Isaiah 42

The Servant of the Lord

1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.

3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:

6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.

11 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.

12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and proclaim his praise in the islands.

13 The Lord will march out like a mighty man,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,
I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.

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

16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.

17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
will be turned back in utter shame.

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;
look, you blind, and see!

19 Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one committed to me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;
your ears are open, but you hear nothing.”

21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake of his righteousness
to make his law great and glorious.

22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in pits
or hidden away in prisons.
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”

23 Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention in time to come?

24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord,
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow his ways;
they did not obey his law.

25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

ISAIAH 42

The [Lord]'s Servant

1  t t Here is my servant!
I have made him strong.
He is my chosen one;
I am pleased with him.
I have given him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
to the nations.

2 He won't shout or yell
or call out in the streets.

3 He won't break off a bent reed
or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure
that justice is done.

4 He won't quit or give up
until he brings justice
everywhere on earth,
and people in foreign nations
long for his teaching.

5  t I am the [Lord] God.
I created the heavens
like an open tent above.
I made the earth and everything
that grows on it.
I am the source of life
for all who live on this earth,
so listen to what I say.

6  t I chose you to bring justice,
and I am here at your side.
I selected you and sent yout
to bring light
and my promise of hope
to the nations.

7 You will give sight
to the blind;
you will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons.

8 My name is the [Lord]!
I won't let idols or humans
share my glory and praise.

9 Everything has happened
just as I said it would;
now I will announce
what will happen next.

Sing Praises to the [Lord]

10 Tell the whole world to sing
a new song to the [Lord]!
Tell those who sail the ocean
and those who live far away
to join in the praise.

11 Tell the tribes of the desert
and everyone in the mountainst
to celebrate and sing.

12 Let them announce
his praises everywhere.

13 The [Lord] is marching out
like an angry soldier,
shouting with all his might
while attacking his enemies.

The [Lord] Will Help //His People

14 For a long time, I, the [Lord],
have held my temper;
now I will cry out and groan
like a woman giving birth.

15 I will destroy the mountains
and what grows on them;
I will dry up rivers and ponds.

16 I will lead the blind on roads
they have never known;
I will guide them on paths
they have never traveled.
Their road is dark and rough,
but I will give light
to keep them from stumbling.
This is my solemn promise.

17 Everyone who worships idols
as though they were gods
will be terribly ashamed.

God's People Won't Obey

18 You people are deaf and blind,
but the [Lord] commands you
to listen and to see.

19 No one is as blind or deaf
as his messenger,
his chosen servant,

20 who sees and hears so much,
but pays no attention.

21 The [Lord] always does right,
and so he wanted his Law
to be greatly praised.t

22 But his people were trapped
and imprisoned in holes
with no one to rescue them.
All they owned had been taken,
and no one was willing
to give it back.

23 Why won't his people
ever learn to listen?

24 Israel sinned and refused
to obey the [Lord]
or follow his instructions.
So the [Lord] let us be robbed
of everything we owned.

25 He was furious with us
and punished our nation
with the fires of war.
Still we paid no attention.
We didn't even care
when we were surrounded
and scorched by flames.