< 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.
Lo! my Servant, I will uphold him, My chosen, well-pleased is my soul, —I have put my spirit upon him, Justice—to the nations, will he bring forth:
2 He does not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
He will not cry out nor will he speak loud, —Nor cause to be heard, in the street, his voice:
3 A bruised reed He does not break, And faded flax He does not quench, He brings forth judgment to truth.
Cane that is crushed, will he not break, And wick that is fading, will he not quench, —Faithfully, will 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 will not fade, nor will he be crushed, Until he establish, in the earth, justice, And for his instruction, Coastlands, wait.
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, saith GOD himself—Yahweh, —Creator of the heavens that stretched them forth, Out-spreader of earth, and the products thereof, —Giver of breath to the people thereon, And of spirit to them who walk therein,
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—Yahweh, have called thee in righteousness, And will firmly grasp thy hand, —And will keep thee And give thee—As the covenant of a people, As the light of 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 eyes that are blind, —To bring forth Out of the dungeon the captive Out of the prison, the dwellers 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 Yahweh, that, is my Name, And, my glory, to another, will I not give, Nor my praise to images.
9 The former things, behold, have come, And I am declaring new things, Before they spring up I cause you to hear.
Things told in advance, lo! they have come to pass, —And new things, am I telling, Ere yet they spring forth, I let, you, hear 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 to Yahweh, a song that is new, His praise, from the end of the earth, —Ye that go down to the sea, and the fulness thereof, The Coastlands and ye who dwell therein.
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 the wilderness shout, and the cities thereof, The villages wherein dwelleth Kedar, —Let the inhabitants of the crag, raise shouts of triumph, From the top of the mountains, let them cry aloud:
12 They ascribe to YHWH glory, And they declare His praise in the islands.
Let them render unto Yahweh, glory, —And, his praise, in the Coastlands let them tell.
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.
Yahweh, as a hero, goeth forth, As a man of war, he stirreth up jealousy, —He giveth a cry, yea he raiseth a war-cry, Over his foes, he showeth 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 held my peace from age-past times, I kept still, I restrained myself, —As a travailing woman, I pant, I breathe hard and gasp, all at once!
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 vegetation, will I wither, —And I will make rivers to be shores, And lakes, 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.
Thus will I lead the blind, by a way they know not, In paths they know not, will I guide them, —I will make the place that was dark before them to be, light. And crooked ways, to be, straight, These things, have I done unto them, And have not forsaken them.
17 Removed backward—utterly ashamed, Are those trusting in a carved image, Those saying to a molten image, “You [are] our gods.”
They have drawn back They turn very pale Who have been trusting in a graven image, —Who have been saying to a molten image, Ye, are our gods!
18 You deaf, hear; and you blind, look to see.
Ye deaf hear! And ye blind look around 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 if not my Servant? Or deaf, like, my messenger whom I send? Who is, blind, like an intimate friend? Or blind like the Servant of Yahweh?
20 Seeing many things, and you do not observe, Opening ears, and he does not hear.
Seeing many things, yet thou heedest not, Opening the ears yet he heareth not,
21 YHWH has delight for the sake of His righteousness, He magnifies law, and makes honorable.
Yahweh, is well-pleased for his own righteousness’ sake, He magnifieth instruction and maketh it majestic.
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, that, is a people preyed upon and plundered, Snared in holes, all of them, And, in houses of restraint, concealed, —They have become a prey, and there is none to deliver, —A booty, and there is none to say—Restore!
23 Who among you gives ear [to] this? Attends, and hears afterward?
Who among you, will give ear to this, —Let him hearken and hear, for an aftertime?
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, as a booty, Jacob. And, Israel, to them who were ready to take prey? Was it not, Yahweh? He against whom we have sinned, And they were not willing, in his ways, to walk, Neither hearkened they to his instruction?
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!
So he hath poured out, upon him, the glow of his anger, and the strength of battle; And it hath set him aflame round about, yet he knoweth it not, And it hath kindled upon him yet he layeth it not to heart.

< Isaiah 42 >