Isaiah 42

1“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights— I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations. 2nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. He will not shout, 3He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice. He won’t break a bruised reed. 4until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands will wait for his law.” He will not fail nor be discouraged, 5he who created the heavens and stretched them out, he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it, he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it. Thus says God Yahweh, 6and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations; “I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness, 7to open the blind eyes, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison. 8That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images. “I am Yahweh. 9and I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up.” Behold, the former things have happened, 10and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants. Sing to Yahweh a new song, 11with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains! Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, 12and declare his praise in the islands. Let them give glory to Yahweh, 13He will stir up zeal like a man of war. He will raise a war cry. Yes, he will shout aloud. He will triumph over his enemies. Yahweh will go out like a mighty man. 14I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing woman. I will both gasp and pant. “I have been silent a long time. 15and dry up all their herbs. I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools. I will destroy mountains and hills, 16I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them. I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. 17who tell molten images, ‘You are our gods’ will be turned back. They will be utterly disappointed. “Those who trust in engraved images, 18and look, you blind, that you may see. “Hear, you deaf, 19Or who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as he who is at peace, and as blind as Yahweh’s servant? Who is blind, but my servant? 20His ears are open, but he doesn’t listen. You see many things, but don’t observe. 21and make it honorable. It pleased Yahweh, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law, 22All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’ But this is a robbed and plundered people. They have become captives, and no one delivers; 23Who will listen and hear for the time to come? Who is there among you who will give ear to this? 24and Israel to the robbers? Didn’t Yahweh, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, and they disobeyed his law. Who gave Jacob as plunder, 25and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire all around, but he didn’t know; and it burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.” Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him,