42:1 “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.
42:2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
42:4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”
42:5 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:
42:6 “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,
42:7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
42:9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”
42:10 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.
42:11 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.
42:12 Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands.
42:13 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.
42:14 “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.
42:15 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.
42:16 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.
42:17 But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame.
42:18 “Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!
42:19 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?
42:20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing.”
42:21 It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.
42:22 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.”
42:23 Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come?
42:24 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.
42:25 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.
42:1 Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, / My chosen One in whom My soul delights; / I have put My Spirit upon Him, / And He will bring forth justice to the nations.
42:2 He will not cry out, nor lift up His voice, / Nor make His voice heard in the street.
42:3 A bruised reed He will not break; / And a dimly burning flax He will not extinguish; / He will bring forth justice in truth.
42:4 He will not faint, nor will He be discouraged, / Until He has established justice in the earth; / And the coastlands will wait for His instruction.
42:5 Thus says God Jehovah, / Who created the heavens and stretched them out, / Who spread forth the earth and what springs up from it, / Who gives breath to the people upon it / And spirit to those who walk on it:
42:6 I am Jehovah; I have called You in righteousness; / I have held You by the hand; / I have kept You and I have given You / As a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations;
42:7 To open the eyes of the blind, / To bring the prisoner out from the prison, / Those who dwell in darkness from the prison house.
42:8 I am Jehovah, that is My name, / And I will not give My glory to another, / Nor My praise to idols.
42:9 Indeed, the former things have come to pass, / And new things I am telling you; / Before they spring forth / I will let you hear them.
42:10 Sing a new song to Jehovah; / Sing His praise from the end of the earth; / You who go down to the sea and all that fills it, / You coastlands and their inhabitants.
42:11 Let the wilderness and its cities, / The villages which Kedar inhabits, lift up their voices; / Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy; / Let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
42:12 Let them give glory to Jehovah, / And declare His praise in the coastlands.
42:13 Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man, / Like a man of war He will stir up His jealousy; / He will raise a war cry; He will even roar. / He will prevail over His enemies.
42:14 For a long time I have been silent; / I have kept still, I have restrained Myself. / Now I will cry like a woman in travail; / I will gasp and pant at the same time.
42:15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, / And all of their vegetation I will dry up; / And I will make the rivers into islands; / I will dry up the pools.
42:16 I will bring the blind on a way they do not know; / I will guide them in paths they do not know; / I will make the darkness into light before them, / And crooked things straight. / These are the things / I will do for them and will not forsake them.
42:17 They who have turned back will be utterly put to shame, / That is, those who trust in graven images, / Those who say to molten images, / You are our gods.
42:18 You who are deaf, Hear; / And you who are blind, Look, that you may see.
42:19 Who is blind except My servant, / And as deaf as My messenger, whom I will send? / Who is as blind as the one at peace with Me, / And as blind as the servant of Jehovah?
42:20 You have seen many things and do not observe them; / His ears are open, but he does not hear.
42:21 Jehovah is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; / He will magnify the law and make it honorable.
42:22 But this is a people plundered and spoiled: / All of them are trapped in holes, / And they are hidden in prison houses; / They have become plunder, and there is no one to deliver; / They have become spoil, and there is no one to say, Restore them.
42:23 Who among you will give ear to this? / Who will pay attention and listen to the coming things?
42:24 Who gave Jacob to the plunderers, / And Israel to the robbers? / Was it not Jehovah, against whom we have sinned, / And in whose ways they were not willing to walk, / And whose law they would not obey?
42:25 Therefore He poured out upon them the heat of His anger / And the strength of battle; / And it set them on fire round about, yet they did not realize it; / And He burned against them and they did not take it to heart.