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.

Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen one, in him I take delight. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring justice to the nations.

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

He will not cry out nor shout, nor make his voice heard 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.

A crushed reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench: he will faithfully execute justice.

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."

He will not grow faint nor be discouraged until he has established justice on the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

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.

This is what God Yahweh says— the one who created the heavens and stretched them out, the one who made the earth and all that it produces, the one who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who live on it:

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, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness and will hold your hand. I will keep you and set you as a covenant for the people, as a light for 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 release the prisoners from the dungeon, and from the house of confinement those who sit in darkness.

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 Yahweh, that is my name; and my glory I will not share with another nor my praise with carved idols.

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

See, the previous things came to pass, now I am about to declare new events. Before they begin to occur I will tell you about 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.

Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, the coastlands, and those who live there.

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 desert and the cities cry out, the villages where Kedar lives, shout for joy! Let the inhabitants of Sela sing; let them shout from the mountaintops.

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

Let them give glory to Yahweh and declare his praise in the coastlands.

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.

Yahweh will go out as a warrior; as a man of war he will stir up his zeal. He will shout, yes, he will roar his battle cries; he will show his enemies his power.

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 kept quiet for a long time; I have been still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant.

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 lay waste mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; and I will turn the rivers into islands and will dry up the marshes.

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.

I will bring the blind by a way that they do not know; in paths that they do not know I will lead them. I will turn the darkness into light before them, and make the crooked places straight. These things I will do, and I will not abandon 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.

They will be turned back, they will be completely put to shame, those who trust in carved figures, who say to cast metal figures, “You are our gods.”

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

Listen, you deaf; and look, you blind, 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? Or deaf like my messenger I send? Who is as blind as my covenant partner, or blind as Yahweh's servant?

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

You see many things, but do not comprehend; ears are open, but no one hears.

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

It pleased Yahweh to praise his justice and to make his law glorious.

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 robbed and plundered; they are all trapped in pits, held captive in prisons; they have become a plunder with no one to rescue them, and no one says, “Bring 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 among you will listen to this? Who will listen and hear in the future?

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 Jacob over to the robber, and Israel to the looters? Was it not Yahweh, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they refused to walk, and whose law they refused to obey?

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."

Therefore he poured out on them his fierce anger and the violence of war, Its flames encircled them, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.