Isaiah, 42

1. Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have sent my spirit upon him, he will bring fair judgement to the nations.

1. Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.

2. He does not cry out or raise his voice, his voice is not heard in the street;

2. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;

3. he does not break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick. Faithfully he presents fair judgement;

3. a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

4. he will not grow faint, he will not be crushed until he has established fair judgement on earth, and the coasts and islands are waiting for his instruction.

4. He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

5. Thus says God, Yahweh, who created the heavens and spread them out, who hammered into shape the earth and what comes from it, who gave breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it:

5. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:

6. I, Yahweh, have called you in saving justice, I have grasped you by the hand and shaped you; I have made you a covenant of the people and light to the nations,

6. "I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,

7. to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.

7. to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

8. I am Yahweh, that is my name! I shall not yield my glory to another, nor my honour to idols.

8. I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images.

9. See how the former predictions have come true. Fresh things I now reveal; before they appear I tell you of them.

9. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."

10. Sing a new song to Yahweh! Let his praise be sung from remotest parts of the earth by those who sail the sea and by everything in it, by the coasts and islands and those who inhabit them.

10. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth! Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.

11. Let the desert and its cities raise their voices, the encampments where Kedar lives. Let the inhabitants of the Rock cry aloud for joy and shout from the mountain tops.

11. Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

12. Let them give glory to Yahweh and, in the coasts and islands, let them voice his praise.

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

13. Yahweh advances like a hero, like a warrior he rouses his fire. He shouts, he raises the war cry, he shows his might against his foes.

13. The LORD goes forth like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.

14. 'From long ago I have been silent, I have kept quiet, held myself in check, groaning like a woman in labour, panting and gasping for air.

14. For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in travail, I will gasp and pant.

15. I shall ravage mountain and hill, shall wither all their vegetation; I shall turn the torrents into firm ground and dry up the marshes.

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

16. I shall lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they do not know I shall conduct them. I shall turn the darkness into light before them and the quagmires into solid ground. This I shall do -- without fail.'

16. And I will lead the blind in a way that they know not, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

17. Those who trust in idols will recoil, they will blush for shame, who say to metal images, 'You are our gods.'

17. They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in graven images, who say to molten images, "You are our gods."

18. Listen, you deaf! Look and see, you blind!

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

19. Who so blind as my servant, so deaf as the messenger I send? (Who so blind as the friend I have taken to myself, so deaf as Yahweh's servant?)

19. Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the LORD?

20. You have seen many things but not observed them; your ears are open but you do not hear.

20. He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.

21. Yahweh wished, because of his saving justice, to make the Law great and glorious.

21. The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.

22. Yet here is a people pillaged and plundered, all of them shut up in caves, imprisoned in dungeons. They have been pillaged, with no one to rescue them, plundered, with no one to say, 'Give it back!'

22. But this is a people robbed and plundered, they are all of them trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become a prey with none to rescue, a spoil with none to say, "Restore!"

23. Which of you will listen to this, who pay attention and listen in future?

23. Who among you will give ear to this, will attend and listen for the time to come?

24. Who surrendered Jacob to the plunderer and Israel to the pillagers? Was it not Yahweh, against whom we had sinned, in whose ways they would not walk and whose Law they would not obey?

24. Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey?

25. On him he poured out his blazing anger and the fury of war; it enveloped him in flames and yet he did not understand; it burned him up, but he did not learn a lesson.

25. So he poured upon him the heat of his anger and the might of battle; it set him on fire round about, but he did not understand; it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.