Isaya 42
1 Tazama, mtumishi wangu, niliyekushika; niliyekuchagua, kwake ninapata furaha. Nimeiweka roho yangu juu yake; ataleta haki kwa mataifa.
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 Hatalia wala kupiga kelele, wala sauti yake haitasikika mitaani.
He will make no cry, his voice will not be loud: his words will not come to men's ears in the streets.
3 Mwanzi ulioangamizwa hatauvunja, na wala utambi unaowaka na kutoa mwanga hautaungua: atatekeleza haki kwa uaminifu.
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 wala hatazimia wala kukata tamaa mpaka atakapoanzisha haki katika nchi; na pwani inasubiria sheria yake.
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 Mungu Yahwe asema hivi—yeye aliyeziumba mbingu na yeye zinyoosha nje, yeye aliyeiumba nchi na vitu vyote izalishavyo, yeye aliyewapa punzi watu na wale waishio juu:
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 Mimi Yahwe nimekuita kwa haki yangu na nitakushika kwa mkono wangu. Nitakutunza wewe, na nitakuweka wewe kama agano kwa watu wangu, kama mwanga wa wayunani
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 Kuyafungua macho ya vipofu, kuwatoa waliofungwa gerezani, kuwatoa wale walio gizani kutoka kwenye nyumba iliyofungiwa.
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 Mimi ni Yahwe, Hilo ndilo jina langu; na utukufu wangu sitashiriana na mtu mwingine wala sifa zangu sitashirkiana na sanamu ya kuchonga.
I am the Lord; that is my name: I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to pictured images.
9 Tazama, mambo ya nyuma yamekuja na kupita, sasa ninakaribia kutangaza mambo mapya. Kabla hayajaanza kutokea nitawambia kuhusu wao.''
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 Mwimbieni Yahwe wimbo mpya, na sifa zake kutoka mwisho wa nchi; wewe ushukae chini kwenye bahari, na vyote vilivyomo ndani yake, waishio pwani na wale wanaoishi huko.
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 Wacha jangwa na miji ilie, vijiji anavyoishi na Kaderi, lia kwa furaha! waache wenyeji wa Sela waimbe; waache wapige kelele juu ya kilele cha mlima.
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 waache wamtukuze Yahwe na kutangaza sifa zake katika aridhi ya pwani.
Let them give glory to the Lord, sounding his praise in the sea-lands.
13 Yahwe atatoka nje kama shujaa; kama mtu wa vita ataichochea bidii yake. Atapiga kelele, ndio, atalia kw kishindo katika vita yake; atawaonyesha adui zake nguvu zake.
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 Nimenyamaza kimyi kwa mda mrefu; bado nimendelea kujizuia mimi mwenyewe; Nitalia kama mwanamke anayetaka kuzaa; nitatweta na kuugua.
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 Nitaiharibu milima na vilima na kukausha uoto wake wa asili; nitajeuza mito kuwa visiwa na nitakausha matindiga.
I will make waste mountains and hills, drying up all their plants; and I will make rivers dry, and pools dry land.
16 Nitawaleta vipofu kwa njia wasioijua; katika njia wasiyoijua Nitawapitisha wao. Nitaligeuza giza kuwa mwanga mbele yao, na kupanyoosha mahali palipopotoka. Mambo yote haya nitayafanya, na sitaachana na wao.
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 Watageuka nyuma, wataabishwa sana, wale wote wanaoiamini sanamu ya kuchonga, wanaosema na kuziambia sanamu za chuma, ''Nyinyi ni miungu wetu.''
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 Sikilizeni ewe kiziwi; tazama, ewe kipofu, ili uweze kuona.
Give ear, you whose ears are shut; and let your eyes be open, you blind, so that you may see.
19 aliye kipofu ila mtumishi wangu? au kiziwi ni kama mjumbe niliyemtuma? Ni nani aliye kipofu kama mpenzi wangu wa agano, au kipofu kama mtumishi wa Yahwe?
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 Mmeona mambo mengi, lakini hamuelewi; masikio yamefunguka, lakini hakuna anayesikia.
Seeing much, but keeping nothing in mind; his ears are open, but there is no hearing.
21 Itampendeza Yahwe kuisifu haki yake na kuitukuza sheria yake.
It was the Lord's pleasure, because of his righteousness, to make the teaching great and give it honour.
22 Lakini watu hawa ni wale waliokamtw na kutekwa; wote wamenaswa kwenye mashimo; wafungwa wote wamewekwa gerezani; wamekuwa mateka na hakuna hata mmoja wa kuwaokoa wao, hakuna asemaye, warudisheni.''
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 Ni nani miongoni mwenu atalisikiliza hili? nani atayasikia na ni nani atasikia wakati ujao?
Who is there among you who will give ear to this? who will give attention to it for the time to come?
24 Ni nani aliyemtoa Yakobo kwa majambazi, na Israeli kwa wanyang'anyi? Je hakuwa Yahwe, dhidi ya wale waliotenda dhambi, waliokataa kutembea katika njia zako na wale waliokataa kusheshimu sheria yako.
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 Hivyo basi humwaga asira yake kali nje dhidi yao, kwa uharibifu wa vita. Iliwaka kuwazunguka wao, hata hawakujua hilo, lakini hawakuyachukulia hayo moyoni mwao.
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.
