Isaiah 42
42
1 Behold my servant, I will uphold him, my elect, with him my soul is well-pleased. I have sent my Spirit upon him. He will offer judgment to the nations.
2 He will not cry out, and he will not show favoritism to anyone; neither will his voice be heard abroad.
3 The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoldering wick he will not extinguish. He will lead forth judgment unto truth.
4 He will not be saddened or troubled, until he establishes judgment on earth. And the islands will await his law.
5 Thus says the Lord God, who created the heavens and expanded it, who formed the earth and all that springs from it, who gives breath to the people in it, and spirit to those walking on it.
6 I, the Lord, have called you in justice, and I have taken your hand and preserved you. And I have presented you as a covenant of the people, as a light to the Gentiles,
7 so that you may open the eyes of the blind, and lead out the prisoner from confinement and those sitting in darkness from the house of incarceration.
8 I am the Lord; this is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to graven things.
9 The things that were first, behold, they have arrived. And I also announce what is new. Before these things arise, I will cause you to hear about them.
10 Sing to the Lord a new canticle, sing his praise from the ends of the earth, you who descend into the sea and all its fullness, the islands and their inhabitants.
11 Let the desert and its cities be lifted up. Kedar will dwell in houses. O inhabitants of the rock, give praise! They will cry out from the top of the mountains.
12 They will give glory to the Lord, and they will announce his praise to the islands.
13 The Lord will go forth like a strong man; like a man of battle, he will stir up zeal. He will shout and cry out. He will prevail against his enemies.
14 I have always been quiet; I have been silent; I have been patient. I will speak like a woman giving birth. I will destroy and consume, all at once.
15 I will desolate the mountains and the hills, and I will wither all their grass. And I will turn rivers into islands, and I will dry up the pools of water.
16 And I will lead the blind along a way which they do not know. And I will cause them to walk along paths with which they were unfamiliar. I will turn darkness into light before them, and crooked into straight. These things I have done for them. For I have not abandoned them.
17 They have been converted again. Let those who trust in graven idols be greatly confounded, for they say to a molten thing, "You are our god."
18 You who are deaf, hear! You who are blind, turn your gaze and see!
19 Who is blind, except my servant? Who is deaf, except the one to whom I have sent my messengers? Who is blind, except the one who has been sold? And who is blind, except the servant of the Lord?
20 You who see many things, will you not keep them? You who have open ears, will you not listen?
21 And the Lord was willing to sanctify him, and to magnify the law, and to exalt him.
22 But this same people has robbed and laid waste. All their youth are a snare, and they have been hidden in houses of confinement. They have become victims; there is no one who may rescue them. They have been plundered; there is no one who may say, "Restore."
23 Who is there among you who will hear this, who will listen closely and heed this in the future?
24 Who has handed over Jacob into plunder, and Israel into devastation? It is not the Lord himself, against whom we have sinned? And they were not willing to walk in his ways, and they have not listened to his law.
25 And so, he poured out over him the indignation of his fury and a strong battle. And he burned him all around, and he did not realize it. And he set him on fire, and he did not understand it.
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Isaiah 42: CPDV
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Isaiah 42
42
The Lord's Servant
1 #
Mt 3.17; 17.5; Mk 1.11; Lk 3.22; 9.35. #Mt 12.18-21. 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.
2He won't shout or yell
or call out in the streets.
3He won't break off a bent reed
or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure
that justice is done.
4He won't quit or give up
until he brings justice
everywhere on earth,
and people in foreign nations
long for his teaching.
5 #
Ac 17.24,25. 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 #
Is 49.6; Lk 2.32; Ac 13.47; 26.23. I chose you to bring justice,
and I am here at your side.
I selected you and sent you#42.6 I selected … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
to bring light
and my promise of hope
to the nations.
7You will give sight
to the blind;
you will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons.
8My name is the Lord!
I won't let idols or humans
share my glory and praise.
9Everything has happened
just as I said it would;
now I will announce
what will happen next.
Sing Praises to the Lord
10Tell 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.
11Tell the tribes of the desert
and everyone in the mountains#42.11 desert … mountains: The Hebrew text includes the place names of Kedar in the desert and Sela in the mountains.
to celebrate and sing.
12Let them announce
his praises everywhere.
13The Lord is marching out
like an angry soldier,
shouting with all his might
while attacking his enemies.
The Lord Will Help His People
14For a long time, I, the Lord,
have held my temper;
now I will cry out and groan
like a woman giving birth.
15I will destroy the mountains
and what grows on them;
I will dry up rivers and ponds.
16I 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.
17Everyone who worships idols
as though they were gods
will be terribly ashamed.
God's People Won't Obey
18You people are deaf and blind,
but the Lord commands you
to listen and to see.
19No one is as blind or deaf
as his messenger,
his chosen servant,
20who sees and hears so much,
but pays no attention.
21The Lord always does right,
and so he wanted his Law
to be greatly praised.#42.21 greatly praised: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21.
22But 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.
23Why won't his people
ever learn to listen?
24Israel sinned and refused
to obey the Lord
or follow his instructions.
So the Lord let us be robbed
of everything we owned.
25He 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.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.