Isaiah 42

1 “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice 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 will not shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.

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

3 He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.

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

4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands 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 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, says:

Thus says 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, the LORD, have called you in righteousness. I will hold your hand. I will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations,

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

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 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 the LORD. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved 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 have happened and I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up.”

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

10 Sing to the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants.

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

11 Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains!

Rejoice, you 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 to the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.

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

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

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

16 I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t 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 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 “Those who trust in engraved images, who tell molten images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back. They will be utterly disappointed.

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

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

Hear, you deaf, and look up, you blind, to 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?

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

20 You see many things, but don’t observe. His ears are open, but he doesn’t listen.

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

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

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

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 captives, and no one delivers, and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’

And I saw, 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 is there amongst you who will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?

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

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

25 Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him, and the strength of battle. It set him on fire all around, but he didn’t know. It burnt him, but he didn’t take it 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.