Isaiah 42
42
XLII
1Behold my servant, whom I will uphold;
My chosen, in whom my soul delighteth:
I have put my Spirit upon him;
He shall publish judgment to the nations.
2He shall not cry, nor raise a clamour,
Nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets.
3A bruised reed shall he not break,
And the smoking flax shall he not quench:
According unto truth shall he publish judgment.
4He shall not despond, neither shall he be faint;
Until he hath firmly seated judgment in the earth:
And the isles shall earnestly wait for his law.
5Thus saith the God, Jehovah,
Who hath created the heavens, and stretched them out;
Who hath spread abroad the earth, and the produce thereof;
Who giveth breath to the people upon it,
And spirit to them that tread thereon:
6I Jehovah have called thee in righteousness,
And I will take hold of thy hand, and will preserve thee;
And I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations;
7To open the blind eyes,
To bring the captive out of confinement;
And them that sit in darkness, out of the prison house.
8I am Jehovah, that is my name;
And my glory will I not give to another,
Nor my praise to graven images.
9The former predictions, behold! they are come to pass;
And new events I now declare:
Before they spring forth, I make them known unto you.
10Sing unto Jehovah a new song,
His praise from the ends of the earth;
Ye that go down upon the sea, and the fulness thereof;
The isles, and their inhabitants.
11Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar doth inhabit:
Let them sing, who inhabit the rocks;
Let them shout aloud from the top of the mountains.
12Let them ascribe glory to Jehovah,
And declare his praise in the islands.
13 Jehovah shall march forth like a hero;
Like a mighty warrior shall he stir up his zeal:
He shall cry aloud; yea, he shall shout amain;
He shall prove himself mighty against his enemies.
14I have long time holden my peace,
I have been still and refrained myself;
But now will I cry out like a woman in travail;
I will stifle my breath and pour it forth at once.
15I will make waste mountains and hills,
And all their herbage will I dry up;
And I will change rivers into islands,
And the pools will I dry up.
16And I will lead the blind by a way that they knew not;
Through paths that they have not known will I conduct them:
I will turn darkness into light before them;
And rugged places into smooth ground.
These things will I do for them, and will not forsake them.
17They are turned backward, they are utterly confounded,
Who trust in graven images,
Who say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
18Hear, ye deaf!
And, ye blind! look attentively, that ye may see.
19Who is blind, if not my servant?
Or deaf as my messenger whom I sent?
Who is blind like him that is perfect,
And blind like the servant of Jehovah?
20Thou hast seen many things, but thou observest not;
Having the ears open, but did not hear.
21 Jehovah is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake;
He shall magnify the law, and render it glorious.
22But this is a people spoiled and plundered;
All their chosen youths are taken in the toils,
And in prison houses are they hid:
They are become a spoil, and none delivereth;
A plunder, and no one saith, Restore.
23Who is there among you that will give ear to this?
That will attend, and hearken, for the future?
24Who hath given Jacob for a spoil,
And Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not Jehovah? He against whom we have sinned?
For they would not walk in his ways,
Neither were they obedient unto his law.
25Therefore he hath poured upon them the heat of his anger, and the vehemence of war:
And it kindled a flame round about him, yet he regarded it not;
And it set him on fire, yet he laid it not to heart.
Translated by Rev John Jones (Ioan Tegid).Published at Oxford in 1830, second edition 1842.
Isaiah 42
42
God’s Promise concerning His Servant
1“Behold, My #This is the first of the famous prophecies concerning the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah (Is 42:1-7; 49:1-9a; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12).Servant, whom I #Or hold fast.uphold;
My Chosen One in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2He will not call out or shout aloud,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3A broken reed He will not break [off]
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish [He will not harm those who are weak and suffering];
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4He will not be disheartened or crushed [in spirit];
[He will persevere] until He has established justice on the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
5This is what God the Lord says,
He who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its produce,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk on it,
6“I am the Lord, I have called You (the Messiah) in righteousness [for a righteous purpose],
I will also take You by the hand and keep watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people [Israel],
As a light to the nations (Gentiles),
7To open the eyes of the blind,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who sit in darkness from the prison.
8I am the Lord, that is My Name;
My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved idols.
9Indeed, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
10Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You islands and coastlands, and those who inhabit them [sing His praise]!
11Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The villages where Kedar lives.
Let the inhabitants of #Gr Petra (rock). Sela was probably the Edomite capital at this time. Carved into great walls of rose-colored rock it was later controlled by the Nabateans.Sela shout for joy,
Let them shout joyfully from the tops of the mountains.
12Let them give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the islands and coastlands.
13The Lord will go forth like a warrior,
He will stir up His zeal like a man of war;
He will shout out, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail [mightily] against His enemies.
The Blindness of the People
14“I [the Lord] have been silent for a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will moan like a woman in labor,
I will both gasp and pant.
15I will lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will turn the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;
I will guide them in paths that they do not know.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These things I will do [for them],
And I will not leave them abandoned or undone.”
17Those who trust in carved idols will be turned back,
And utterly put to shame,
Who say to cast images,
“You are our gods.”
18Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19Who is blind but My servant [Israel],
Or deaf like My messenger whom I send?
Who is blind like the one who is at peace with Me [in a covenant relationship],
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;
Your ears are open, but no one hears.
21The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the law great and prove to be glorious.
22But this is a people despoiled and plundered;
All of them are trapped in holes,
Or are hidden away in prisons.
They have become a prey with no one to rescue them,
And a spoil, with no one to say, “Give them back!”
23Who among you will listen to this?
Who will listen and pay attention in the time to come?
24Who gave up Jacob [the kingdom of Judah] for spoil, and [the kingdom of] Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord, He against whom we [of Judah] have sinned,
And in whose ways they [of Israel] were unwilling to walk,
And whose law and teaching they did not obey?
25Therefore He poured out on Israel the heat of His anger
And the fierceness of battle;
And engulfed him in fire,
Yet he did not recognize [the lesson of repentance which the Assyrian conquest was intended to teach];
It burned him, but he did not take it to heart.
Amplified® Bible
Copyright © 2015 by
The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
All rights reserved. http://www.lockman.org