Isaiah 42

The Servant and a New Song

1“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one, in whom I delight.
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring justice to the nations. 2He will not shout or raise his voice,
or make it heard in the street. 3A bruised reed he will not break;
a dimly burning wick he will not put out.
He will faithfully bring justice. 4He will not burn dim or be crushed
until he establishes justice on earth;
the islands wait for his instruction.”

5Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
spread the earth and all that springs from it,
gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk upon it: 6“I, the LORD, called you in righteousness;
I will take your hand and guard you.
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations, 7to open blind eyes,
to bring prisoners out of confinement,
those dwelling in darkness out of prison. 8I am the LORD; that is my name.
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to carved images.

9Look, the former things have come to pass;
now I announce new things.
Before they sprout, I make them known to you.” 10Sing the LORD a new song,
his praise from earth’s ends—
you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it,
islands and those who inhabit them! 11Let wilderness and its towns lift their voices,
the settlements where Kedar lives.
Let Sela’s inhabitants sing for joy,
shout from the mountaintops. 12Let them give glory to the LORD
and proclaim his praise in the islands.

13The LORD goes out like a warrior;
like a man of battle he stirs his zeal.
He cries out, raises a battle shout,
shows his might against his enemies. 14“For a long time I have kept silent,
kept still and restrained myself.
Now I cry out like a woman in labor;
I gasp and pant together. 15I will lay mountains and hills waste
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up pools. 16I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
guide them on paths they do not know.
I will turn darkness before them into light,
and rough places into level ground.
These things I will do; I will not abandon them.

17Those who trust in carved images,
who tell cast idols, ‘You are our gods,’
will be turned back, deeply ashamed. 18Listen, you deaf!
Look and see, you blind! 19Who is blind but my servant,
as deaf as the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one committed to me,
blind like the LORD’s servant? 20Seeing many things, you pay no attention;
with ears open, he does not hear.

21The LORD desired, for his righteousness’ sake,
to magnify instruction and make it glorious. 22But this is a people robbed and plundered,
all trapped in holes, hidden in prisons.
They have become prey, with no rescuer,
plunder, with no one saying, ‘Give them back!’ 23Who among you will listen to this,
pay attention and hear for the time to come? 24Who handed Jacob over to plunder, Israel to robbers?
Was it not the LORD, against whom we sinned?
They would not walk in his ways
and did not listen to his instruction.

25So he poured on him his burning anger and the violence of war.
It blazed around him, but he did not understand;
it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.