Isaiah 42

1 "Look, my servant I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul delights. I have put my Ruach on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.

See my servant, whom I am supporting, my loved one, in whom I take delight: I have put my spirit on him; he will give the knowledge of the true God to the nations.

2 He will not shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.

He will make no cry, his voice will not be loud: his words will not come to men's ears in the streets.

3 He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't extinguish a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.

He will not let a crushed stem be quite broken, and he will not let a feebly burning light be put out: he will go on sending out the true word to the peoples.

4 He will not grow dim or be crushed, until he has established justice on the earth, and in his name the coastlands will hope."

His light will not be put out, and he will not be crushed, till he has given the knowledge of the true God to the earth, and the sea-lands will be waiting for his teaching.

5 Thus says God, the LORD, 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.

God the Lord, even he who made the heavens, measuring them out on high; stretching out the earth, and giving its produce; he who gives breath to the people on it, and life to those who go about on it, says:

6 "I, the LORD, 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;

I the Lord have made you the vessel of my purpose, I have taken you by the hand, and kept you safe, and I have given you to be an agreement to the people, and a light to the nations:

7 to open the blind eyes, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.

To give eyes to the blind, to make free the prisoners from the prison, to let out those who are shut up in the dark.

8 "I am the LORD. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.

I am the Lord; that is my name: I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to pictured images.

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

See, the things said before have come about, and now I give word of new things: before they come I give you news of them.

10 Sing to the LORD 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.

Make a new song to the Lord, and let his praise be sounded from the end of the earth; you who go down to the sea, and everything in it, the sea-lands and their people.

11 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.

Let the waste land and its flocks be glad, the tent-circles of Kedar; let the people of the rock give a glad cry, from the top of the mountains let them make a sound of joy.

12 Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.

Let them give glory to the Lord, sounding his praise in the sea-lands.

13 The LORD 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.

The Lord will go out as a man of war, he will be moved to wrath like a fighting-man: his voice will be strong, he will give a loud cry; he will go against his attackers like a man of war.

14 "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.

I have long been quiet, I have kept myself in and done nothing: now I will make sounds of pain like a woman in childbirth, breathing hard and quickly.

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

I will make waste mountains and hills, drying up all their plants; and I will make rivers dry, and pools dry land.

16 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.

And I will take the blind by a way of which they had no knowledge, guiding them by roads strange to them: I will make the dark places light before them, and the rough places level. These things will I do and will not give them up.

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

They will be turned back and be greatly shamed who put their hope in pictured images, who say to metal images, You are our gods.

18 "Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see.

Give ear, you whose ears are shut; and let your eyes be open, you blind, so that you may see.

19 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 the LORD's servant?

Who is blind, but my servant? who has his ears stopped, but he whom I send? who is blind as my true one, or who has his ears shut like the Lord's servant?

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

Seeing much, but keeping nothing in mind; his ears are open, but there is no hearing.

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

It was the Lord's pleasure, because of his righteousness, to make the teaching great and give it honour.

22 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.'

But this is a people whose property has been taken away from them by force; they are all taken in holes, and shut up in prisons: they are made prisoners, and no one makes them free; they are taken by force and no one says, Give them back.

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

Who is there among you who will give ear to this? who will give attention to it for the time to come?

24 Who gave Jacob as plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, and they disobeyed his law.

Who gave up Jacob to those who took away his goods, and Israel to his attackers? Did not the Lord? he against whom they did wrong, and in whose ways they would not go, turning away from his teaching.

25 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."

For this reason he let loose on him the heat of his wrath, and his strength was like a flame; and it put fire round about him, but he did not see it; he was burned, but did not take it to heart.