Isaiah Chapter 42

The Servant of Yahveh

                  42^:1“My Servant that I uphold,

                                          my Chosen One I delight in,

                                    I’ve put my Spirit on him;                  

                                          he’ll bring righteousness to the Gentiles.

                              ² He won’t holler or be boisterous;

                                    he won’t make a racket in the streets.

                              ³ He won’t break a bruised reed

                                    or put out a flickering wick;

                                    he’ll faithfully render justice.

                              ⁴ He won’t falter or lose heart;

                                          he’ll establish justice on earth;

                                    distant lands will rely on his instruction.”                

Is 42:1-4

                              ⁵ God Yahveh says—

                                    who created the sky and stretched it out,

                                    who made the earth and what comes from it,

                                    who gives breath to the people on it

                                          and spirit to those who walk in it—

                              ⁶ “I’m Yahveh; I’ve called you to demonstrate my goodness;

                                    I’ll hold you by the hand and watch over you.

                                    I’ll appoint you to be a covenant for the people,

                                          a light for the Gentiles

                                                ⁷ to open the eyes of the blind,

                                                to free prisoners from dungeons

and those living in darkness from prison.

                              ⁸ I’m Yahveh; that’s my name.

                                    I won’t share my honor with anyone else

                                          or my praise with carved images.

                              ⁹ My former prophecies have already happened;

                                          now I’m prophesying new ones;

                                    I’ll tell you about them before they occur.”              

Is 42:5-9

A Song of Praise to Yahveh

                              ¹⁰ Sing a new song to Yahveh;

                                    sing his praise from the ends of the earth,

                                          you that sail the ocean,

                                          you distant lands and people that live there!

                              ¹¹ Let the desert towns join the chorus,

                                          the villages where Kedar lives;

                                    let the people of Sela sing for joy

                                          and shout from the mountaintops.

                              ¹² Let them honor Yahveh

                                          and declare his praise in distant lands.

                              ¹³ He^Y will rush out like a soldier

                                          and stir up his fury like a warrior;

                                    he’ll raise his battle cry

                                          and prevail over his enemies.                              

Is 42:10-13

                              ¹⁴ “I’ve kept quiet,” God says, “and restrained myself for a long time;

                                          now like a woman in labor, I’ll groan and gasp and pant.

                              ¹⁵ I’ll make mountains and hills desolate

                                          and wither their vegetation;

                                    I’ll turn rivers into wadis

                                          and dry up the ponds.

                              ¹⁶ I’ll lead the blind on a new road,

                                          guide them in unfamiliar paths;

                                    I’ll make darkness into light ahead of them

                                          and make rough places smooth;

                                    I’ll do these things;

                                          I won’t leave them undone.

                              ¹⁷ I’ll drive back and completely disgrace

                                          those who trust in idols

                                          and say to molten images, ‘You’re our gods.’     

Is 42:14-17

Israel Deaf and Blind

                              ¹⁸ “Listen, you deaf;

                                          look, you blind.

                              ¹⁹ Who is as blind as my servant,

                                          as deaf as my messenger?

                                    Who is as blind as my chosen people,

                                          as blind as Yahveh’s servant?

                              ²⁰ You look at many things, but don’t see;

                                          your ears are open, but you don’t listen.”

                              ²¹ Because he’s good, Yahveh was pleased

                                          to make his Law great and glorious.

                              ²² But his people have been robbed and plundered,

                                          trapped in caves and hidden in prisons;

                                    they’ve become prey with no savior,

                                          spoil with nobody to demand, “Give them back!”

Is 42:18-22

                              ²³ Who among you will learn from the past?

                                          Who will listen about the future?

                        ²⁴ Who gave Jacob up for spoil and Israel to plunderers?

                                    Wasn’t it Yahveh that you’ve sinned against,

                                          whose ways you wouldn’t follow,

                                          whose Law you didn’t obey?

                        ²⁵ So he poured out his hot anger on you in fierce warfare

                                    and enveloped you in flames;

                              you didn’t catch on, and it burned you;

                                    you didn’t take it to heart.                                         

Is 42:23-25