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.

Look! Here is my servant, the one I support; my chosen one who pleases me. I have placed my Spirit on him, and he will show the nations what is right.

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

He won't shout or cry out; he won't raise his voice in the street.

3 He will not break a bruised reed. He will not quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.

He won't break a damaged reed; he won't snuff out a smoldering wick. He will faithfully make sure everyone is treated fairly.

4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands wait for his law.”

He won't give up or become discouraged until he has made sure that justice is upheld throughout the world. Even lands overseas will look forward to his teachings.

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:

This is what God the Lord says, the one who created the heavens and stretched them out, who made the earth and everything in it, who gives breath to the people on it, and life to those who live there:

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, have called you to demonstrate what's right, and I will hold your hand. I will take care of you, and give you as a sign of my agreement with the people and as 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.

You will make the blind see, set free those who are locked up, and lead those who sit in darkness out from prison.

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 do not give my honor to anyone else; I do not give my praise to idols.

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

Notice that what I foretold has come true, as will the new things I'm saying to you now. I tell you what will happen before it does.”

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 song to the Lord! Sing praise from everywhere on earth, you who sail on the sea and everything in it, you islands and everyone who lives 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!

Let the people in the desert and its towns shout; let the people of the villages of Kedar cry out loud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.

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

Let them glorify the Lord and praise him 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.

Like a mighty warrior the Lord will march out, like a seasoned soldier he goes out with courage. He gives his war-cry, shouting as he battles and defeats 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 didn't say anything for a long time, I kept quiet and restrained myself. But now like a woman giving birth, I will moan and 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 dry up the mountains and the hills, and make all their greenery wither. I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools.

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 lead the blind along a road they don't know; I will guide them along paths they don't know. I will turn darkness into light before them, and smooth out the rough places. This is what I'm going to do for them; I won't let them down.

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 those who trust in idols and say to images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be rejected in humiliation and shame.

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

Listen, you deaf people! Look and see, you blind people!

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 like my servant? Who is deaf like my messenger that I send? Who is as blind as the people of the agreement? Who is as blind as the servant of the Lord?

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

You've looked at many things but have not really seen; you've heard but never really listened.”

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

Because the Lord does what is right he wanted to show how important and wonderful his instructions were.

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!’

But this people ended up robbed and raided, all of them trapped in holes or hidden in prisons. They have been stolen like loot, with no one to save them from being someone's prize, no one to say “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 of you is going to listen to this, or pay attention later on?

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 let Jacob be taken as loot; who let Israel be taken by robbers? Wasn't it the Lord who we sinned against? The people weren't willing to follow his ways, and they refused to obey 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 did not know. It burned him, but he did not take it to heart.”

So he poured out his furious anger on them, and the violence of war. Even though they were surrounded by flames, but they still didn't understand. The fire burned them up, but they still did not take the situation seriously.