Isaiah 42

1 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.

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, [in whom] my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

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

He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 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.

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

4 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.

He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he hath set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

5 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:

Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and expanded them; he that spread forth the earth, and that which it produceth; he that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.

6 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:

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

7 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.

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.

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

I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

9 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.

Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

10 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.

Sing to the LORD a new song, [and] his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is in it; the isles, and their inhabitants.

11 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.

Let the wilderness and its cities lift up [their voice], the villages [that] Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

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

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

13 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.

The LORD will go forth as a mighty man, he will stir up jealousy like a man of war: he will cry, yes, roar; he will prevail against his enemies.

14 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.

I have long time held my peace; I have been still, [and] restrained myself: [now] will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.

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

I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers [to be] islands, and I will dry up the pools.

16 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.

And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do for them, and not forsake them.

17 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.

They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods.

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

Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

19 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?

Who [is] blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger [that] I sent? who [is] blind as [he that is] perfect, and blind as the LORD'S servant?

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

Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.

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

The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make [it] honorable.

22 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.

But this [is] a people robbed and pillaged; [they are] all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses; they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

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

Who among you will give ear to this? [who] will hearken, and hear for the time to come?

24 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.

Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient to his law.

25 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.

Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire around, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid [it] not to heart.