earth, And islands wait with hope for His law.
He shall not become fatigued and not be faint, till he have established justice on earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.
5 Thus said God, YHWH, Creating the heavens, and stretching them out, Spreading out the earth and its productions, Giving breath to the people on it, And spirit to those walking in it.
Thus hath said God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and the things which come out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to those that walk thereon:
6 I, YHWH, called you in righteousness, And I lay hold on your hand, and keep you, And I give you for a covenant of a people, And a light of nations.
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will lay hold on thy hand, and will keep thee, and appoint thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations;
7 To open the eyes of the blind, To bring forth the bound one from prison, Those sitting in darkness from the house of restraint.
To open blind eyes, to bring out from the dungeon the prisoner, and out of the prison-house those that dwell in darkness.
8 I [am] YHWH, this [is] My Name, And I do not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
I am the Everlasting One, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to any other, nor my praise to graven images.
9 The former things, behold, have come, And I am declaring new things, Before they spring up I cause you to hear.
The former things, behold, are come to pass; and new things do I announce; before they spring forth I let you hear of them.
10 Sing a new song to YHWH, His praise from the end of the earth, You who are going down to the sea, and its fullness, Islands, and their inhabitants.
Sing unto the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that filleth it; the isles, and their inhabitants.
11 The wilderness and its cities lift up [their voice], Kedar inhabits the villages, The inhabitants of Sela sing, They cry from the top of mountains.
Let resound with song the wilderness and its cities, the villages which Kedar inhabiteth: let the inhabitants of the rocks sing, let them shout forth from the top of the mountains.
12 They ascribe to YHWH glory, And they declare His praise in the islands.
Let them give glory unto the Lord, and in the islands declare his praise.
13 YHWH goes forth as a mighty one. He stirs up zeal as a man of war, He cries, indeed, He shrieks, He shows Himself mighty against His enemies.
The Lord—as a mighty one will he go forth, like a man of war will he arouse his vengeance: he will shout, yea, raise the war-cry; against his enemies will he show his strength.
14 I have kept silent from of old, I keep silent, I refrain Myself, I cry out as a travailing woman, I desolate and swallow up together.
I have a long time held my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: [now] like a travailing woman will I cry; I will destroy and devour [all] together.
15 I make desolate mountains and hills, And I dry up all their herbs, And I have made rivers become islands, And I dry up ponds.
I will lay waste mountains and hills, and all their herbs will I dry up; and I will change the rivers into islands, and pools will I dry up.
16 And I have caused the blind to go, In a way they have not known, I cause them to tread in paths they have not known, I make a dark place become light before them, And unleveled places become a plain, These [are] the things I have done to them, And I have not forsaken them.
And I will cause the blind to walk on a way that they have not known; on paths that they have not known will I lead them: I will change darkness before them into light, and crooked places into plains. These are the things which I will do, and not leave them [unfulfilled].
17 Removed backward—utterly ashamed, Are those trusting in a carved image, Those saying to a molten image, “You [are] our gods.”
They shall be turned back, they shall be ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to molten idols, Ye are our gods.
18 You deaf, hear; and you blind, look to see.
Ye deaf, hear; and ye blind, look up, that ye may see.
19 Who [is] blind but My servant? And deaf as My messenger I send? Who [is] blind as he who is at peace, Indeed, blind, as the servant of YHWH?
Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger whom I send? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 Seeing many things, and you do not observe, Opening ears, and he does not hear.
Thou seest many things, but observest not; the ears are open, but he heareth not.
21 YHWH has delight for the sake of His righteousness, He magnifies law, and makes honorable.
The Lord willed [to do this] for the sake of his righteousness; [therefore] he magnifieth the law, and maketh it honorable.
22 And this [is] a people seized and spoiled, Snared in holes—all of them, And they were hidden in houses of restraint, They have been for a prey, And there is no deliverer, A spoil, and none is saying, “Restore.”
But it is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them ensnared in holes, and in prison-houses are they hidden: they are become for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
23 Who among you gives ear [to] this? Attends, and hears afterward?
Who among you will give ear to this? will hearken and listen, for the time to come?
24 Who has given Jacob for a spoil, And Israel to the spoilers? Is it not YHWH—He against whom we sinned? Indeed, they have not been willing to walk in His ways, Nor have they listened to His law.
Who gave up Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to plunderers? was it not the Lord? he it is against whom we have sinned; for they would not walk in his ways, neither did they hearken unto his law.
25 And He pours fury on him, His anger, and the strength of battle, And it sets him on fire all around, And he has not known, And it burns against him, and he does not lay it to heart!
Therefore hath he poured out over him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it blazed all round about him, yet he regarded it not; and it burnt on him, yet he laid it not to heart.
