Isaiah 42

1 Behold, My servant, I take hold on Him, My Chosen One—My soul has accepted, I have put My Spirit on Him, He brings forth judgment to nations.

Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon him, he shall make the right to go forth to the nations.

2 He does not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

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

3 A bruised reed He does not break, And faded flax He does not quench, He brings forth judgment to truth.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the dimly burning wick shall he not quench; he shall make the right to go forth according to the truth.

4 He does not become weak nor bruised, Until He sets judgment in the earth, And islands wait with hope for His law.

He shall not fail nor be crushed, till he have set the right in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his teaching.

5 Thus said God, YHWH, Creating the heavens, and stretching them out, Spreading out the earth and its productions, Giving breath to the people on it, And spirit to those walking in it.

Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, He that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

6 I, YHWH, called you in righteousness, And I lay hold on your hand, and keep you, And I give you for a covenant of a people, And a light of nations.

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations;

7 To open the eyes of the blind, To bring forth the bound one from prison, Those sitting in darkness from the house of restraint.

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

8 I [am] YHWH, this [is] My Name, And I do not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to carved 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 The former things, behold, have come, And I am declaring new things, Before they spring up I cause you to hear.

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

10 Sing a new song to YHWH, His praise from the end of the earth, You who are going down to the sea, and its fullness, Islands, and their inhabitants.

Sing unto 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 therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

11 The wilderness and its cities lift up [their voice], Kedar inhabits the villages, The inhabitants of Sela sing, They cry from the top of mountains.

Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela exult, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

12 They ascribe to YHWH glory, And they declare His praise in the islands.

Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands.

13 YHWH goes forth as a mighty one. He stirs up zeal as a man of war, He cries, indeed, He shrieks, He shows Himself mighty against His enemies.

The LORD will go forth as a mighty man, He will stir up jealousy like a man of war; He will cry, yea, He will shout aloud, He will prove Himself mighty against His enemies.

14 I have kept silent from of old, I keep silent, I refrain Myself, I cry out as a travailing woman, I desolate and swallow up together.

I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained Myself; now will I cry like a travailing woman, gasping and panting at once.

15 I make desolate mountains and hills, And I dry up all their herbs, And I have made rivers become islands, And I dry up ponds.

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

16 And I have caused the blind to go, In a way they have not known, I cause them to tread in paths they have not known, I make a dark place become light before them, And unleveled places become a plain, These [are] the things I have done to them, And I have not forsaken them.

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, in paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do, and I will not leave them undone.

17 Removed backward—utterly ashamed, Are those trusting in a carved image, Those saying to a molten image, “You [are] our gods.”

They shall be turned back, greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images: 'Ye are our gods.'

18 You deaf, hear; and you blind, look to see.

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

19 Who [is] blind but My servant? And deaf as My messenger I send? Who [is] blind as he who is at peace, Indeed, blind, as the servant of YHWH?

Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My messenger that I send? Who is blind as he that is wholehearted, and blind as the LORD'S servant?

20 Seeing many things, and you do not observe, Opening ears, and he does not hear.

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

21 YHWH has delight for the sake of His righteousness, He magnifies law, and makes honorable.

The LORD was pleased, for His righteousness' sake, to make the teaching great and glorious.

22 And this [is] a people seized and spoiled, Snared in holes—all of them, And they were hidden in houses of restraint, They have been for a prey, And there is no deliverer, A spoil, and none is saying, “Restore.”

But this is a people robbed and spoiled, 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 among you gives ear [to] this? Attends, and hears afterward?

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

24 Who has given Jacob for a spoil, And Israel to the spoilers? Is it not YHWH—He against whom we sinned? Indeed, they have not been willing to walk in His ways, Nor have they listened to His law.

Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the LORD? He against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, neither were they obedient unto His law.

25 And He pours fury on him, His anger, and the strength of battle, And it sets him on fire all around, And he has not known, And it burns against him, and he does not lay it to heart!

Therefore He poured upon him the fury of His anger, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.